TEACHERS’ FORUM Your Syllabus MAGAZINES • MULTI-MEDIA • ONLINE • EVENTS Building An Ever-Evolving Library by Joe Bergamini ne of the things that private Drumset. When they want Odrum instructors enjoy most is to learn R&B and funk, the fact that because we work inde- they’re assisted by Zoro in pendently, we can create our own The Commandments Of course of study for our students. But R&B Drumming and by this can also be a bad thing. Because Stanton Moore in Groove there is no accreditation or oversight Alchemy. Do they want to of private drum teachers, it’s up to us work on double bass tech- to push ourselves to be the best pos- nique? There’s The sible instructors. Anyone who has Encyclopedia Of Double taken courses at the college level Bass Drumming by Bobby knows that with each course of study Rondinelli and Michael comes a syllabus—a list of books that Lauren, Double Pedal are required to be purchased and Metal by Steve Kilgallon, used while taking the course. This and my own Pedal Control, article will focus on the thought which I cowrote with Dom behind creating that list. Famularo. And along the way, in every style, each student is less books that we all should use. But Why You Need One coached by Tommy Igoe, as we learn I can’t tell you how many students Creating a syllabus is something that the songs in his Groove Essentials have come to me from a previous can benefit all private drum instruc- package. All of these famous artists/ teacher and told me all they used was tors and their students. In order to be authors are assisting me in teaching Syncopation and a book of staff a good teacher, you must have a vast my students! paper. Yes, I know it’s theoretically knowledge of music and drummers— possible to teach students everything and this includes having a selection The Anti-Book Approach they need to know using that one of music that you’re continually lis- Some teachers have a concern that book, but to me that displays either a tening to, referring to, and recom- they need to go “beyond the books.” lack of knowledge of the products mending to students. This idea Of course this is true, but it assumes that are available to the modern extends to educational materials. The that you are aware of, understand, drum instructor, a stubborn desire to selection of drum books and DVDs and have applied the knowledge cling to an old-fashioned method of available today is of such an amazing- found in the books before branching doing things, or a lack of desire to ly high level of quality that every out with your own ideas. Going research what’s available on the cur- teacher should tap into and benefit beyond the books is not the same rent market. When I was building my from it. as ignoring the books. teaching practice, I invested hun- Many teachers employ a very small Some instructors are concerned dreds of dollars in books and DVDs in number of books (if any) and often that using books will stifle their own order to track down the most effec- write out exercises on staff paper. I preferred teaching methods. I can tive materials. Most of my peers also believe this method misses an oppor- appreciate wanting to create a per- have huge libraries of media that are tunity to capitalize on the range of sonal educational style, and I try to referred to as needed. products currently available from do this as well, but why would I Another disadvantage to the staff- dozens of great artists and authors. In attempt to invent a method of teach- paper-and-book approach is that in my teaching practice, each student ing jazz drumming when John Riley, today’s market, drum lessons are gets a syllabus of books, and we work who’s an expert in the field, invested sometimes competing with after- on a regular basis from those books. years of research into The Art Of Bop school sports, karate lessons, video Don’t get me wrong; I often write out Drumming? Just about every one of games, and other activities. I’ve exercises and customize the lessons. my students goes through that book. found that using different books and But when my students want to learn There are tried-and-true drum DVDs helps keep things exciting for Afro-Cuban drumming, they are manuals, such as Ted Reed’s my students. We simply can’t expect assisted by Frank Malabe and Bob Syncopation and Gary Chester’s The to teach drumming the way it was Weiner in Afro-Cuban Rhythms For New Breed. Those are amazing, time- taught thirty years ago and retain 64 MODERN DRUMMER • April 2011 Reprinted by permission of Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. © 2012 • www.moderndrummer.com students whose attention is being clam- sense of accomplishment as we finish year. My students purchase all the ored for by so many other things. going through them. books in my syllabus, and sometimes One interesting thing that many they also purchase books and DVDs on Use It All teachers don’t realize is that your syl- their own, outside of lessons. Often we private instructors develop a labus can also generate extra income Joe Bergamini is the senior drum editor system using certain materials that we for your teaching practice. If you have for Hudson Music and an active performer stick with over time. Although I under- your own private studio, it’s possible for who has worked with Happy The Man, stand and agree with the “If it ain’t you to purchase books at wholesale 4Front, Bumblefoot, Dennis DeYoung, and the Broadway productions of Movin’ Out, In The broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, I feel that prices from the publishers and then Heights, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, and Rock Of Ages. we need to continually reevaluate our resell them to your students. I’ve been He is also the author of six acclaimed drum books methods to make sure that we’re provid- doing this for years, and it has resulted and an educator/clinician who performs and teaches at his private studio in New Jersey. ing the best possible resources to our in a nice chunk of extra income each students. For example, for years I used Jim Chapin’s classic book Advanced Techniques For The Modern Drummer to teach jazz. When The Art Of Bop Drumming came out, I realized that it con- tained a lot more material about jazz performance—whereas Chapin’s book mainly focuses on independence. Baby Steps To Giant Steps, by Peter Retzlaff and Jim Rupp, differs from both of the aforementioned books in that it has a more extensive section on broken ride cymbal patterns, and it contains eleven play-along tracks. As I’ve reevaluated my approach to teaching jazz over the years, I’ve realized that all of these books offer something unique, and most of my students wind up purchasing all three. I see no reason to limit it to one or another. The Extra Expense As you start to implement your syl- labus and request that your stu- dents purchase books and DVDs, you might be faced with resistance from parents. As a parent myself, I’ve found that every activity my children take part in requires spending money. It wouldn’t make much sense for me to sign up my son for the local soccer league and then not purchase the proper equipment for him to practice with at home. It’s the same thing with drum lessons, and I’m not shy about telling parents so. That said, I’ve personally never had problems getting parents and students to purchase the requested materials. Most of my students like developing a library of reference books and DVDs, and they enjoy a April 2011 • MODERN DRUMMER 65.