Percussion Methods is designed for music education majors pursuing teaching careers in instrumental music education. Course objectives include study of rhythm, technique, sound production, repertoire, and pedagogy on snare drum, marching percussion, drumset, hand drums, keyboards, timpani, and orchestral accessories. Percussion majors may take this course as part of their music pedagogy requirement and will assist the faculty in this course.
Fall Semester 2009 Edition - Revised 5/12/09
Course Information: YSU Catalog Number MUSAC 3763 T & Th, 9:00-9:50a.m.
Course Code 6192, 1 credit hour Bliss Hall - 2326
Instructor: Mr. Jason Detec
jdetec@gmail.com mobile phone 330.727.1347
This syllabus is a course contract between you and your instructor. Your enrollment indicates your acceptance of all course policies. Please discuss with faculty any questions you may have by the end of week one. If after discussion, a satisfactory understanding cannot be reached, we recommended you withdraw from the course. Our mission is to provide you a challenging course and hence the best possible educational experience.
Course Objective: Beginning level class for music education majors and applications appropriate for public or private school K-12 music instruction. Study techniques, sound production, and pedagogy for snare drum, marching percussion, drumset, hand drumming, keyboards, timpani, and orchestral accessories.
Course fee: A $35 fee is assessed to offset costs of materials provided in this course. These include: one pair concert snare drum sticks, drum pad, YSU percussion practice room and instruments, practice mallets.
Required texts and supplies:
1. Three-ring notebook (1.5 inch minimum) to house your syllabus, portfolio, class notes, etc. Bring to each class.
2. Course textbooks: Cook, Gary. Teaching Percussion. 3rd Edition. Thomson Schirmer, 2006.
This is available at the YSU bookstore and at Amazon.com and half.com!
3. YSU practice pad will be signed-out to you and must be returned at the final class period in the same condition it was issued. You are financially responsible for any damage or loss. Late returns will result in a “PR” grade issued until the pad is returned. If the pad is not returned, an “F” will be issued, and you will be charged for the pad.
4. You will be given one pair of concert snare drum sticks and these are your property. Loss or damage will require replacement of the same model at your time and expense (@ $10 per pair).
Course Topics:
Week 1: Course Overview, Pedagogy, & Philosophy of Education
Week 2-3: Rhythm – Learning and Teaching the Fundamentals; Hand Drumming/Drum Circle – pedagogical applications
Week 4-6: Snare Drum - Rudimental and Orchestral styles
Week 7-8: Keyboard Percussion
Week 9-10: Timpani
Week 11-12 Accessory Percussion Instruments (Cymbals, Triangle, Tambourine, Bass Drum, etc.)
Week 13: Marching Percussion
Week 14-15: Drumset
NOTE: This is a rough outline, to be amended based on the number of students in the class and the needs of each subject.
Course grading system: This course follows the standard 10 percent grading system used by Youngstown State University: 90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 70-79%=C, 60-69%=D, 59% & below = F.
Item Points Comments
· Attendance 0 Five point deduction for each missed class.
· Class participation 10 Reading and practicing before class
· Lesson observation report 5
· Perc. Ensemble
Rehearsal observation 5
· Concert critique #1 5
· Concert critique #2 5
· Portfolio contents & organization 10 Graded papers, class notes, & handouts.
· 4 Individual Performance Exams
o Rhythm 30
o Snare 40
o Keyboard 50
o Accessories 60
· Midterm TBA
· Final Exam TBA
· Pop Quizzes TBA
Event Attendance: All students are expected to check the percussion calendar and attend concerts/clinics or other events scheduled for the percussion studio to fulfill observation requirements. Your instructor will show you exactly where this calendar of events is located.
YSU Percussion Web Site: www.ysu.edu/percussion Contains YSU percussion events schedule, referrals for teachers, and other valuable information.
Percussive Arts Society PAS: Three-month complimentary ePAS membership is available at www.pas.org. This is highly recommended due to the wealth of knowledge that can be obtained from the journals and blogs available.
