ANZCA = Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts

The Australian and New Zealand Drumset syllabus is a fully accredited programme that enables you to sit examinations for drumset from Preliminary grade through to Fellowship Diploma levels.

It is the first syllabus of its kind written in Australasia.

Hey Chris! You're on the right track with the books! Go for it! All the best, Bill C.

..... email from Billy Cobham, March 1999

"I finally had a chance to go through your drumset manual. This is excellent! The information is clear and very well laid out. This is a great teaching curriculum for any instructor worldwide. I am also very impressed with the Cultural Arts Drumset Syllabus you had written. This is complete and succinct! I wish I had this when I was younger first learning how to play the instrument! You should be very proud of this! I would highly endorse the syllabus and the drumset manual .... it is precisely the educational tools like this that will bring modern drumset playing into the next century!"

... fax from Dom Famularo, 1996

Back in early 1995, I started to get upset! I'd been teaching drums since 1978 and was basically fed up with having students come to me from various lessons elsewhere, being taught a lick here, a fill there, no attention paid to correct grips, be fluent in one style of drumming and have absolutely no idea of another ..

... basically no set course of studies. Every other instrument had some type of music exam, an exam you could sit to get a certificate that would help get you into an Australian VCE music subject or TAFE/University course; or just get you the satisfaction of saying you did it. Why no Drums?

So, I typed, played and researched ........ played, researched and typed some more and eventually came up with the ANZCA (Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts Ltd) Drumset syllabus. It was the first drumset syllabus of its kind written in Australia.

There are five main areas to the examinations .... 1) Technical Work
2) List Pieces
3) Sight Reading
4) General Knowledge
5) Aural Studies

Grades start from Preliminary and move through to Fellowship Performer Diploma; students studying Year 12 music have also been catered for:

1. Technical Work: the drummer's "scales"; rudiments and snare drum studies designed to improve technique and control.

2. List Pieces: contrasting pieces to be played showing the candidate's facility with the instrument. From Grade Two, candidates have the option to write original pieces for the drums if they wish. This is designed to encourage originality, discipline and flair. The pieces listed range from as wide a choice as Led Zep, Oils and Lars Ulrich to Cobham, Latham and Zappa.

3. Sight Reading: to foster and promote strong reading skills.

4. Aural Tests: clapping, tapping and recognition of beats, rhythms and time signatures.

5. General Knowledge: an understanding of the history and development of the drumset, and an awareness of the rhythms and music genres of the world.The aim of the syllabus is to foster a "grass roots" understanding of the disciplines of the drumset, and to provide the student and teacher alike with a focus for drumset studies.

Factoring in original pieces at Grade Two level onwards address any concerns raised re "production line teaching methods".

I have also written companion books to each grade level .... simply put .... buy a book ... then sit an examination that is accredited throughout Australa, New Zealand and South-East Asia.

The Percussive Arts Society has reviewed my ANZCA Drumset Examination syllabus ..

The Percussive Arts Society Review

Download the 2007-2008 ANZCA Drumset Syllabus .pdf file

... and 2007-2008 ANZCA Guitar/Bass Syllabus .pdf file

Go to The CQ Catalogue for a listing of my books and current syllabus.

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