Hi everyone,
Next week I will be away so you will have a sub. His name is Louis Pino. He is part of the ABC team and has subbed for me before. I will fill him in on what each of you are doing. Here are your practice assignments for this week:
Aidan
***I noticed on the ESA audition requirements that you are to bring your own backing track with you as well as speakers with which to play it. If you have a portable blue-tooth speaker, that would probably be easiest as long as it can play loudly enough that you’ll hear it while playing the drums.
Recommended minutes to practice: 1 hour-90 minutes per day until your audition.
What to practice: Arabella by the Arctic Monkeys, major scales (two octaves), and the G Major reading study on page 39 of the xylophone book.
How to practice it most effectively: For Arabella, it is most important that you practice getting through the song without stopping. Begin by practicing the fills and other tricky parts of the song individually. Then, once you feel like you can play each element of the song individually, put on the recording and practice playing all the way through without stopping. You should play through the whole song at least 3 times a day. For the scales, remember to practice them two octaves up and down. Figure what each of the notes are, then visualize the pattern of notes on the keyboard before you play the scale. Keep a steady rhythm and go slow enough that you don’t hit wrong notes. For the G Major reading study, work on identifying the notes and the rhythms. Make notes on the page in pencil if you need to. Practice each line individually, then two at a time, three at a time, etc.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the two beats that I wrote down in your book. Also, practice improvising drum beats while keeping time in your head.
How to practice it most effectively: Read each of the new drum beats carefully and identify which bass drum notes land together with the hi-hat and which ones land in between the hi-hat notes. Play them slowly and break it down into parts if necessary. For the drum fills, use some of the rhythmic ideas from your book to come up with creative fill ideas. Focus on keeping steady time and aiming for the down beat at the end of each fill.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: The two new beats and the accent patterns.
How to practice it most effectively: For the beats, remember to count them out loud while you play. The snare drum is only ever played on beats 2 and 4. The bass drum part changes between the two beats. Take it slow and try to play each one at least 8 times in a row without stopping. For the accent patterns, first identify which notes are supposed to be accented. Play the pattern slowly with a steady rhythm and try to keep all the non-accented notes soft. Keep your sticks low (close to the drum) except for when you play the accented notes.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The son clave and rhumba clave exercises and the beat from the Funky Drummer.
How to practice it most effectively: Practice both the son clave and the rhumba clave with each of the various counter rhythms. Try to come up with interesting ways of playing them using both your hands and feet. For the beat from the Funky Drummer, build it up piece by piece. Start with just the hi-hat, bass drum, and the accented snare notes. Then add in the ghost notes, the add in the open hi-hat notes. Take it slow!
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Alexy
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The open hi-hat beats that I wrote down in your book.
How to practice it most effectively: Keep practicing the open hi-hat beats. Focus on opening the hi-hat before you strike it with the stick rather than after. This is the only way to get a nice, bright, open hi-hat sound. Also, try your best to keep your heels down while lifting your toes to play the bass drum and hi-hat. There is no need to lift your whole leg. Always keep a steady rhythm when practicing and see if you can play each beat at least 4 times in a row without stopping or making a mistake.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Nate McKenzie
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The open hi-hat beats and fills from your book.
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on getting the same sound from the open hi-hat each time you play it. Strike it with the same velocity and force each time and try not to over play it. The sound you want is more of a sizzle, less of a crash. Play each of the beats at least 8 times in a row before moving on. Also, try each of them at a few different speeds. For the fills, try to work them into a variety of different beats. Also, try making up your own fills that incorporate open hi-hat.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.