Pedagogy credit: Percussion majors may enroll for credit toward the music education degree pedagogy requirement. A written lesson plan and class teaching assignment is required for such credit. Discuss these requirements with Dr. Schaft.
Fundamental learning goals: an effective course should involve six types of learning:
1. Foundational knowledge: you should understand and remember the basic content of the course including fundamental concepts of percussion equipment, related sound production techniques, and pedagogical techniques and methods applicable in K-12 music education. The course consists of lectures, demonstrations, discussions, in-class playing, individual practice, in-class playing exams, reading assignments, written concert critiques, percussion lesson observation and analysis paper, and an interview report paper.
2. Application: you should use the content and engage in effective and appropriate kinds of thinking.
3. Integration: you should integrate different disciplines, major ideas, and realms of life.
4. Human dimension: you should identify the personal and social implications of this knowledge.
5. Caring: you should develop new feelings, interests, and values in relation to the subject.
6. Learning how to learn: you should continue learning about the subject after the course is over.
Assessment should compare you to a set of expectations and not to the performance of other students. These expectations must be mutually understood and documented by you and your instructor. You should learn cooperatively and yet individual assessment must be performed on you. The Dana School of Music grading policy states you must receive a “C” or higher in each required degree course for that grade to count toward your degree.
Attendance is necessary and expected at all classes. Your presence is necessary to completely realize the community of learners/collaborative nature of this course; missing any portion of a class disrupts your instructor and colleagues and reduces their learning and your learning.
***Any event (or portion thereof) you miss should be documented by a handwritten or typed memo to the faculty by the next class period.*** Email is not acceptable. Include your name, memo date, date and description of the event missed, and why. This will be placed in your file and you will be notified as soon as possible if it is excused or unexcused. Any un-documented absence will be considered unexcused. Please calibrate your watch to an accurate time source.
Excused absences are granted for:
1. Special event (tour, field trip, conference, etc.) related to academic work required as part of a YSU academic department course in which you are enrolled. Submit a memo from the sponsoring professor.
2. Documented court-ordered appearance.
3. Absences due to serious illness and documented by a letter from a certified medical practitioner will be considered in light of your attendance history. In some cases, an excused absence may be granted. A minor cold or accepting a gig is not justification for an excused absence.
Unexcused absences: Each unexcused absence will reduce your final course grade by 5 points. Each tardy equals one-half absence.
Courtesies:
A. If you fall asleep your instructor will ask you to leave and that period will count as an absence.
B. Cell phones, pagers, alarm watches, and other distractions must be turned-off or kept out of the classroom. Bluetooth ear appliances are not permitted. Each interruption will count as a one-half class absence.
C. Hats, lewd or questionable attire, or other inappropriate or impractical (to comfortably play the instruments – including drum set and hand drums) attire is not appropriate. Violations will result in you being asked to leave the room and that period counted as an absence. I recommend slacks and a loose fitting shirt; no skirts, dresses, high-heel shoes, or tight clothing. Avoid current fashion trends such as exposition of the mid-section.
D. Remove any jewelry that may damage the instruments or make extraneous noise.
E. Gum, food, or drinks (except bottled water) are not permitted.
Portfolio Contents and Organization
You should develop a portfolio (three-ring notebook) that documents your coursework and this is due at the beginning of Week 14. It should contain a title/cover page with your name, date, course title, and instructor’s name, and five sections organized, in order, as explained below. Each section should be marked by a divider sheet with a tab listing the section title and placed as the first page of that section.
1. Philosophy of Education Statement. You may begin with the document you use for your music education portfolio but should revise it to reflect your learning in this course.
2. Percussion concert critiques. You must attend two percussion performances (1 Percussion Ensemble, 1 other) and write an analysis report of each. These must include two parts: 1. Part one - a critique/analysis. Your analysis should include aesthetic observations - such as programming, instrument layout, performer etiquette, observations of playing techniques, and analysis of the pieces. You may find it beneficial to interview the performers to enhance your understanding of what, how, and why they did what they did. They may answer questions about instrument names, playing techniques, instrument set-ups, etc. 2. Part two– staple a copy of the concert program to part one.
