‘When I say “modern”, you say “band”’: A critical narrative of modern band and Little Kids Rock as music education curriculum

This article is based on the lived experiences of the authors engaging with modern band and the organization Little Kids Rock (LKR). We approach this research as critical storytelling to highlight the importance of critique of music curriculum and pedagogy. We identify moments of cognitive dissonance we experienced with LKR and modern band and unpack them through theory. Data included review of LKR materials, journals, text messages, reflective writing and discussion around participation in LKR-sponsored events. We share our critical story through text messages and narration, through which we note issues such as neo-liberalism and indoctrination; language (mis)use through educational buzzwords; identity reformation and the manner in which teachers feel a need to cling to methodolatry or act as change agents. We illustrate the central role critique plays in music teaching discourses and practices to guide music teachers to accept vigilance of curricular resources and pedagogical approaches presented to them.

‘Feeling Brazilian’: The search for authenticity in drum kit playing

The influence of Brazilian rhythms is pervasive in modern drum kit practices. Information about them can be accessed through drumming books or online searches, with ostinatos for the feet and sticking combinations for the hands, which usually are adaptations from patterns traditionally played with hand percussion instruments. Those patterns instruct drummers on what to play; however, the discussion on how to play them to sound authentic is scarce. This article explores this topic and suggests that timing nuances and performance gestures are fundamental for its comprehension. In that sense, an exclusively analytical approach to the rhythmic nuances, in which grooves are described in terms of milliseconds, is not considered sufficient. In order to fully grasp the ‘Brazilian feel’, it is suggested that a broader spectrum of elements of expression should be observed, as dancing, religion, spoken language and other aspects of everyday life might have effects on musical outcomes.

The University Rock Ensemble: Popular music learning and drumming in higher education

This article provides a descriptive study of the FSU Rock Ensemble to demonstrate the value of providing inclusive popular music-based ensemble learning and opportunities in higher education. Beginning with an autoethnographic study of my experiences as a drummer in – and eventually director of – the non-auditioned ensemble, followed by a consideration of the attitudes articulated by several other drummers who recently participated in the ensemble, I analyse how musicians learn a traditionally non-academic music in an academic space. I conclude with a critical assessment of challenges that the group faced, with the hope that such considerations are useful for universities interested in establishing similar ensembles. Overall, the inclusive nature of the Rock Ensemble facilitated interactions that I argue are advantageous within the current climate of North American higher education, allowing students, drummers and non-drummers alike, unprecedented opportunities to perform music they love, forge new relationships and engage with the local community.

Chinese toms in the making of the drum kit: Localization and exoticism

The late nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth century saw the drum kit emerge as an assemblage of musical instruments that was central to much new music of the time and especially to the rise of jazz. This article is a study of Chinese drums in the making of the drum kit. The notions of localization and exoticism are applied as conceptual tools for interpreting the place of Chinese drums in the early drum kit. Why were distinctly Chinese drums used in the early drum kit? How did the Chinese drums shape the future of the drum kit? The drum kit has been at the heart of most popular music throughout the twentieth century to the present day, and, as such, this article will be beneficial to educators, practitioners and scholars of popular music education.

Popular Music Pedagogies: A Practical Guide for Music Teachers, Matthew Clauhs, Bryan Powell and Ann C. Clements (2020)

Review of: Popular Music Pedagogies: A Practical Guide for Music Teachers, Matthew Clauhs, Bryan Powell and Ann C. Clements (2020) Abingdon: Routledge, 216 pp., ISBN 978-0-36726-658-5, p/bk, $49.95

Injury prevention education provided during formal drum kit training is associated with lower frequency reporting of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders

This study explored the relationship between receiving ergonomics/injury prevention education (PrevEd) during formal drum kit training and drummers’ histories of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) and their engagement in PRMD prevention behaviours. It also explored what they were taught with respect to PrevEd. A mixed-methods analysis of a subset of previously collected survey data (N = 831) revealed that while 81 per cent of the respondents had completed formal training, only 42 per cent had received PrevEd from their instructors. Respondents who had not received PrevEd were nearly twice as likely to report both lifetime and seven-day histories of PRMD than those who had. They also engaged in warm-ups, cool-downs and exercise significantly less often. Overall, the findings suggest that including PrevEd within drum kit curricula, while reinforcing the importance of regular engagement in optimal PRMD prevention behaviours, warrants further consideration as a primary PRMD prevention strategy.

Tone and training: Teaching drum kit students on acoustic versus electronic instruments

This article explores elements of tonal production in acoustic drums to support an argument for its use in the learning environment, as opposed to electronic drums. Aspects discussed include tonal production, range of dynamics, dynamics between components of the drum kit, articulation, specific sticks, specific types of strokes and stylistic elements. The argument focuses on describing how each of these factors work on acoustic drum kits, in what ways they differ on electronic kits and how auditory perception and training can work hand in hand with developing technical facility. Tonal quality is an important aspect for all musicians, irrespective of the instrument. An important thread in this discussion is tonal quality on the drum kit and how it is valuable in the process of training musical drummers.

Finding the drummer: A reflection during isolation

Drummers, in providing a cohesive role in a group setting, are generally valued by other instrumentalists depending on their ability to accompany sensitively and supportively; while important to all forms of popular music in which the drum kit features, the part itself is usually not created to exist independently. In recent times of lockdown and enforced isolation during the first half of 2020, drummers have found themselves deprived of the ability to make music with other people in a traditional live setting. This article examines the drummer’s reliance on the group, the value that this gives the drum kit, and the implications for identity and purpose of the drummer. In reflecting on the author’s own situation of musical ‘standstill’, and in conversation with other drummers, this article discusses the consequences this has for the drum kit (creative autonomy as an instrument) and for the drummer (implications for drummer’s self-identity), in how it may be taught, learned and viewed in the wider context of music making.

Music is music? Striking the balance in music education in Wales

Through the examination of past and current practice, survey and interview, this article discusses how music from the widest parameters may be included in mainstream education in Wales. In 2014, the Welsh Government commissioned Professor Graham Donaldson to review the curriculum and assessment arrangements in schools in Wales. The outcome, Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales (2015), was adopted by the Welsh Government for implementation by 2021. This new curriculum and its approach to learning and teaching offers the opportunity to re-examine the provision of music in schools, outlining a significant shift from ‘…“learning about” to “learning to” with a growing skills focus and an emphasis on application and development of higher-order skills, particularly creativity (entrepreneurship) and digital literacy’ (Donaldson 2015: 18). This vision requires exploration and engagement in a greater diversity of music.