Percussion for the
Non-Percussionist: Snare Drum

October 5–6, 2019

Need to brush up on those snare skills? This course offers in-depth methods of teaching snare drum from day one, with a focus on transferable skills that can organically create a foundation for well-rounded percussionists. A detailed sequence will be provided to give
you the skills you need to start your percussionists on on the right foot (or stick).  

Instructor: Dr. James Yakas

Director of Percussion Studies James Yakas joined VanderCook in 2015, and recently earned a 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 endorses Yamaha Percussion, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads and World Percussion Instruments, and Sabian Cymbals. Currently he is vice president of the Illinois PAS chapter.