WA #6: The Real World

Quinn Parsley

MUSC 216-001 Fall 2015

1. Identify the music education position that you would like to have and consider your
experience in MUSC 216: Percussion Techniques.

I think that if I wound up having a full-time job in the music education field I
would want a college or high school-level position teaching music theory, guitar, band, or
composition. I already teach private guitar and piano lessons, but these directions would
offer me many new challenges and allow me to grow as a teacher.

2. What are three aspects of your projected music education position that pertain to
percussion?

Regardless of the type of instrument or genre of music, rhythm is a key

component of any music education, and the world of percussion offers the most direct
look into this aspect of music. No matter the subject, an appreciation and understanding
of rhythm is essential for any job concerning the teaching of music. In this way,
percussion instruments offer a great way to get students actively performing and learning
about rhythm at the same time.

If I had a job in a school setting teaching guitar, one thing I would emphasize
(especially in a more “pop-oriented” setting) is to always be listening to the percussion
section or drummer. When I am asked by students as to when a certain section of a song
starts or how many times something repeats, I often direct them to listen to the drumming
in the song as a way of telling where they are. The drums also often give a cue as to when
a new section of a song is starting.

In regards to teaching guitar, there are many percussive elements that can be
incorporated into performing on the guitar. Artists such as Preston Reed and Andy
McKee have made a name for themselves by treating the guitar as a percussion
instrument while incorporated melodic and harmonic elements at the same time. Certain
classical guitar repertoire also calls for techniques such as the tambora which require the
performer to strike their instrument in order to add a percussive element to the music.
Many of these techniques are similar to what percussionists study in that they are non-
melodic strikes that produce different timbres depending on where and how the guitar is
struck.
3. Answer the following questions: How has the course prepared you for these aspects? Are
there ways you hope the course will prepare you in the remaining portion of the
semester? What are some of your personal goals for becoming prepared?

I think this course has given me a better understanding of just what goes into
being a “percussionist.” I went into this course having a fairly decent understanding of
how rhythm works, but I had no idea of the variety of instruments that a professional (or
even high school-level) percussionist must master. I could see having the ability to teach
all of these varieties of instruments and their proper techniques as essential in order to
build an effective percussion section.

Sticking technique is one aspect of which I felt I got a particularly good

understanding during my time in this course. Not only did I see what helped build an
effective technique when applied to using drum sticks and mallets, but I was already able
to use this advice to help one of my own students with her difficulties in her middle
school band.

One of my personal goals when it comes to being prepared to teach percussion is

to simply develop my technique as a percussionist. I would like to keep working on my
snare drum technique in particular, but I would also like to gain more experience with the
other common percussion instruments. I do not feel that I necessarily need to become a
virtuoso in any of these fields, but I would like to be knowledgeable enough to help
others out who wish to learn more about these instruments. I also feel that I should spend
more time listening to percussion music so that I can gain an appreciation for what truly
great playing sounds like in this field. This could also help me stay up to date on some of
the more innovative styles of music that are incorporating percussion in interesting and
new ways.