<p>I hope that any current or prospective music students can help me with a question! I am trying to find a good program, camp or classes for my 8th grade son who is a percussionist. He is specifically interested in opportunities to learn hand drumming (Latin and/or African), as well as improve his skills on snare, toms, bass, etc…</p>
<p>Of course we would be thrilled if there were opportunities offered for younger kids at Shepherd…that would be ideal. But if anyone has heard of other programs, we would appreciate any info. I saw just the very end of a program on the morning news (khou) about classes at one of the private schools…but missed hearing the name of the school. For some reason, I think it is St. John’s; but again, not sure. Any help is appreciated.</p>
<p>really…i didnt know the romans played drums. As a south american, i dont liek being called “latin” because we are all different. THis is a US term</p>
<p>I know Interlochen has an incredible percussion ensemble. I have heard them. I’m not sure what specialized percussion programs are offered at their summer sessions, though. You might want to contact someone at Shepherd (faculty).</p>
<p>It has nothing to do with me, i know it is a category. it is people that need to get over the putting all spanish speking people under the term “latin” but i wouldnt expect you to understand what im talking about.</p>
<p>Serge, deal with it. You don’t need to feign indignation over such a small thing. She’s wants to know about percussion classes for her kid, not what you think about being called “latin.”</p>
<p>Shepherd school offers classes in music history and theory as well as private instruction and chamber music ensembles (string quartet etc.) for middle school and high school students. (see here: <a href=“http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~musi/preparatory/index.html[/url]”>http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~musi/preparatory/index.html</a>) It is possible to study with professors both at Rice and University of Houston if you have contacts there, are talented enough, and a professor has space, although that can end up being very expensive. Alternatively, there are usually some graduate students floating around who are amazing and much cheaper.</p>
<p>I know a bunch of musicians who went to St. John’s, but I don’t know if there was actually a strong music program there, or if they just happened to be talented musicians who went to that school.</p>
<p>It’s too late for this summer, but American Festival for the Arts is a 5 week summer orchestra ‘festival’ at the Episcopal High School (I think, they may have moved it) that is reasonably priced, offers scholarship money, and is geared towards high school students. I know that it has been expanding with choral programs and jazz, so there may sometime sprout some sort of percussion program.</p>
<p>During the year, if your son is interested in orchestral playing, he might consider auditioning for Virtuosi of Houston, Houston Youth Symphony, or Greater Houston Youth Orchestra. Most have auditions in August or September. HYS and GHYO have several levels of orchestras ranging from beginner to more advanced; Virtuosi is one chamber orchestra that is more competitive, especially for winds/percussion/brass. If he’s interested and good enough, I highly suggest Virtuosi, but most of the orchestra is high school students, and in the wind sections it is usually upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Contact me if you have any particular questions- like I said, I don’t know much about percussion, but I was active in orchestra in Houston in high school.</p>
<p>haha…nobody is pretending to be indignated as you suggested. this has nothing to do with indignation in the first place. you look at the websites that she has there as examples for instruments that fall upon that category and you get a story about a dude named “Luis”. THe percussion category derives from the same grouping of people under this concept. They group instruments used for different rythm in spanish speaking countries under this same category. I was not directing my comments towards anybody in particular. The term “latin” takes aways from each countries individuality, each countries people have their own distinct idiosynchrasies and histories and the people are quite different but yet people have this concept of “latin this” and “latin that”. you go to google and type latin in. you get a bunch of brown skinned half naked woman. is latin some sort of sensual culture? are we all dressed meretriciously everywhere we go? im tired of people telling me not believing me about being from colombia just because they think everbody that speaks spanish has brown skin and I have white skin. Alll this things are perpetuated by the media. in those countries people identify more with their region of their country more than the country as a whole in many issues. Even under the instruments category, each country has their own version of their own instruments, not all maracas look the same, not all bongos look the same, etc. So you see what im trying to say?</p>
<p>In the United States, the term Latino and Latina is a preferred term and is term that reflects cultural pride. I understand South America is a continent of many countries, but this is the United States where a certain degree of assimilation is expected and, in fact, CELEBRATED as something that makes our country great. And you, Serge, are in the United States, acquiring an education and reaping the rewards of this great country. Nobody is telling you not to be proud of your Colombian heritage, but I would hope you would come to think of yourself as an American first and learn to celebrate what that means as well. You are free to criticize all the things about America that you find annoying or offensive because this is a free country, but to do so begs the question…why are you here if it is so bad? (Note to other readers…I am not just referring to this thread, but also previous threads and content of PMs).</p>
<p>Now, back to the drum thing. A drum is an inanimate object and can’t be offended. My very best friend is Chinese and in the last 15 years, she has yet to come to me and complain about the phrase “Oriental rug”. As long as no one calls HER Oriental, all is good.</p>
<p>Finally, I feel kinda stupid for even participating in this discussion…especially since I know serge tends to disagree with most everything I say on this board as a matter of principle. So from now on I’ll stick to conversations about percussion instruction and the music department at Shepherd.</p>
<p>HYS holds auditions in the spring, so if your son is interested in participating during, say, the 2007-08 school year, you need to sign up for auditions in spring 2007.</p>
<p>You should try Interlochen, or Tanglewood. Both of these are extremely well known, and having attended myself, I strongly recommend them. Especially if your son wants a career in music.</p>
<p>If HYS is short people, though, they’ll take late auditions. At least they used to- I haven’t been a member for 5 years. I also seem to recall that at the time they were short percussionists (something about sharing them between Symphony and Philharmonic and them never being in our rehersal at the right time); no idea if that’s still the case.</p>