Growing our resources to facilitate learning in Music

This week’s focus is professional Percussion.

Bongos 

These Latin-American percussion instruments join our set of congas and assortment of hand-held Latin instruments to enable us to explore music from this region in classroom activities, particularly in focus with the World-Music section of the IGCSE. They will also be featured in our production of Little Shop of Horrors this term.

Rainshaker 

A staple of classroom percussion and an excellent instrument for creating an atmospheric effect in a performance, These instruments are also common in musical therapy and can be used beyond music lessons to instill calm in a classroom and become a focal point for concentration.

Hand-Held Percussion Trolley

Our new Goldon Hand-Held Percussion Trolley is a compact and efficient way to bring a whole class set of hand-held percussion to any space in the school. There are over 30 individual instruments, ranging from shakers to chime bars and many more in between. Many of these will be featured next week in Year 6’s performance at the International Festival.

Bass Drum

Our new Adam’s Orchestral Bass Drum is a long-awaited expansion of our orchestral percussion instruments and is an instrument that enables us to expand our repertoire to cover many of the staples of classical music. This excellent instrument is suited to our school environment with its adjustable frame and easy-to-use trolley, allowing our students to use it in a variety of ensembles and events.

Xylophone and Glockenspiel

Expansion into tuned percussion instruments is crucial in preparing our students for the experience of playing in an orchestra, band, or percussion ensemble, as it allows them to diversify from purely rhythmic instruments and build their understanding of pitch and, through this, melody and harmony. We’ll be getting maximum use from these instruments right from Term One this year, as they will be featured in the International Festival, the Secondary Production, and the Winter Concert before the calendar year is out!

Djembe Upgrade  

Our original set of Djembe drums has been with the school for over 10 years, and despite being well looked after, they are beginning to show their age. Excitingly, seven new djembes in an assortment of attractive bright colours arrived last week, and they will brighten up our classroom set of these instruments and ensure there is always a drum available for every member of our classes and CCA's.

Pearl Mini-Drum Kit

Sometimes small is mighty, and this is very much the case with our Pearl Mini-Drum Kit. This instrument is ideal for our smaller practice room spaces and for compact stages such as Live Lunch and our Open Mic sessions. It is also of higher quality than our existing drum kits and will enable recordings for IGCSE and IB music

Zultan Professional Cymbal Set

One of the biggest secrets to a good drum sound is the quality of the cymbals. This set therefore represents a crucial upgrade from the stock sets that are provided with most drum kits. They enable our students to hone their touch and stick placement on the cymbal and to bring out a range of colours and effects that will enhance the quality of coursework recordings and performances throughout the year.

Practice the Cymbal Set

Our Millennium practice cymbals set is a new yet welcome approach to our drum kit provision, allowing students to practice and perform with the same energy and enthusiasm as always while reducing the overall volume of their playing. This is useful both in our busy practice rooms at break and lunch, when many students come to practice and join in CCA’s, and as a benefit to reducing the exposure to consistent loud volume that can be a major factor in hearing damage for musicians such as drummers and band members. These are just two ways in which we aim to balance the wellbeing and health of our young musicians with their practical and musical development.