Main Subject Latin Percussion Jazz & Pop 1

Module code
M-JP-PRC1
Curricular domain
Practical Classes
Credits
17
Group size
1
Number of course weeks
30
Class duration
One 50-minute lesson per week
Total contact hours
25 hours
Study load
451 hours

Form / content / level

Prerequisites
Admitted to the ArtEZ Jazz & Pop Latin Percussion main subject year 1.
Competencies
See Competencies Matrix.
Aims
Acquiring the technical basics required for the student's musical development. The main objective is to develop a strong facility for interpretation (both technically and stylistically), musical sensibility, authentic playing, and pleasure in collaborating with other musicians.
Relation to other modules
Related to modules from the main subject Latin Percussion.
Content
TRADITIONAL AND JAZZ PERCUSSION:
Further developing techniques on conga, bongo and timbales, bell, güiro, maracas, clave and miscellaneous percussion, e.g., shekere, triangle, cowbell, tambourine, ganzá or shaker, cabasa, pedal bell or woodblock, pandeiro, surdo, tamborim, cajón, batá, kalimba, djembe.
SPECIFIED PER INSTRUMENT:
Congas (tumbadoras): studying various strokes: open tone, slap, heel beat, fingertips, muffled beat in more rhythmically complex contexts, polyrhythms, using more congas (3 or 4) and their role in styles such as rumba (tumbadora, tres-dos, quinto), as well as combining them with foot rhythms and clave.
Bongo: martillo with style-appropriate variations, son, guajíra, bolero, etc. Function and playing techniques of bongo bell. Bongo in the jazz idiom.
Timbales: stroke exercises, drum rudiments, stroke technique for paila, bell technique, solo phrasing, the 'abaníco' in various styles, coordination exercises, Latin styles with clave,
The 'abaníco', coordination exercises, Latin styles with clave.
Continuing study of the following styles: son, guajira, son montuno, danzón, chacha-chá, mambo, guaracha, afro, bolero, 6/8, rumba (yambú, guaguancó and columbia) and jazz percussion. Additional styles: cumbia, bomba, plena, merengue, calypso, danza and other caribbean styles.
Miscellaneous percussion: advanced playing technique exercises, coordination, rhythms and styles for the instruments listed above.
Several 'toques' on batá (okónkolo, itótele and iyá), shekere, maracas, tambourine in various styles, claves in all possible rhythms, cajón, catá, Brazilian (basics and dialect) among others.
Studying notation forms for percussion instruments, transcribing parts and basic solos.
Band playing: timing, tempo control (with and without metronome), groove, playing simple arrangements by heart, adequate interpretation, attitude, energy, musicality, dynamics and intensity.
Mode(s) of instruction
Individual lessons and periodic group lessons (group size varies).
Material & Tools
Study materials designed by instructors as well as materials from the literature list.
Student activity
Playing in various band settings.

Examination and assessment

Mode(s) of assessment
Assessment by the main subject instructor at the end of each semester.
Criteria
The student should have mastered the elements described under Aims. Specific criteria are: creativity, expression, improvisation, technique, sound, intonation, timing, reading skills, repertoire knowledge, progress, self-reflection, session participation, attitude and lesson preparation.
Pass requirements
The student has completed this module if being awarded a minimum grade of 5.5 at the end of the second semester.
Examination procedure
At the end of both semesters the instructor fills out an assessment form designed specifically for this module. Assessment is comprised of a verbal evaluation and a concluding grade. The instructor reviews this assessment with the student during the first subsequent lesson. Assessment at the end of the autumn semester is formative and expressed in terms of satisfactory/unsatisfactory. It indicates a student's progress in this module. No ECs are awarded and there is no resit. Modules can only be absolved, and ECs awarded, after the end of the spring semester.
Resit options
See the Education and Assessment Plan.

Module summary

The first year is intended to lay the foundation required for the percussion student's functioning within a band. Styles varying from Afro-Cuban rhythms and Brazilian basics to modern jazz are treated extensively both in instrument and band classes, with specific attention for timing, groove, improvisation and musical intensity.