Percussion for the
Non-Percussionist:
Mallets, Timpani & Accessories
Dates TBD
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. Dr. Yakas is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee and 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.
Course Details
Percussion for the
Non-Percussionist: Mallets,
Timpani & Accessories
Course Code 6010
Instructor
Dr. James Yakas
Dates TBD
1 Graduate Credit
Tuition
$350, due in full with registration
Location
VanderCook
Prerequisites
None
Required Text(s)
None
Required Materials
If you have access to a stick/mallet bag, please bring it with you the weekend of the course.
MECA Online Course Details
VanderCook Online is powered by Schoology (www.schoology.com). Through this learning management system, you'll be able to interact directly with your instructor, students in your classes, and members of the greater VanderCook Online community.
Spring 2020 MECA courses officially begin on Monday, February 3. Soon after you register, you'll be added as a new Schoology user. Be on the lookout for an email from Schoology with log-in instructions. Once you are given credentials, simply visit www.online.vandercook.edu to login. On the morning of February 3, you'll have access to your classroom and course material.
Some courses have specific online chat meeting times (please see course descriptions), while others have a flexible meeting schedule. You can expect all courses to meet together in a live online chat. If a live meeting time doesn’t work, you can work with your instructor to make other arrangements.
You’ll have the opportunity to work at your own pace each week while completing assignments and posting responses to discussion questions. You’ll constantly be interacting with your instructor and classmates online, and working through new material each week. We know how crazy school schedules can get, so our instructors try to make everything as flexible as possible!
Online grades will be reported by mid-May. If you are in need of a transcript please visit the online transcript request page. If you are in need a quick turn around time for your transcript please submit the transcript request to the registrar prior to the end of your course(s).