Let's Build Musicians Instead of Percussionists
Written by Taylor Davis, December 4th, 2020.
A former teacher of mine used to always say that we must learn to play our instrument, not just pieces. He also said that we diligently work on technique so we can actually focus on musicianship. “I build musicians, not percussionists“ was an oft-heard refrain within the walls of our percussion studio, and an oft-quoted phrase as we recounted our lessons and masterclasses over dinner after our teacher had boarded the train once more to disappear from our thoughts for at least a few days.
“I build musicians, not percussionists.”
A thread rose up in one of many online educator groups discussing how to prepare students for the Texas All-State Process, and one educator chimed in saying they teach “chops in the Fall, musicality in the Spring.“ I don’t think we can categorize their statement as an absolute, but I do believe it represents a larger problem. Simply stated, we teach to the test. We want our students to be successful so we often apply a one size fits all approach to this music and fear taking anything beyond the page because “a judge might not like it.“
Forget the judge.
In my own sphere of influence there were long discussions about ornamentation in this year’s Two Mallet etude. It is the Allegro movement of a Handel Violin Sonata which provides many opportunities to discuss performance practice, historical tradition, etc. but the consensus was a judge may count off for something that was not on the page. Play the ink became the solution. Any self-respecting violinist would know how to navigate ornamentation in a piece like this, but we fear retribution if we stray too far from the page. My response to this is to play the ink undeniably well that you can then add a layer of nuance and phrasing that is appropriate. I don’t love that solution, but I think it is what serves the students best. The All-State process is their version of an orchestral audition, and there is a right and wrong way to play Porgy and Bess or Shostakovich 10.
We value the wrong things.
I will be the first to admit I don’t want to teach “chops.“ I feel like I could get a trained seal to slowly click the metronome up in tempo as students play Green Scales. “Stay relaxed, rotate that inside mallet, don’t use too much arm…“ I am not discounting the importance of this activity, but I think we never move past it in our teaching. We value fast flam drags, triplet rolls, and the like. These things lack depth. Don’t get me wrong, they are still cool, and I love a good grid as much as the next person, but they aren’t musically fulfilling for me anymore, I outgrew them. I learned about Mahler Symphonies, the first phase in Drumming Part One, the slow vs. fast music of Iannis Xenakis, and the marimba as a resonant instrument. I realized the world of percussion was much bigger.
Okay Mr. Contrarian, now what?
I’m glad you asked.
We have to engage students more directly with their sound, and model great sounds for them. Listening is our single greatest asset as a musician, and developing that skill early on is invaluable. Break out the solfege and have students sing along slowly with scales and arpeggios. Ask them their opinion on mallet choice, woodblock choice, cymbal choice, and strive to have the equipment to provide them options. The first thing we should address is sound, but often we don’t get to it because rhythm, dynamics, chops, etc… Not having the right sound is akin to calling an electrician in to fix your sink, you’ve hired the wrong guy for the job and were doomed from the start.
Our students deserve a healthy diet of great music and an easy way to get there is weekly listening assignments. It is my favorite way to dive into a lesson with a student. This gets them thinking about, listening to, and discussing music in an intelligent way. The last few weeks have consisted of Table Music by Thierry de Mey, Relative Riffs by Alejandro Viñao, and Death Wish by Gemma Peacocke, next week is the Lute Suite in E Minor.
Provide your students with scores to their chamber pieces, their marching show, and their Wind Ensemble pieces; widen their worldview as much as you can and get them listening in every musical situation. In these situations, challenge your students to describe what is happening musically and how they contribute. This awareness will lead them to the correct mallet choice, stroke speed, beating spot, and other decisions over time.
Are we designing curriculum that empowers our students to make mature and informed musical decisions or are we creating percussionists that lack a true depth of musicianship? Could our graduating seniors comfortably tune a perfect 4th without a tuner? Do our students understand how harmonic changes should impact dynamic choices? Let’s all strive to get there together.
Taylor studied with Todd Meehan & Robert van Sice. He co-founded Percussion Pal with his longtime friend Ricky Bracamontes to provide community, resources, and inspiration to young percussionists. He is inspired daily by his students at Flower Mound High School and Texas Woman’s University. Taylor is one half of the production company 2x1 Media whose client list includes Vic Firth, Zildjian Cymbals, the Yale University School of Music, Mark Ford, and more.