Lessons
Please note: Effective September 1, 2006, I have retired from teaching. The information below is offered only as reference material for students, parents, and teachers.
I teach drums and percussion privately to students of all ages and levels at my studio on Sugarloaf Key, Florida (a convenient fifteen minutes from Key West) and in Monroe County schools. Since 1973 I’ve taught gifted children, not-so-gifted adults, professionals, amateurs, and everyone in between. I love and respect the art of music, and it is my privilege to pass on what I have learned in more than forty years of professional performing, recording, and composing. Reproduced below are some of the documents you would receive in your studio information kit.
HOWLAND PERCUSSION STUDIO
Drum set, snare drum, timpani, mallets
Quality private instruction
Contributor to Modern Drummer and other periodicals
Leader of the acclaimed Howland Ensemble jazz group
Former student of Fred Begun and Bill Reichenbach
Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts
Award-winning composer and singer-songwriter
Player of Ludwig, Zildjian, and Vic Firth
Pop guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist
Pro-Mark teacher certificate recipient
International recording artist
Member of AFM and BMI
M.A. Catholic University
Student information form
Today’s date
What is your name?
What is your age?
How much musical study have you had?
What are your musical goals?
What instruments do you own or rent for practice?
What are your parents’ or guardians’ names?
What is your postal address?
What are your telephone numbers?
What is your e-mail address?
Whom may I thank for referring you to me?
Percussion studio policy
My studio is located at 263 Venetian Way, Sugarloaf Key.
My office hours are by appointment. Normally your schedule will include one weekly half-hour lesson. I will, if necessary, adjust this schedule according to your needs and to my own schedule.
I require at least 24 hours’ notice of any lesson cancellation. I will credit or reschedule a missed lesson when possible. Tuition is nonrefundable.
I do not observe unpredictable school closings as holidays; nor do I discontinue instruction during the summer. I observe the following holidays: New Year’s Day, King Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.
Please call 745-2572 to contact me or my voice mail. If you call when I am away or when I cannot answer the phone (I usually do not answer while teaching), please leave a message. A cancellation message must be placed at least 24 hours in advance.
Tuition is $30 per half hour. I issue a statement on the 15th day of the month for the month in advance. Please read your monthly statement carefully; it contains important information about your schedule and your account. Payment is due by the 1st day of the following month (not the first lesson). Payment may be with check or with cash and may be by mail or in person (do not mail cash). A balance that remains unpaid after 30 days is subject to a 2% monthly service charge.
Your lesson is a professional appointment, and we must begin on time. Similarly, music is an art, and artful performance requires dedication. You must establish and maintain a daily, year-round practice period of at least one hour. A student who has difficulty scheduling practice time (on all instruments) should call me to arrange a solution. Each December I may issue a progress report, reflecting attitude, practice, performance, attendance, punctuality, and, where applicable, parental responsibility.
The lesson sequence for the orchestral student will alternate about weekly in this order: snare drum, timpani, drum set, and mallets. It is your responsibility to know which area we will address at a given lesson, to prepare that lesson to performance standards, and to bring the proper materials (see Study materials). A student arriving for a lesson without the proper materials will be charged a $5 materials fee.
I strongly recommend that you study total percussion, including piano and theory, to become a complete, versatile, and marketable musician.
Study materials
Listed below are the basic study materials (books, recordings, supplies) I use at this time.
You normally will acquire most or all of these materials in a graduated program over a period of months or years. You are not required to study any area you are convinced does not address your needs. You are welcome to supplement these materials by bringing in school music, CDs or cassettes of music you wish to learn, or other pertinent materials. The items below are available from MacArthur Music, 906E Kennedy Dr., Key West, FL 33040, 305-294-9329.
Snare drum
Anthony Cirone, Orchestral Snare Drummer
________, Portraits in Rhythm
Timpani
Morris Goldenberg, Classic Symphonies for Timpani
Saul Goodman, Modern Method for Tympani
Selected repertoire from my collection, per page, $2
Drum set
Gary Chester, The New Breed
Peter Erskine, Drum Concepts and Techniques
Sandy Feldstein and Dave Black, Alfred’s Beginning Drumset Method*
Steve Houghton and Tom Warrington, Essential Styles*
Mel Lewis, It’s Time (for the Big Band Drummer)
Michael Snyder, Linear Drumming
Dave Weckl, Contemporary Drummer + 1*
Mallets
Ian Finkel, Solos for the Vibraphone Player
Garwood Whaley, Primary Handbook for Mallets
Supplies
Vic Firth model 5A or 7A wood-tip drumsticks
Vic Firth Heritage model telescoping wire brushes
Vic Firth model T3 timpani sticks
Vic Firth model M1 keyboard percussion mallets, two pairs
Hamilton folding music stand
Remo 6” tunable practice pad with key
Roland Dr. Beat digital metronome
Wittner A440 timpani tuning fork
*Includes cassette, CD, or DVD
Suggested student reading
Alan Abel, 20th Century Orchestra Studies for Percussion.
Joseph Adato and George Judy, The Percussionist’s Dictionary.
Airto, Spirit of Percussion.
John Aldridge, Guide to Vintage Drums.
Willi Apel, Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music.
John Beck, Encyclopedia of Percussion.
Gerard Belioz, 20 Studies.
