Percussion for the Non-Percussionist: Mallets, Timpani & Accessories

Percussion for the
Non-Percussionist:
Mallets, Timpani & Accessories

March 21-22, 2020

Tired of your percussionists having “pitch anxiety” or not knowing the importance of a quality cymbal crash? This edition of Percussion for the Non-Percussionist will focus on the performance and pedagogy of keyboard instruments and timpani as well as accessories. Detailed instruction on performance techniques and how to fit these areas into your percussion curriculum will be covered. Join us to help you create a valuable, well-rounded percussion experience for your students.

Instructor: Dr. James Yakas

Director of Percussion Studies Dr. James Yakas joined VanderCook in 2015, and received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in percussion performance from the University of North Texas, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in music education. After earning his master’s degree in percussion performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University, he spent 12 summers in the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, eventually becoming their percussion coordinator and arranger in 2003. Yakas has performed at festivals in Trinidad/Tobago and Seoul, South Korea. He studied Afro-Cuban drumming with Orlando Cotto, and accompanied ethnomusicologist Dr. Steven Friedson for tribal drumming studies in Ghana. Yakas is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee as well as the Vice President of the Illinois Chapter of PAS. He endorses Yamaha Percussion, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads and World Percussion Instruments and Sabian Cymbals.