Quality of sound
- Set up and tune the instruments (if appropriate, e.g. timpani) with some independence, retuning where necessary with support
- Play and damp with control of the position where the sticks/hands strike the instrument, adjusting and effecting changes to the quality and character of the sound, e.g. snare drum, cymbals (rolls, chokes, strikes and clashes)
- Make appropriate choices of sticks/mallets/brushes with guidance
- Play with a controlled sound across a larger range of dynamics, including controlled crescendos and diminuendos
Emphasise to learners the need to always strike drums and cymbals in the correct place, especially when moving around the drum kit.
Ask learners to practise tuning timpani to a given note.
Encourage learners to sing the required note, developing an aural awareness of the intervals of a perfect fourth and fifth.
Encourage the use of a reliable pitch source, e.g. keyboard or glockenspiel. Refer to well-known tunes when pitching individual intervals.
Ask learners to practise playing the crash cymbal with one hand and damping it with the other.
Demonstrate to learners how striking the cymbals with different parts of the stick, e.g. tip, shoulder and shaft, and striking them in different places, e.g. bell, middle and edge, affects the tone quality. Invite learners to experiment with different techniques, encouraging them to select the most appropriate in order to produce the sound required.
The emphasis should be on controlling the way in which instruments are damped. At this stage, learners should be able to keep hold of a stick in each hand whilst damping.
Discuss with learners the most appropriate sounds for the pieces they are learning.
Ensure that individual levels of dynamics are consistent within a piece and when playing in an ensemble.
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