There is an Aristotelian notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is a concept known as emergence. In his quintet Amidst, John Ling has taken this concept to heart,
Animals is a loosely programmatic suite for percussion quartet in three movements by Brian Slawson. In Small, Medium, and Large, each player is assigned a specific animal name to help define their
In Black Racer, Brian Blume has crafted an effective piece for intermediate percussion quartets to hone their chamber ensemble skills while communicating intensity and musical sensitivity. Each
Brush Hour is Alex Stopa's homage to the great brush masters from the early twentieth century. In it, Stopa introduces some of the most common brush patterns and techniques used in a jazz setting.
Canon Fodder was written as a reflection on the current climate of our social, educational, and ecological systems, where untold damage is being done. This unyielding quartet features a homogeneous
Changing Winds takes its influence from the turbulence of the fall of 2016. Each player in this quartet has an independent role, and their musical stories develop as the piece progresses. The
Crystals was composed for young percussionists who have been living in a world of battery percussion and are now taking their first steps into mallet playing. Each performer is given a limited
Dots & Dashes is an intense, drummy quartet for unpitched percussion in which composer Dustin Schulze aims to bridge the feel of tribal drum and dance music popular in West Africa with the
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik is a quintessential piece from the Classical period. It combines very stable harmonies with very clear resolutions, a strong sense of melody and
Written for beginning mallet ensembles, so that each student in the quartet can provide a specific function to the whole. The vibraphone carries the melody, marimba players outline the chords and supplies
Fixtures in the Fold is a quartet for percussion that was inspired by the memoir of the famous musician and poet, Patti Smith. In it, Smith discusses the relationship between several objects she
This work is great for developing percussionists to work on ensemble performance while being accessible to many levels. The piece is built around catchy pop riffs and grooves that give subtle hints at
No equipment? No problem! Floor Play uses no traditional instrumentation and requires only body percussion including foot stomps, thigh slaps, handclaps, and finger snaps. With a fun, interactive
Watch out, The Floor Is Lava! This flexible percussion ensemble work is a nod to the childhood game of the same name. With a running path of sixteenth notes scored entirely for accessory percussion
Fun and furious, fantastic and forward, Funky Fugue for Five fashions friendly rhythms into a festive foray for four or five fledgling friends to fire funky feels at fans while furthering their
In Guac is Extra, John Herndon has done a fantastic job of providing an engaging piece for young percussionists to dialog with traditional Latin percussion instruments without their needing
A two-movement quartet based on the idea that each player must have a perfectly matched sense of time, touch, and rhythmic interpretation. The title is derived from the idea that players will need to share
Here is a fantastic arrangement of Married Life, the Oscar-winning main theme from Pixar's "Up." Composer Michael Giacchino perfectly captures the sentiment and poignancy of the film's opening
Nataraja was originally written with a different title as a marimba solo with conga accompaniment. In the form presented here, the instrumentation is expanded to create a musical depiction of
A beautiful and captivating piece that uses only simple elements. When each mallet part is isolated, it is constructed of very simple musical material. However, when, all of the parts are combined, they