Hi everyone,

With the transition to ZOOM video lessons, I am no longer able to write down notes and musical material in the students’ books/binders. Instead, I have created PDF documents for each of you and dropped them into a Google Drive folder. The link to your documents is listed in the What to practice heading under your name below. You should be able to access the documents simply by clicking on the link. Here are your practice assignments for this week:

Will

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice lines 1-4 on the new page I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: These rhythms should be practiced as “comping” rhythms in a jazz/swing style. This means that you play the rhythms with the left hand on the snare while playing the jazz ride pattern with your right hand and keeping time with your feet. Remember that all the eighth notes should be swung “1  a 2   a 3  a 4  a” and that the rhythm played by the right hand should be “1    2  a 3   4  a.” Be careful not to change the right hand rhythm based on what the left hand is playing.

Elliot

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Finish learning page 4 of “Smoke on the Water”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: You’re very close to finishing this song. Review the top line of page 4 first. Be sure to read each of the rhythms carefully before you try to play them. Don’t just rely on your memory. After that, try to connect the first line with the second line and play all the way to the fill at the end of this line. From there, move down to verse 3 and practice each of the fills in this section. Take your time to count the rhythms out loud and practice them slowly.

Aidan

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the second page of “Drum Corps on Parade”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Work on connecting all the different sections of this page. Identify where the major points of transition are and practice making it through those passages smoothly. Practice slowly enough that you can make it through large portions of the page without making mistakes. Your goal should be that, by the end of the week, you can play all the way through page 2 without stopping.

Noah

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Review “Smoke on the Water” in preparation for the recital and also take a look at #46-50 on the new page of accent patterns I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Play through “Smoke on the Water” a few times this week and take note of any sections that give you trouble. We will review it next week and can focus on the most tricky sections. Also, if you have time, take a look at accent patterns #46-50 on the new page. Practice them first just on the snare drum, then with the accented notes on the toms, then practice them as drum fills in combination with a simple drum beat.

Nate M.

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: Focus on the 7/4 section and the beat that comes immediately after this section with the off-beats on the ride cymbal bell in “Red Barchetta” by Rush: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Print off the sheet music that I have provided in the link above. Start practicing at letter E near the bottom of page 3 and go up until the end of the 7th line on the next page (page 4). These are the beats that we worked on in your lesson today. Read the notation carefully while listening to the song so that you can match what you are reading with what you hear. This will help a lot ini learning this song.

Nate O.

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: Review pages 1 and 2 of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and then practice putting them together with pages 3 and 4: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Review all the parts of the song that we have learned. Be sure to read the rhythms carefully and count them in order to make sure you are playing everything accurately. Practice playing through each page slowly and without breaks or pauses. Once you can do that, then work on transitioning from one page to the next.