Toronto Drums & Percussion Teachers • Chris Hull • ABC Academy

BMus (Wilfrid Laurier University)

MMus (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Darmasiswa Certificate (Arts Institute of Indonesia Denpasar)

MA Ethnomusicology (University of Toronto)

PhD Ethnomusicology (University of Toronto) in-progress

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

Is Chris Your Teacher?

Tuesday
Saturday

Tuesday

Director’s Note: Important Chris Update

Hello Drumming and Percussion Families!

I am writing with a bittersweet bit of news, namely that Chris has proposed to his girlfriend and moving to England to be with her. This is great news, of course, as Chris is a great person in addition to being a great teacher.

Chris will most likely be gone after March. We have been working on some replacements, one for Saturday and one for Tuesday, and we will update you on them as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to call me directly in the office, or text the office number. Chris, I am sure, will also be happy to tell you about the new adventure he is beginning.

-Barnaby

March 8th, 2025|

Saturday

Saturday, June 14th

Jack

So glad to have worked on Holiday with Jack today! We did a simplified version of the snare tom intro lick. We will speed it up and try to play it with the music next lesson! Jack loved the song!

Aleksander

We chose Holiday as the Green Day song to play! Good job picking up the intro so fast and remember always lock into the beat (1 and 3 on bass drum and 2 and 4 on snare drum) and all the triplet material are just flair added onto that beat. Starting from B, think of this as our usual 8th note rock beat, except the eight note is slightly shuffled into triplet/swung. Also the swung note is marked as ghosted, so try to apply the push/pull motion when practising the groove. We would play the rest of page 1 next class.

Jonah

We continued with the worship song “Praise” today. I encourage you to read the score more carefully, as you are quick to pick up the groove, but often times it is the intricate details that makes the song interesting and is crucial to supporting the melody and development of the song, for example bar 21 and 22 of the piece. Whether it is an accent or a change in pattern, observe it and practise WITH those in mind. If not you will always be practising something sounds right but not quite there yet.

Jared

We read through Silhouettes till “I” today. “G” was slightly tricky with the buzzed snare hit, which at times make your time feel a little shaky. Try to think of that passage in bigger phrases and things will feel much easier to process. We are very close to the end of the song, might try to play through it next class!

Mario

You are growing more and more familiar with the rhythm but it seems like you are at times remembering the rhythm in a fixed speed and not thinking about it in the context of the bpm you have chosen to play the passage at. I encourage you to work with a metronome during practise and actually try to subdivide it (1ena which you are either playing 1()na or 1e()a) The song is also rather slow so instead of practising to play it faster, aim to play it slower but more in time. You got this!

June 19th, 2025|