The PASIC FUNdamentals series presents a variety of educational clinics aimed at strengthening the foundational skills of percussionists and educators. Featuring hands-on experiential learning, performances, and practical materials, the series covers diverse percussion topics and musical genres. Clinics include techniques such as snare drum patterns rooted in Brazilian popular music, cross-cultural hand drum methods, melodic timpani performance, and Afro-Cuban conga instruction. Offered by expert educators and performers, the series supports all levels from students to professionals and provides access to an extensive online library of resources and recorded presentations. Its core mission is to celebrate fundamental percussion concepts while promoting comprehensive and inclusive pedagogy to deepen musicians’ technical and cultural understanding.

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One of the great joys of attending PASIC is the variety of educational clinics. No matter what instruments and musical genres interest someone the most, there’s a clinic or presentation to deepen your understanding of the art that you already love. Each year the PAS Education Committee presents its signature FUNdamentals series, which showcases engaging clinics designed to reinforce the building blocks of percussion education. Each clinician takes a foundational topic, then zooms in to dissect and educate in fantastic detail. Whether you’re a student or a professional, a private instructor, a classroom instructor, or an ensemble director, these sessions offer something of value for everyone. 

This year’s presentations incorporate hands-on experiential learning, short performances, and materials to take into the practice room. The lineup is an edifying mix of in-person and virtual presentations from outstanding percussion educators and performers that will deepen attendees’ understanding and spark curiosity both for musicians and teachers. The FUNdamentals series is more than simply clinics on beginning techniques and pedagogy. It’s a celebration of core concepts of percussion as well as comprehensive and inclusive pedagogy. 

PAS members can access a growing online library of past FUNdamentals handouts featuring charts, worksheets, and pedagogical tools curated by years of top-notch clinicians: https://pas.org/resources/?_search2=fundamentals&_publication=instructional-resource

On the PAS YouTube channel, you can find a playlist called FUNdamental Fridays: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSr6Z-Y9bj2sdtZ6GLu7btK_5wqK2Whde

Francisco Abreu
Snare Drum Technique and the “Swing” of Brazilian Popular Music: Integrating Technical Study and Musicality
In this session, Francisco Abreu introduces concepts to transform daily practice into a meaningful musical experience. Drawing on the richness of Brazilian popular music, this clinic presents an integrated approach that places swing and rhythmic sensibility at the heart of technical study. This session combines two references: The Drummer’s Rudimental Reference Book, by John Wooton, and Cassio Cunha’s ARB-Acentos Rítmicos Brasileiros (ARB Brazilian Patterns). Utilizing these references, Francisco focuses on six fundamental building blocks: one-hand exercises, single and double strokes, combinations, flams, and the multiple-bounce roll. He will demonstrate how these techniques can be applied directly to four Brazilian popular music styles: baião, samba, jongo, and maracatu. Through this approach, participants will explore accent patterns and stickings while simultaneously developing musicality, intercultural awareness, and a deeper understanding of Brazilian rhythmic language.

Symphonic percussion teacher at the Brasília School of Music, Francisco Abreu stands out for the diversity of his musical training and career. He is starting a PhD in Music Performance at UFMG, holds a master’s degree in music from the University of Brasília and a bachelor’s degree in percus-sion from UFSM/UNESP, where he stud-ied under Dr. Ney Rosauro and Dr. John Boudler. He also specialized in mallets with Emanuel Sejourné at the Conservatory of Strasbourg, France (2004).

Currently, as professor and coordinator of Percussividade – EMB Percussion Ensemble, he conducts research on percussion pedagogy and contemporary music. In November 2023, his composition was performed at the 48th PASIC in the USA. His works have been performed across the Americas and Europe. 

He has played in ensembles ranging from baroque to contemporary, and from choro to jazz, combines technical mastery with creativity, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in percussion and music education in Brazil’s capital.

Matthew Henry and Dr. Andrés Espinoza Agurto
The Hybrid Hand: Navigating Cross-Cultural Techniques for the Modern Percussionist
In this practical session, Matthew Henry and Andrés Espinoza Agurto seek to fill in the gaps of knowledge on various non-Western percussion instruments. Modern percussionists of all training and experience are asked to perform and teach various hand drums, sometimes without proper training. In these cases, inexperienced percussionists may find themselves using incorrect techniques when switching between drums of different cultures. This session provides participants with a technical roadmap for navigating these differences while deconstructing fundamental physics on various instruments. Beyond the basics, Matthew and Andrés will also discuss tuning, microphone dynamics, and hybrid setups. Attendees will leave with culturally informed concepts designed to bridge the gap between ancestral heritage of the instruments and the demands of the 21st-Century stage.

