B.Mus (U of T) in progress
Jeffrey Zhu is a percussionist with an interest in a variety of music and a passion for teaching. He grew up in Toronto and enjoys sharing music in the community of his childhood. He will involve himself in any musical opportunity he can get his hands on and performs regularly at the University of Toronto and in orchestras across Toronto.
Jeffrey is primarily a classical percussionist at U of T who continues to broaden his musical exposure outside of the university academia. At the University, he has performed with the U of T percussion ensemble, Wind Symphony, and the campus philharmonic. Additionally, he helped lead a Taiko (Japanese drumming) ensemble in high school giving him a unique perspective on percussion performance and education.
Jeffrey is currently working towards completing a bachelor’s in percussion performance at UofT.
Get to know TEACHER…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Biking
Musical influences: Aiyun Huang, John Rudolph
Favourite food: Peking Duck
Least favourite food: Garlic
Favourite music: Classical Orchestra, Big Band, and video game music
Favourite song: True Lovers’ Farewell
Favourite movie: Your Name
Favourite movie music: Fantasy
Favourite musical theatre/opera: The Sound of Music
Best quote from your teacher: “Very Musical!”
Favourite book: Watership Down
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Working with a large community vested in music
Latest Homework from Jeffrey
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Feb 21
Samson
Practice your triplets at 120 bpm, try to accent them for now sk that you know where the pulse is. Add bass drum to etude 1 and bring the sheet music back for your next lesson.
Lucas
240=16th note, 120=8th note, 60=quarter note. No matter what you practice–lesson 2, lesson 6, the drum fill you were playing today, rock beat, or paradiddles– use this tempo. Spend 5 min/day playing 16th notes continuously at this tempo and make sure to pay attention to your grip.
Leo
Making good progress on drum corps on parade! Remember to isolate any rudiments you’re having trouble with and learn them slowly. When you practice slowly, dissect all your motions and be extra conscious of what you’re doing.
Rachel and Thea
The swing pattern is making progress, try to practice stick control with the swing. You can even stamp your foot as if you’re playing bass drum too. Remember to focus on the upstroke as a bit of a stretch and just accelerate the motion from there.
Tracie
Practice with the metronome at bpm 200 and make sure everything you play lines up. Then focus just on the downbeat. Finally, do the same process but lead left. When playing the rock beat, try to count aloud as you play. Move with the beat, not abstractly.
Jan 28
Jonah
Your rhythm is getting steadier with time and your natural instincts can usually keep you on beat. Try to go back to the basics if you want to improve further from where you’re at, it’s easy to learn new things but much more rewarding to actually master something. Really try to practice every day and do things like stick control so you can pay attention to your grip and rhythmic accuracy. Play stick control at 8th note=320 and go through the first 8 exercises without stopping. Try to play the piece we’ve been learning (etude I) at 16th note= 360. Play with the metronome using these tempi and really listen: make every note line up exactly where it is supposed to. Try to think about what you want to do with music in the future and use that to motivate yourself to practice.
Preferred Books for Jeffrey’s Students
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STICK CONTROL
George Lawrence Stone’s Stick Control is the bible of drumming. In 1993, Modern Drummer magazine named the book one of the top 25 books of all-time. In the words of the author, it is the ideal book for improving: control, speed, flexibility, touch, rhythm, lightness, delicacy, power, endurance, preciseness of execution and muscular coordination, with extra attention given to the development of the weak hand.
Tradition of Excellence - Percussion
Tradition of Excellence by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin is a comprehensive and innovative curriculum designed to appeal to today s students. The music; the dynamic look; the scope and sequence; the tools for differentiated instruction; the smooth pacing with careful review; and the included INTERACTIVE Practice StudioTM make Tradition of Excellence the fastest growing band method today!
100 Essential Drumset Lessons
100 Essential Drumset Lessons contains information, examples, exercises, and over 300 demonstration and play-along audio tracks covering a range of topics that every drummer from novice to professional will find useful. Its educational scope runs the gamut, including basic rock, funk, metal, hip-hop, blues, country, basic swing, advanced swing concepts, fills, technical exercises, metric superimposition, soloing concepts, odd time playing, brush playing, as well as Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and other world music drumming styles. It also includes advice on productive practicing techniques, transcribing drum parts, creating an original drum part for a song, and five drumset audition solos suitable for use at all-state auditions, music festivals, or recitals. Audio is accessed online for download or streaming and features PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, and pan left or right available.