University of North Texas Applied Lesson Plan PDF Files

[JD Jones]

Hello all. I spent some time at UNT as a jazz drum set major in the mid 90s and still have my old applied lesson handouts for jazz drum set, snare drum, mallets and timpani. I still use them occasionally for various technique things I want to work on. One day I was feeling nostalgic looking at their website and discovered that the current versions of these (and some older versions via google search) are freely available for download via their website.

Whether or not someone plans to attend UNT or another music school, I think these are valuable not only as a guide perhaps for self-study, but as a way to gain insight into the difficulty level and technical expectations at one of the best drum set/jazz schools in the country. Certainly not a substitute for attending UNT but valuable nonetheless. I had the idea to share this looking at an older thread about "how fast is fast enough?" for rudiments and remembered the chart they gave us with three speed levels for each rudiment (Deficient, Level 1 and Level 2). That chart has always been my guide as far as which rudiments I feel are "together" and which ones need work. Anyway, here are a couple of links if anyone is interested.

List of direct links for various lesson plan PDF files. Note: there are two for drum set...one for jazz majors and one for non-jazz majors (music ed., etc.)
https://percussion.music.unt.edu/student-resources

Here is a google search that turns up some older versions from when Ed Soph was in charge (revision date is usually in upper left corner). Things have changed since then including the applied lesson plans.
https://www.google.com/search?safe=...hUKEwi2yaf6rOjjAhVMV80KHZWcBaMQ4dUDCAo&uact=5

 

[Roby69]

This is some valuable information indeed. I'm currently planning my own practice schedule and I was particularly struck by reading that in such high-level musical education programs you actually work on a single page of your Reed , Stone, etc. for a whole week.

 

[TMe]

Woo hoo! My goal is to be "deficient".

Seriously though, if I could play all the rudiments at Level 1, I'd be happy.

I like the idea of having tempo guidelines for rudiments. I grit my teeth every time I hear that rudiments should be played "at all tempos".

 

[One Up One Down]

yeah, 32nds @ 80 bpm -- I'm not quite there yet (maybe 70)

 

[TMe]

yeah, 32nds @ 80 bpm -- I'm not quite there yet (maybe 70)

I'm never sure what's being referred to, 32nds in groups of three, or in groups of four?

 

[One Up One Down]

I'm not sure what you mean by groups of 3 or 4 (due to my ignorance most likely)

 

[jdjones]

Many people coming in were classified as "deficient." Still not the most encouraging word to hear about your playing on your first day there.

Yes, they do give you a week for a page of Reed or Stone, but you also have other snare assignments, drum set assignments, piano if you aren't already proficient, ensembles, sight-singing, maybe timpani and/or mallets on different semesters, core university classes. And let's not forget the brutal 8am theory class with 200 students. 12 semester hours felt like a hundred.

 

[TMe]

I'm not sure what you mean by groups of 3 or 4 (due to my ignorance most likely)

If a person says they're playing singles at 80 bpm, is that 80 x 3 strokes, 80 x 4 strokes, 80 x 6 strokes, 80 x 8 strokes, 80 x 12 strokes...?

 

[One Up One Down]

For 32nds I assumed 8 strokes per beat, but yeah I take your point

 

[flamateurhour]

Dang they study such cool stuff!! Guiliana and Hoenig in Levels 3/4! Wow.

This might actually be a really fun framwork to use for practice. I graduated with a business degree a couple years back just in time to have every ounce of my being wish that I'd have pulled my stuff together in HS to go study at UNT.

Thanks so much for this!

 

[TxGroove]

I wish University of Texas would do something like this. As I am a Texas boy.

As technical of a drummer i am, I would be glad to try out for a jazz oriented class/lesson at ANY college that has experience with teaching. Its we'll worth the investment, and surely awesome at that. Plus the people you meet are just as extraordinary.

It's really never to late to give it a shot. I think I'll prepare my body and mind to try an attend some college, aimed towards music school, and pass with flying colors, as they say. Drums aren't easy, rather; it's the notes that are difficult, along with technique and power (in my opinion).

I'll take a look at your findings, just because it's free, thanks for letting us know

 

[flamateurhour]

What is this "Davis Basic Grooves" in the curriculum? It's not appearing on a google search because some a-hole name Miles Davis is taking up all the results.

 

[Ghostin one]

I think the Davis material is printed handouts. This video appears to cover the single stroke pyramid mentioned in the jazz drum set level one:

 

[flamateurhour]

Thank you for that! Gonna go binge watch that channel now