Christopher Hull is a percussionist and ethnomusicologist whose work focuses on tensions between tradition and innovation in contemporary music. As a passionate performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral percussion, he seeks to ground his work in his classical training while simultaneously transcending the conventions of the conservatory. With classical percussion degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Alaska Fairbanks, a performing arts certificate from the Arts Institute of Indonesia Denpasar, and his current studies in ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto, Christopher’s genre-defying work exhibits a world of experience.
As an orchestral percussionist, he frequently works with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the Hamilton and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestras, and Sinfonia Ancaster. He has appeared as a chamber musician and soloist in festivals such as Open Ears, International Gamelan Festival Munich, Young Artists Niagara, and Sacred Rhythm Jakarta, and can be heard playing drums, vibraphone, and synthesizer on commercial recordings by Call Me Moon and Treephones. He is also Associate Artistic Director of Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, commissioning and premiering new works for Sundanese degung, and director of the University of Toronto’s Balinese gamelan ensemble, Dharma Santi.
Get to know Chris…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Reading, cycling, and synthesizers
Musical influences: Jojo Mayer, Benny Greb, David Garibaldi, Gary Burton, Tony Miceli, Steve Reich, Glenn Gould, Bill Evans, I Dewa Made
Favourite food: Noodles
Least favourite food: Quiche
Favourite music: R&B, hip-hop, funk; Western modernism and minimalism; Balinese gender wayang; Sundanese degung; Orchestral; beatsce Favourite song:!
Favourite movie: The Departed
Favouirite movie music: Old modern romantic soundtracks (eg. Spellbound)
Favourite musical theatre/opera: West Side Story/Turandot
Best quote from your teacher: “When we perform, we smile. If we make a mistake while performing, we smile bigger.” -Dewa Suparta
Favourite quote: “I’m a man who leaves nothing to chance.” -Maestro Boris Brott
Favourite book: Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami
Best thing about teaching at ABC: The lovely students
Latest Homework from CHRIS
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Tuesday, April 16th
Myles
Xylophone
–Review of C major scale, identifying the musical alphabet
–up to p29 in the pno book** Great work!!!
Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
–Chorus Beat: Same idea, but Right-Hand Lead***
–Work on counting the number of repeats in the intro->make sure the fill lands in the right place**
Refresh Alfred Solo #2 (lines 1-6)**
Jonah
Joel Rothman Book: Lesson 17**
Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy: adding in the chorus
–use the chorus beat as a warm-up
**Larnell Lewis foot exercise
PRACTICE CHALLENGE: Re-establish your practice routine by making sure to practice every day this week (1 freebie allowed). Aim for 30min per day, but if you can’t do 30, 10 will be fine! It’s more important to do at least some than it is to do lots!
Noah
Warmups:
–New triplet choreography worksheet (on the google drive)**
–Double-stroke progression: Natural rebound–>”pick it up” after 2 bounces–>drags/ruffs–>double-strokes
–Skateboard Weasel Fill (google drive handout)
No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age
–Drilling the “i don’t want..” fill
–Drill the chorus at three speeds (100-135-172)
Robbie
Warmups (30sec/ea):
–8 on a hand exercise
–Single Stroke Roll (L-R-L-R….) playing smooth, even, controlled strokes
–Double Stroke Roll (L-L-R-R…)
–Paradiddles (L-R-L-L R-L-R-R…)
NEW SONG: Dani California
–Working on main groove (written on handout) playing everything up until the chorus
–“water-watermelon” fill before chorus on the Snare Drum
–Building speed required to play with the track: not as hard as it seems! When in doubt, break it down into parts.
——SD+BD together; HH by itself. Then put it together.
Will
Pad Exercises (1min/ea):
–Skateboard Weasel Fill (in google drive folder)
–Triplet Exercise (goal tempo=135)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=110)
–Roll Exercises (90bpm)
–Flams, Flam Accents, Flam Taps
–Rhythm exercise 40bpm
Syncopation Ex. 2 lines 1-5
NEW SONG*** Late in the Evening by Paul Simon
–Main groove up until verse (try to figure out the fill leading into the verse)
–See google drive for chart
Saturday, April 13th
Jack
Working on 8-counts:
–Assign different instruments to different counts
–Finishing with a crash
–Adding different fruits on different numbers
Nova
Warmups (1min each)
–8 on a hand
–Singles; doubles; paradiddles
–Roll exercise (apple-apple-watermelon-watermelon)
*Alfred Solo #2
–First four lines**
Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams: Lose Yourself to Dance
**Building solos using Fruit Salad game overtop of steady bass drum
Koel
Upcoming Music Exam:
–Around May 12th
–xylophone music: please send me a copy, and remember to bring home for next week!
Warmups (1min each):
–Triplet Exercise 120bpm
–Sixteenth-note Exercise 100bpm–Great job with wrist control!
Syncopation Book: Lesson 4
–Work on making the Swing Shuffle (ex. 11) feel good with the accents
Lenny Kravitz–All done! Great job.
New Song! Jump by Van Halen!11 ****
–This week, try learning the first bit of the song through the first verse
***Decide about playing in the recital on May 5th
Tracie (welcome back:))
Warmups
–Triplet Exercise 80bpm (1min) — dribble the basketball
–Rhythm Ex 60bpm (quarters->eighths->quarters->triplets->…)
Drumset Musician: p. 15** ex. 1-4
New SONG***: Eye of the Tiger
–everything up until the Chorus
—-opening crashes (keeping in time with muting)
—-basic beat during the verses
—-Teacher-clap drum fill (3 + 4e+) at the end of first verse
—-Flam on “4” at the end of the second verse
–Iconic chorus fill! **
Josh
Warm-ups (tips of sticks)
–8 on a hand
–Singles, Doubles
–Single, Double, and Triple Paradiddles ***
Say It Ain’t So
–Add in the chorus beat (bass-bass Crash!)**
Alfred Lesson 6: Combination study, line 1
–Try to learn this without having to write the counts in (but you can do if necessary)
Jared
Padwork (1min/ea)
–Triplet ex. (Goal Tempo=130)
–Sixteenth-Note Exercise (goal tempo = 100)
–Flam Taps: try “breaking down” this rudiment (slow–>max speed–>slow)
–Singles, Doubles, Paradiddles – goal tempo: 130bpm
Give It Away by Red Hod Chili Peppers
–Up to the end of page 3*** (except for last line)
–Drill the five different variations of the fill (starred)***
——Identify what is tricky about each one, and focus on that as you read**
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