I offer the following clinic topics, all of which have been presented at various conferences, universities and festivals around the world. If you are interested in having me present a session for you, please contact me at rob@robsanderl.com for further information and booking.
Building a Better Percussionist: Using Movement, Technique and Ear Training
for Optimal Learning
This session presents various ideas/exercises that are universally adaptable to ANY
current method of teaching or method book series. This clinic is meant to “fill in”
various learning gaps that exist within percussion education by focusing on
technique, movement, and ear training, areas often neglected in written methods.
Attendees should find in this clinic a fresh and new approach to their percussion
teaching that can immediately be incorporated into their existing curriculum.
Drumset Education: Playing Beyond the Groove
A good drum set performer always plays in time with a proper groove. However,
what about items such as tone? Phrasing? Melody? Reading a chart? And perhaps
most important, VOCABULARY! These items are often overlooked when teaching
drum set performance, but they are critical if we are to perform beyond the basics of
time and groove. This session will cover all of these topics in an easy to understand
manner, and offer educators simple and immediately effective ways to improve
these areas of drum set learning. All of the materials and exercises presented are
universally adaptable to any method book or curriculum.
A Bridge to Basel Drumming
I have had the opportunity to study this unique form of snare drumming both in
Switzerland and the US. As a person who has a passion and extensive background in
rudimental drumming, I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of learning this style.
This session helps to explain the notation and unique interpretational features of
Basel drumming by using exercises that begin with ideas in traditional American
notation and interpretation, and then gradually move to the Basel style. This
session provides players with a sufficient amount of information to begin working
through the style on their own, as there are specifics that need explanation before
the learning process can begin. This clinic was presented at PASIC 2017.
What I Learned Playing Four Measures of Bach
Most solo instrumental music (except for chordal instruments), is made up of single
line melodies that often follow certain chordal ideas (or progressions), or in Bach’s
case the rules of 17th and 18th century counterpoint. However, most musicians are
aware that performing or thinking of such music as a single melody causes us to
miss expressive opportunities that are present if only we looked at these melodies
more vertically or three-dimensionally. I will use the first four measures of the Cello
Suite no. 1 in G major to first demonstrate the concept described above, and then
show how this type of critical analysis can be applied to not just tonal music, but
also atonal and post tonal music solo marimba music. We will discuss ideas such as
hyper-melody, hyper-rhythm, motivic phrasing, perceived note length as well as
many other items that pertain to this learning concept.
Marching Percussion Fundamentals
Regardless of the instrument within the battery section you hope to play in
marching band or drum corps, there exist techniques that are universal to your
success. This session talks about technique starting from grip and posture, and
takes the students through a series of specific exercises that reinforce the most
important stroke types for playing rudimental percussion music. I also discuss a
number of items related to specific rudiments that have far ranging consequences
on performance and interpretation. I have developed these exercises and ideas
from my over 20 years playing, teaching, arranging and consulting in the marching
arts.