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| Product Discount Schedule | ||
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| Quantity | % Discount | Price per book |
| 1 | 16.6% | $24.95 |
| 2-5 | 33.3% | $19.95 |
| 6 and over | 40% | $17.95 |
The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo:
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 Book Covers, 9" x 12" |
Four years ago, after much frustration, I quit teaching out of my "Old Faithful" READ/COUNT/PLAY beginning snare drum method book. It was a good book, the best I could find--the one my own teacher had used for many years! But I was frustrated. Too many of my beginners lost interest too fast while working out of this book. I felt as though even my best students could be learning more efficiently. There had to be a better way, and I was going to find it.
I studied ideas from the most successful violin and piano teachers in the world. I watched my own son and other young children learn to play piano, violin, and other instruments using fun, non-traditional concepts.
Soon, I started using these ideas with my own beginning percussion students. After experiencing immediate success, I resolved to teach under the assumption that playing a musical instrument is much like learning a new language.
The result is my new book The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo. Since I've started using this method, my students have learned to play more easily than ever, and my beginner dropout rate is nearly zero!
SING First, Then PLAY
If playing a snare drum is like learning to speak, I decided that my students should speak or sing rhythms before playing them. This isn't a new concept at all. Traditional forms of hand drumming, including Indian, Middle Eastern, and African, are taught the same way. But how many of my beginners, ages four to fifty-four, would want to learn to sing "taka tira kita taka" before actually PLAYING their snare drum? I decided that my students speak English just fine, and they deserve to play the snare drum at their first lesson.
I found that the animal kingdom contains an ideal subset of English words. To cover the ten basic duple- and triple-based rhythms and rests, I selected animals whose syllables begin with as many hard consonants as possible: Pig (Pi-ig!), Tiger, Caterpillar, Butterfly, Kingfisher, Chihuahua, Sh (Sh-h!), Sheep Dog, Porcupine, and Cheetah. These animals are easily adapted to teach roll and flam rhythms in The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo. Print a free PDF table of these animals and rhythms.
READ Last!
Imagine it's a few days after a baby is born. His mother hasn't spoken to him yet, but she has decided it's time for him to start learning the English language. She places a book in front of his face, points to a series of words and reads aloud "Please…feed…me." These are the first words the baby has ever heard! "Okay, Johnny, it's your turn. Please read it to me. These are the most important words for you to learn right now, so I can be sure to keep you healthy." Does the baby have any idea what's going on? Does he care about understanding written symbols on a page? Does he care about converting those symbols to sounds?
No, and neither do my beginning percussion students. They want to create a rhythm BEFORE they learn how to read it. Why shouldn't they? That's how they learned their own language!
But Read SOON
Does this mean that percussion students, like babies, shouldn't read until they've "spoken their new language" for two or three years? No. My students, age four and up, have learned to read very quickly using this method. Once the student has a word firmly in mind for a particular rhythm, assigning a musical symbol to it is easy! Most beginners read music at their second or third lesson, and their sightreading skills develop very quickly.After You Can Read, It's Time To Write!
Writing and composing music is an important part of my students' development. It's so important that at the end of each section of the book, I have included a composition assignment. Some of these are short, four-measure compositions. Others are full-length, one-page compositions with two or more sections, repeats, dynamics, and more. My students love performing their compositions for friends and family. Plus, they have a stronger understanding of new rhythms when they've included them in their own musical creations.
What's In The Book?
The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo contains 104 pages with over a dozen instructional photos, 20 solos, 119 reading exercises, dozens of technique exercises, 21 composition assignments, and a CD with 50 audio tracks. These features combine to help the beginner learn to play, read, and write 20 different rhythmic symbols, 11 dynamic symbols, and a variety of repeat symbols.
Zoological Illustrations
To add to the fun, I hired illustrators to create 50 playful scenes with animals interacting, playing snare drums, and composing within the zoo. You'll enjoy looking at these wonderful illustrations even when you're not practicing!
What About Counting?
| Counting is an important part of learning and playing complex rhythms. Unfortunately, when beginners are forced to count, their eyes often glaze over from brain-overload. |
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| I have found that after students learn to play using animal rhythms, counting comes more easily. To help with this process, I have included a section on counting at the end of the book. Counting concepts can be applied to all solos and reading material throughout the book at any stage. |
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ADULTS Love This Method Too!
My adult students appreciate how easily they can learn to play and read rhythms using this book. Many complain at their first lesson that they've "never been very good at reading." Within just a few weeks, they find themselves halfway through the book reading rhythms with very little effort.
Free Owners-Only Website Access
Every owner of the book gets free, unlimited access to the Owners-Only portion of my website. Here, you can register for email updates on new practice tips and teaching ideas. From the Owners-Only site, your emailed questions come directly to me. My answers to everyone's questions will remain archived in an easy-to-access portion of the site.
Limited Time Discount
The retail price of The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo is $29.95. Purchase the book and CD from my website today for only $24.95. Buy 2-11 copies for only $19.95 each, 12 or more for an incredible $17.95 each!
Order The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo Risk-Free!
I've worked incredibly hard on this book, and I am convinced that it provides the most enjoyable way to learn to play snare drum! If you disagree, just
send it back to me within thirty days, and you'll receive an immediate, 100%
refund of your purchase price--no hassle, no questions asked.
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The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo, Book and CD: |
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The Snare Drum Plays The Zoo, 4-DVD Set: |
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Brian J. Harris Method | 1001 East Orange Grove Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718 Phone: (520) 878-0363 | Fax: (520) 844-8166 | Email:
Copyright © 2003-2007 Desert Song Productions. All rights reserved. |