3. Percussion lesson observation report. See Dr. Schaft to schedule a lesson observation appointment. You will observe a 50’ percussion major applied lesson in which you should take notes. Subsequently write a report discussing the pedagogical methods you observed. The observation must be completed no later than week 6 and the report is due by the last class period of week 8.
4. Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal Observation. You must attend one Percussion Ensemble rehearsal and write a brief observation. The purpose of this assignment is to note differences between a percussion ensemble rehearsal and your own musical experiences. Pay particular attention to instrument set-up and logistical concerns that may affect you as a future music educator. The Percussion Ensemble meets in Rm. 2326 and the adjacent percussion rooms at the following times:
Tuesday 11:00 am-11: 50, Thursday 11:00 am-11: 50, 5: 30 pm- 7: 30
***Please plan on being 15 minutes early, as the set-up occurs before the rehearsal.***
*** This report is due 1 week after the observation takes place. If you have questions, please consult the instructor as soon as they arise!***
5. Midterm Project. You will visit the education pages of 3-5 different percussion manufacturer websites. You should pay close attention to the different components of the page (such as print music examples, audio music examples, blogs, lessons, etc.) and describe what you find. Also, you must build a case as to why or why not this would be a good website for a young percussionist to visit. The length of the paper may vary however an acceptable length would be one typed page per website visited. You must include an introduction, conclusion, and a print out of each website that you cite in your paper to serve as your works cited. This project will be due on Wednesday of Week 9. (No late papers will be accepted!)
6. Notes. Include class notes and reading/study notes. These should legibly written on loose-leaf ruled paper, dated, and chronologically organized.
Written assignment guidelines:
1. Written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font. Printouts on quality printer paper and adequate ink must be legible. Handwritten assignments are not accepted. Consult Turabian-Chicago Manual of Style. Length is left to your discretion and not my primary concern; rather, your writing and ideas are paramount.
2. Proofread all work to correct typographical, spelling, documentation, and grammatical errors. Any assignment judged to have too many errors (usually three or more) will be reduced in grade - usually a letter grade for each three errors.
3. Late assignments: ½ letter grade will be deducted for each class day that the assignment is late. Note: the Lesson Observation Report and the Portfolio WILL NOT be accepted late. Late work is usually due to a failure to prepare and so it follows that failure to prepare is preparing to fail. If you plan to submit a late assignment, see me ASAP.
Practice
A. Individual and/or group practice (outside of class) is necessary to develop sufficient competency to pass the individual performance exams. Percussion practice rooms are available for this purpose. This may be an inconvenience, but we want you to experience what percussion students endure, as this will help you understand how to organize facilities at your school for effective percussion practice.
B. A key for practice room # 3116 is available for sign-out from the music office. Lock the door whenever you leave as you are responsible for any loss or damage. A case (marked “Percussion Methods”) containing appropriate mallets is expressly for your use. Be sure to return the mallets to this case before leaving the room. Notify your instructor of any concerns you may have with equipment. The room should contain a snare drum, xylophone, marimba, triangle, tambourine, crash cymbals, and a case of mallets. A practice room sign-out schedule is affixed to the door for your use. If you do not arrive within ten minutes of your scheduled time, the room becomes first come – first served.
Exams: Will be individual, skill based tests scheduled the week prior to the test. These will include a Rhythm Evaluation, Snare Drum Evaluation, Keyboard Evaluation, and Accessory Evaluation.
Final Exam: Friday May 8, 2009 8:00-10:00 Room 2326
YSU Disability Services Policy: In accordance with University procedure, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. You must be registered with the Center for Student Progress/Disability Services office located at Wick House, on the corner of Wick Ave. and the Access Road, and provide a letter of accommodation to verify your eligibility. You can reach the CSP/Disability Services at 330-941-1372.
Upcoming Important Percussion Dates
SPRING SEMESTER 2009
Jan 28 Percussion Studio Recital: 8PM – Bliss 2222
Feb. 18 Wed. Music at Noon: YSU Percussion Ensemble: 12:00PM – Butler
Mar. 25 Wed. YSU Percussion Ensemble: 8PM – FFRH