Incorporating Global Percussion in the Curriculum (excerpts from Percussive Notes Article)

Percussion is diverse by nature. Most university-level percussion programs embrace a wide range of musical idioms and instrumental specializations, including symphonic percussion, solo literature, chamber music, marching percussion, and jazz and popular music. As the world grows more connected, approaches to musical pedagogy in higher education continue to develop. Collegiate percussion professors have a unique opportunity to contribute to this growth, diversifying their programs through the inclusion of techniques and pedagogical methods of non-Western music. Although most percussion programs revolve around the core percussion curriculum of snare drum, multi-percussion, keyboard percussion, timpani, and orchestral accessory instruments, many students are interested in exploring music beyond these important pillars. Indeed, many percussion programs around the country are already incorporating “world music” into their curricula. This approach helps develop musical skills not traditionally covered in a solely Western approach, exposing students to new methods of music-making, new ways of thinking about music, and giving both students and teachers an avenue for personal and musical growth. 

However, while the trend in recent years has certainly been towards in-creased inclusion of non-Western musical genres—and there are many justifications for doing so—there are also a host of problems associated with this approach. Students and professors in university percussion programs are already faced with the challenging task of covering vast amounts of content across multiple disciplines and instruments in a limited amount of time. Adding additional con-tent could increase logistical challenges and detract from the foundational study of more typically Western percussion instruments that are crucial to students’ development at this stage. Similarly, one could argue that each area of non-West-ern music deserves its own entire curriculum, and that a brief survey does not allow students to gain adequate proficiency, nor to fully comprehend the musical, aesthetic, or socio/cultural sophistication of these art forms. This could have the adverse effect of further marginalizing non-Western music in the eyes of our students, which is entirely antithetical to the idea of providing an opportunity for students to broaden their worldview.1

 Despite these challenges, we believe that non-Western music can play an essential role in the college percussion pro-gram. The goal of our approach is not to simply add non-Western percussion to our curriculums to provide a token marker of diversity, but to enhance our students’ learning experience and strength-en their overall musicianship. What follows is our vision for a newly-imagined, holistic undergraduate percussion curriculum that embraces non-Western music, integrating their study alongside the standard conservatory repertoire. 

There are a number of excellent reasons for including more non-Western percussion study in the university curriculum. Students are increasingly asking for (and sometimes demanding) more diverse and inclusive musical experiences, ranging from historical performance practice to popular or commercial music and non-Western music. In addition to broadening your students’ skill sets and encouraging new and challenging approaches to music-making, incorporating non-Western percussion in your studio can provide a unique perspective for recruiting students to your program, while also expanding opportunities for non-music majors to participate in the music department.

 A percussion curriculum that includes significant non-Western experiences familiarizes students with valuable historical and stylistic concepts that may not otherwise be covered in the applied les-son structure. Despite the unprecedented access to information that we enjoy today, many young students have not been exposed to forms of music outside of their immediate experience. Exposure to new forms of music can help students make connections between their own experiences and those of people from other geographic areas. In addition, they build an awareness of the broader historical context of Western music. After all, most (if not all) of our instruments have roots that extend beyond the European tradition, and we know that percussion was originally introduced to the orchestra as a way to evoke the “exotic,” through the use of Turkish instruments. In some ways, then, a knowledge of music from around the world has always been central to being a successful percussionist! 

 Another justification for exposing students to a wide range of music is the potential benefit that it could have for their professional careers. I have been able to incorporate my experiences with non-Western music as we continue to build and strengthen my professional reputations. Similarly, we cannot predict our students’ career paths, and any one of them could decide to venture into a career as a performer where a specialized skill set in non-Western percussion is an asset. This “deep bag” of percussive skills is at the heart of the “total percussion” approach to collegiate teaching that we embrace. 

At VCU, I have developed a curriculum that includes the study of non-Western percussion and music during a student’s first four semesters. This is by no means an exhaustive program of study, but it does allow the students to develop familiarity with several non-Western forms of music as appropriate with my own interest/expertise and that of my colleagues in the percussion program. If a student is interested in studying beyond what I or my colleagues can offer, I can direct them to a number of online programs and teachers with whom they can study. 

 Each of these “modules” works in tandem with their study of Western percussion. In a given semester, each student is focusing on three “areas”—two Western-focused and one non-Western focused. Below, I outline the non-West-ern music they study in each semester and how it can enhance their overall musicianship. I also supplement this study with established pieces that can reinforce the connection between Western and non-Western music. Examples of solo pieces include Valerie Naranjo’s gyil transcriptions for marimba or Shawn Mativetsky's excellent snare drum/tabla book, Rudimentaal. There is also an opportunity to include non-Western music in percussion ensemble. 

Freshman, First Semester: South Indian Solkattu. The practice of solkattu, which includes reciting, composing, and calculating rhythms while keeping tala (hand signals related to the meter) has proven to be a challenging, fun, and rewarding method for my students to develop stronger rhythm, coordination, improvisation, and composition skills in their first semester of study. Additionally, they begin to learn about Indian Classical Music (both North and South) and be-come familiar with some terms, sounds, and ideas associated with this music. In addition to the rhythmic development that solkattu can help develop, the students gain comfort “singing” complex rhythmic phrases. My students’ sense of time and rhythm has become more grounded. This practice has helped ease some of the nervousness around singing melodic phrases when studying other percussion instruments. 

Freshman, Second Semester: Basic conga technique. Working with VCU Instructor of Afro-Cuban percussion Hector “Coco” Barez, I have developed a one-semester approach to basic con-ga techniques and patterns that can be built upon during a student’s junior and senior years when they have the opportunity to study with Hector direct-ly. Beginning this study early in their education gives students the tools to handle basic hand drumming parts in large ensembles, in the occasional choral piece, and in percussion ensemble. Additionally, students build on the rhythmic improvisational skills developed in their first semester, learn the basics of establishing and maintaining a groove, and are exposed to the rich variety of styles in Afro-Cuban music. 
Sophomore, First Semester: Introduction to frame drumming. With the in-fluence of Turkish, Arabic, and Indian music on modern frame drumming, this semester allows students to continue developing their ability to groove and solo, while also gaining a deeper knowledge of non-Western drumming techniques, compositions, and improvisational ideas.

Sophomore, Second Semester: Introduction to doumbek and riq. This semester is a continuation of the introduction to frame drumming semester, focusing on the traditional Arabic percussion instru-ments while developing an understanding of the traditional rhythms and con-temporary performance. 

Following their sophomore year, students can continue to engage in non-Western study through applied lessons with our instructors and participation in our ensembles, specifically, the VCU Taiko, Gamelan, West African, and Samba ensembles. Combined with the ensembles, this curriculum provides a rich exposure to several non-Western styles in a systematic and measured approach, allowing for the continued study of the core components of percussion as-sociated with a conservatory-style pro-gram. Additionally, working with community members and groups allows the students to get a bigger picture of the im-portance of their contributions to their local community. 

While we are fortunate to have ad-ministrations and departments who see the value in our work, we realize these options may not all be available to everyone in a university teaching position. However, we hope that this article may illuminate some ways for you to develop a broader, more inclusive curriculum that incorporates non-Western music into you and your students’ practice in a thoughtful, consistent manner that is in line with your vision. Our students have benefited greatly from this approach, and we are excited to continue this con versation and find new ways to develop our students’ passions, creativity, and musicianship.