James Blades, Orchestral Percussion Technique; Percussion Instruments and Their History.
James Blades and Jeremy Montagu, Early Percussion Instruments.
Hal Blaine with David Goggin, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew.
Filippo Bonanni, Antique Musical Instruments and Their Players.
Mark Bonfoey, Percussion Repair and Maintenance.
Robert Breithaupt, The Complete Percussionist.
Reginald Smith Brindle, Contemporary Percussion.
Mervin Britton and Joel Leach, Creative Approach to Reading Rhythm.
Harry Cangany, The Great American Drums.
Bobby Christian and Al Payson, In the Studio.
Anthony Cirone, Orchestral Techniques of the Standard Percussion Instruments.
Anthony Cirone and Joe Sinai, The Logic of It All.
Dallas Cline, How to Play Nearly Everything.
F. Michael Combs, Percussion Manual.
Sam Denov, The Art of Playing the Cymbals.
Sandy Feldstein, Practical Theory Complete.
Vic Firth, Percussion Symposium.
Robert Garofalo, Rehearsal Handbook for Band and Orchestra Students.
Steve Grimo and Robert Snider, Percussion Section Techniques.
Mickey Hart, Drumming on the Edge of Magic; Planet Drum.
Kevin Hathaway, Orchestral Excerpts for Percussion.
David Hickman, Music Speed Reading.
Hal Howland: see Hal Howland bibliography.
Eckhardt Keune, Tom-Toms, Bongos, Becken.
Burt Korall, Drummin’ Men.
David Kulb, Percussion Crafts.
Morris Lang and Larry Spivak, Dictionary of Percussion Terms.
Bernard Mason, Drums, Tom Toms, and Rattles.
Robert McCormick and Anthony Cirone, Percussion for Musicians.
James Moore, Acoustics of Bar Percussion Instruments.
Geoff Nicholls, The Drum Book.
Larry Nolly, Drum Tuning.
Al Payson, Techniques of Playing Bass Drum, Cymbals, and Accessories.
Karl Peinkofer and Fritz Tannigel, Handbook of Percussion Instruments.
Mitchell Peters and Dave Black, Cymbals: A Crash Course.
Hugo Pinksterboer, The Cymbal Book; Tipbook Drums.
Arthur Press, Mallet Repair.
Paul Price, Triangle, Tambourine, and Castanets.
H. Owen Reed and Joel Leach, Scoring for Percussion.
Emil Richards, Studio Techniques; World of Percussion.
Ron Spagnardi, The Great Jazz Drummers.
Tabourot, Historic Percussion: A Survey; Royall Drummes and Martiall Musick.
Michael Tenzer, Balinese Music.
Jay Wanamaker, Rob Carson, and PAS, International Drum Rudiments.
Max Weinberg, The Big Beat.
Garwood Whaley, Audition Etudes.
Eleanor Winding, Yoga for Musicians.
These and other percussion publications are available at a public or university library and may be ordered from Steve Weiss Music, 2324 Wyandotte Rd., Willow Grove, PA 19090, phone 215-659-0100, fax 215-659-1170, e-mail info@steveweissmusic.com.
Timpani basic repertoire
The student timpanist should be familiar with these works before or during college.
Bach, J. S., Orchestral Suite no. 3, English Baroque Soloists conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, Erato 88049
Beethoven, L. v., Symphonies no. 1-9, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, Archiv 207136
Handel, G. F., Messiah, Academy of Ancient Music conducted by Christopher Hogwood, L’Oiseau Lyre 400086
Haydn, F. J., Symphony no. 88, Orchestra of the 18th Century conducted by Frans Brüggen, Philips 426169
Haydn, Symphony no. 104, same, Philips 101221
Mozart, W. A., Symphonies no. 35, 38, 41, English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock, Archiv 447043
The recordings above feature period instruments and recent research on period performance practices. Any other recording by a well-known orchestra will be equally valuable for study.
Economical sources for building a classical library include
BMG Music Service, P.O. Box 91164, Indianapolis, IN 46291-0164;
Columbia House, 1400 N. Fruitridge Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47812-9415; and
Musical Heritage Society, P.O. Box 3005, Oakhurst, NJ 07755-3005.
Florida Keys percussion market
Because of their isolation, the Florida Keys offer limited resources, retail or otherwise. Buying equipment here often means mail-order or a 150-mile trip to Miami.
Accessories and publications
MacArthur Music
906E Kennedy Dr.
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-9329
New instruments and publications
Sam Ash Music
5360 N.W. 167th St.
Miami, FL 33014
305-628-3510
Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center
301-946-8808
800-882-7218
800-462-2263
Steve Weiss Music
2324 Wyandotte Rd.
Willow Grove, PA 19090
215-659-0100
Any reputable dealer will offer you a 10-50% discount. Shop around!
Used and vintage instruments
A fair price for an excellent used instrument is 25-50% of its current list price. Vintage American gear is collectible, practical, usually affordable, and appropriate for the handy player who knows his or her history (avoid the 1970s).
615-248-4827
Blair N Drums
800-733-8164
616-364-0604
518-638-8558
800-729-3111
Also see “Drum Market” section of Modern Drummer magazine, 800-551-3786.
For more information contact:
Hal Howland
263 Venetian Way, Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042-3612
Telephone: 305-745-2572
Internet: halhowland@bellsouth.net