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?
Sign up now to get your weekly assignments delivered, and never lose your homework sheet again!
Tuesday, March 26th
Myles
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 verse
–BONUS: go ahead and learn the verse (it’s mostly the same beat)
**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: everything up until Chorus
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
–Beginning of Coda** “I don’t want to go to school today I really don’t”
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…)
AC/DC: Back in Black
–End of guitar solo: good
–Add in the following Chorus
–Four-on-the-snare section (Bridge)***
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
Saturday, May 25th
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)
Syncopation
–Good work on the 20 bar exercise!
–Learn ex. 1 from p33 (in the google drive) playing the written line on the snare with the swing beat underneath***
Van Halen: Jump
–Add in the drum fills at the beginning
Tracie
Djembe lesson!
–playing the soca beat on the djembe
Jared
Padwork (1min/ea)
–Linear triplets (R-L-K…) goal tempo this week=130bpm (steady, smooth)
–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
Stevie Wonder: Superstition
–play everything up until the breakdown, we’ll learn that big fill next week
–Please print***
Robbie
Great work! See you in the Fall. Happy Baseball-ing
Josh
Djembe Lesson! Learning the basic strokes, playing low and high tones
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
–Playing the basic beat, paying close attention to make the “3 + 4e+ ” drumfill happen at the right time (snare-tom-snaresnare-hihat)
Jack
Djembe Lesson!
We Will Rock You
–Playing bass-bass-snare along with the beat
–filling in the gap in the beat with extra notes!
Working on two parts at once:
–LH plays “1 2 3 4” while RH plays on “2” and “4”
Preferred Books for TCHRNAME Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
BOOK TITLE
COMING SOON
