Welcome to my blog!

This is the fruition of a recent brainstorm I had while reading a few books ranging from teaching, social networking, and percussion, and seeing what was out there on the web.  I had thought about several different medias, from video blogs to audio podcasts, but finally settled on this written blog as it saves me from using too many technologies for right now (but, who knows what the future could hold!)

So, a brief introduction:  my name is Chris Lizak, and I just recently started my DMA studies at the University of Texas at Austin.  As the inevitable ‘job search’ grows closer and closer, I’ve been trying to refine my views and stances on percussion, and how to effectively communicate them to the students I will hopefully be teaching.  Though I have had amazing instruction from all of my professors from my undergrad to the present, I’ve come to realize that I’ve got all this great information that they have shared with me in my head that just plain needs organizing.  Then, I thought: why not put this information out there amongst my peers and colleagues and get help that way?  And finally: why not give everyone else an opportunity to organize all the fantastic info they have as well?

So, we come to here:  Mallethead Musings.  My parents, who have been absolutely vital in my growth as a musician, as well as a person, always referred to me as a mallethead, so I thought this title was appropriate for this blog!  I will attempt to create an environment where I pose a question (or several), offer what my opinions and views are, and then with help from you, we can have some great discussions on your viewpoints and see what meshes, what doesn’t, and continue to grow as educators.

Speaking of malletheads, let’s use that as our first ‘warmup’ topic: mallets.  We use them every day (ideally), and they play a huge part in conveying the sounds we hear in our heads.  However, I think we sometimes forget just how critical mallet selection is, be it in a solo we are working on or in a chamber/large ensemble setting.  I’ve seen plenty of young players who own one pair of mallets, and think that they can play everything with them, from a Bach chorale to a very articulate contemporary piece.  I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but just think how more effective the student could be if, right from the beginning of learning the piece, mallet choice is brought up?  Although, bringing it up from the start doesn’t necessarily mean that the mallets that are chosen will be ‘the ones’:  I can’t tell you how many times I change mallets while learning a piece to find the combination that works best.  And that’s another point:  the idea of using mallets of varying ‘hardness’ at the same time.  Getting this idea to young players sooner could help them learn how to phrase more effectively at an early stage in learning a piece, as each mallet could represent each individual line.

So, I’ll leave you with a few questions:  just how important is mallet selection to you in the grand scheme of things?  Is it important enough to address early, or is it something that you leave for later?  Is it even worth talking about period?  When in tough times, what is your ‘go-to’ mallet?

Well, that will wrap up this introductory post.  This blog will only be as effective if people will respond, so please: if you’ve got an opinion, respond!  I’d love to start up a dialogue with each and every person who brings up something.  If you’ve got a topic you’d like to see brought up, I’m all for that too!  You can post it here, or catch me on twitter @clizak.  I look forward to seeing what you have to say!

Until next time!

-Chris