Skills You May Want to Have. Part II. Something Besides Your Primary Instrument

In a previous post, I discussed how the job-set skills needed to succeed in higher education jobs greatly exceeds the ability to give great faculty recitals, well-programmed ensemble concerts, and stellar private lessons. The first part in this series related to event planning.

This post will pertain to the realities of many college teaching positions:

Be comfortable/competent teaching something besides what your primary area of study says on your degree.

If you're looking for college jobs, you probably follow the Music Vacancy List and have likely been disheartened at the few jobs available. If so, take a moment to collect yourself, take a personal inventory, and dig a little deeper.

I am lucky enough to have a full time college teaching gig. Here's what I teach/have taught in this job:
Percussion Lessons
Percussion Ensemble
Steel Band
Percussion Methods
Percussion Literature and Pedagogy
Hand Drumming Classes (enrichment)

AND:
Jazz Ensemble (big band)
Jazz Combo
Dixie Combo
Marching Band Assistant Director/Drum Line
Improvisation
Introduction to Music Literature
Topics in Music Business
Basketball Pep Band

I annually conduct one of our high school honor bands and when needed, our concert band and wind ensemble. I also supervise the audio work studies who are responsible for all audio/video recording and sound reinforcement needs of the department.

Many college gigs require the above, as well as an expectation to teach theory, aural skills, music history, additional conducting duties, music ed classes, and a host of other areas.

I love my job. It is full of diversity and offers a variety of skills to draw upon and continue to improve upon. However, this gig isn't for everyone.

Many of my full-time friends and colleagues do something similar, and very few teach courses specific only to percussion. Those who do rarely did so in their first gig.

If you aspire to teach college, the best advice I can possibly give is to diversify your skills, seek opportunities outside of your primary area of study, and acquire significant professional teaching experience.

The upside is you become a more versatile person. And if you're lucky enough to land your utopian gig of teaching only in your primary area, your diverse background will enhance your relationship with colleagues and effectiveness with students.

Watch for more in this series in the coming weeks, and visit my website at www.jameswdoyle.com

Rudiments Renewal

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Here's a late addition to your list of resolutions for 2012- a renewed effort to bring your Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments to the ultimate level of mastery. To achieve rudimental god/goddess stature, utilize the following resources:

1. The amazing resource that is the Vic Firth website. You're presented the rudiments in progressive tempos, applications of each rudiment, and a video of John Wooton demonstrating proper technique. No books or metronome? No problem.

2. Utilize THIS CHECK LIST I've created to track your progress as well as my formula for success:
a. Go to the Vic Firth website
b. Choose five rudiments
c. Sequentially test your chops. When you can no longer play comfortably without tension, stop and record your tempo on the check list.
d. Move to the next rudiment

In a little over a week, you'll have a baseline tempo of each rudiment and can begin the process of gradually increasing your tempo while carefully maintaining good technique. Take your time. Vary your dynamics (stick height). Change playing surfaces (pad vs. drums). Try different gradations of accents vs. taps. Evaluate what changes as you increase tempo. Track you progress every step of the way.

Before you know it, you'll be burning through all 40 rudiments and ready to tackle the inverted flam cheese, plutnduh, churruckitahs, and the rest of the latest hybrid rudiments.

Now get to it!

To grab some other useful checklists, visit the resource page of my website at www.jameswdoyle.com