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 2nd
Myles
Warmups (1min/ea):
–Paradiddles (4 of each)
–Flams, flam accents
Xylophone
–C major scale
–identifying the musical alphabet
–up to p16 in the pno book
ACDC: Back in Black–DONE!!!
Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
–Everything up until the Chorus**
–New fill at end of verse two; end of pre-chorus
**PLEASE bring a binder/duotang for handouts on this one. I’ll be writing it out for you by hand*****
Jonah
Warmups (1min/ea)
–Triplet Exercise (Goal tempo=120)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=100)
–Stick Control: ex. 57-64 (160bpm)
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
–Flams, Flam accents (careful that the LH flam doesn’t get reversed!), Flam Taps, Flam Paradiddles**
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)
Will
Pad Exercises (1min/ea):
–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
Spanish Joint by D’Angelo: full song, focusing on transition out of choruses
Gadd Mozambique (from Late In The Evening)
Saturday, June 1st
Jack
Drums: “We will Rock You”
Djembe: Zelda themes (Talus Battle; Guardian Battle)
Jared
Warmups (1min/ea)
–Linear triplets: hi tom–>mid tom–>snare goal tempo 190bpm
–Triplet ex. (Goal Tempo=130)
–Sixteenth-Note Exercise (goal tempo = 100)
–Singles, Doubles, Paradiddles – goal tempo: 130bpm
Stevie Wonder: Superstition
–play everything up until the breakdown, we’ll learn that big fill next week
–Please print***
Josh
Djembe Lesson! Learning the basic strokes, playing low and high tones
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
–Three fills:
—-the “3 + 4e+” fill (“what what chicken butt”)
—-Flam on “4”
—-“I Saw a Hippopotamus” (“1e a2e+a3”)
Koel
Warmups (1min each):
–Triplet Ex. 120bpm
–Sixteenth-note Ex. 100bpm
–***Ride pattern exercise with basic beat (RH ride–>RH hihat–>LH ride–>LH hihat) two measures each
Syncopation
–Learn ex. 1-2 from p33 (in the google drive) playing the written line on the snare with the swing beat underneath***
Van Halen: Jump
–Play everything up until the end of the first verse
–Next week, we’ll learn the next section. Feel free to go ahead and start learning it on your own
Nova
Xylophone
–Alouette
–Row, Row, Row
NEW SONG Conan Gray: Maniac
Djembe
Xylophone/mallet playing
—Here’s an album of me playing some vibraphone/marimba
—Here is a playlist of some YouTube videos!
Tracie
Warmups
–Triplet Exercise 85bpm*** (1min)
–Rhythm Ex 60bpm–aim for one measure for each rhythm
SOCA BEAT! Me Porto Bonito
–Sound out the rhythm slowly; make sure the beat matches your counting
–Working to get things faster by drilling the “boom-chicka”
Deftones: Minerva
Will
Xylophone lesson!
Scales: C major, G major, F major
–Regular scale (ascending and descending)
–Arpeggio (1, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 1; eg: C-E-G-c-G-E-C)
–Broken thirds (eg: C-E-D-F-E-G-F-A-G-B-A-c-B-d-c…)
Up to page 42 in the piano
“Happy Birthday” by rote
–Saying the note names aloud with your playing (G GA G C B…)
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
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