Matthew Henry is in his second decade as Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with a particular focus on drumming of the Malinke Ethnic group and Afro-Cuban traditions. Performance credits include The Who, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Muny Orchestra, Agbara, and Black Magic — The Santana Experience. As the full-time drumset player at the Tony Award Winning Muny theatre, Matthew has played in the pits and on stage for such shows as On Your Feet, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, The Wiz, Billy Elliot, Cinderella, Anastasia, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Sister Act, In the Heights, Dreamgirls, and Beauty and the Beast. 

Dr. Andrés Espinoza Agurto studied Afro-Cuban percussion at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) in La Habana, Cuba, graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music, receiving a BM in Jazz Composition, and holds an MA in Jazz Studies and Ethnomusicology from the University of York (England). He received his PhD in Ethnomusicology from Boston University. His dissertation, “Una Sola Casa: Salsa Consciente and the Poetics of the Meta-barrio,” analyzes the impact of salsa music as a forging element of social and political identity within Latino and Latin American communities. He is the composer, musical director, and percussionist of the Andres Espinoza World Jazz Ensemble, the Andres Espinoza Octet, and the Latin fusion sextet Los Songos Jalapeños. He has been a faculty member at Roxbury Community College, Boston University, Emmanuel College, and the University of Maine system.

Diana Loomer
The Melodic Timpani Project
Diana Loomer presents an engaging clinic focused on technique and performance practice. She created The Melodic Timpani Project as a way to promote the use of timpani as a melodic instrument. This was achieved by expanding the repertoire with compositions by John Psathas, Jonathan Scales, Dave Molk, Brian Nozny, CJ Menge, and Louis Raymond-Kolker. Her clinic focuses on the improvement of pedal mechanics, and features demonstrations of pedal techniques and performances from the project’s commissions. The repertoire included in the project is appropriate for college recitals, advanced high school solo performances, or even professional recitals. Attendees will receive an introduction to these exciting new pieces to explore.

Dr. Diana Loomer is an active percussionist and music educator, currently teaching and performing in the Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee areas. She has a passion for Melodic Timpani playing, and is working to explore the potential of the instrument, as well as to expand the repertoire for this style. Diana has commissioned and performed over ten pieces for Melodic Timpani so far, including a work for solo timpani and electronics by world-renowned composer John Psathas. She has been presenting clinics and performances of these pieces internationally, in an effort to promote the idea of timpani as a more versatile and melodic voice. Diana is the principal timpanist for the Johnson City Symphony and Symphony of the Mountains.

VIRTUAL CLINICS
Freddy Morales
Roots, Hands, Rhythms: Congas in the Classroom
Presented virtually, this session introduces educators and students to the rich musical heritage of the conga through an engaging, hands-on approach. The presentation explores a wide range of Afro-Cuban styles, including how conga technique can be progressively developed through styles commonly found in modern literature for percussion, wind, and string ensembles. Freddy Morales will present practical strategies for incorporating conga instruction into teaching programs with an emphasis on sound production, hand technique, groove development, and stylistic awareness. Participants will develop technical skills grounded in authentic repertoire and will gain tools to advance their personal playing while connecting technique to cultural tradition. 

Freddy Morales is a Hispanic and Native American percussionist and educator from El Paso, Texas. He serves as adjunct faculty at The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where he coaches the Afro-Diasporic percussion ensemble, assists with the Marching Mocks percussion ensemble, and lectures musicology courses. Having received an M.M. in Percussion Performance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Freddy served as Graduate Teaching Assistant for the UTK Band program. Freddy earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Texas at El Paso, studying under Dr. Andy Smith. At UTEP, he served as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Marching Miners and performed in wind and percussion ensembles, including appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention. Additionally, he has performed and taught drum corps and indoor percussion for nearly eight years with Sun City Independent, Genesis, and Arsenal. 

Jeff Queen
All Because of Drums: Playing with Sticks and the Life it can Provide
This virtual session is a hands-on workshop focusing on rudimental drumming. Participants will gain knowledge and technical skills through basic exercises. As the presentation progresses, each basic skill builds upon itself in order to lead to more advanced skills. Attendees will leave with a strong foundation and better hands! This is a great way to experience the joy of rudimental snare drumming.

Jeff Queen is a world-renowned percussionist specializing in rudimental percussion performance and pedagogy. An original cast member of the Tony and Emmy award winning Broadway show BLAST!, 4-time world champion snare drummer, former percussion caption head/Director for Carolina Crown, Carmel High School, Avon High School, and Butler University. Queen is a published author and composer with an instructional rudimental book, The Next Level: Rudimental Percussion Techniques available through Tapspace, an over three-hour DVD/video through Hudson Music, his All Because of Band advocacy project, and various other works available through Tapspace, Row-loff, and Fannin Music. Queen holds a BM in Music Theory/Composition and an MM in Percussion Performance from Butler University.