Percussion Ensemble Music for the Secondary Classroom

Written for the Tennessee All-Star Percussion Ensemble, this driving work for large percussion ensemble is filled with vivid, ever-evolving colors.

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

Blur is a med-advanced percussion ensemble piece, featuring a large sound palette and an exciting, driving rhythmic force. As the title suggests, the texture of the piece moves from thin and

In the Hawaiian language, the word nalu stands for wave, in reference to those in the waters surrounding the islands of Hawaii. Through the use of counterpoint, syncopation, hocket, and hints

Also known as a double dream, a dream within a dream, or nested dream, false awakenings are usually vivid dreams in which you mistakenly feel like you’ve woken up, to only realize this too was a dream

Originally written for The United States Army Band, Trackin' is a rudimental percussion ensemble piece for six players. It calls for four snare drums and two bass drums of any style. The title

Quartet for percussion was written as a compositional exploration of expanding upon one simple, repetitive idea. Inspiration for the piece was drawn from Steve Reich, the father of minimalist

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

Crisp timbres and passages of hypnotic rhythm underpin this ethereal journey through time and space. The piece is through-composed in several different but cohesive sections. The parts are evenly

Mixed meter, intense rhythms, and striking timbres combine to form this work of sheer drumming power! This one will get anyone's attention!

In this medium-advanced work for percussion quartet, wood, skin, and metal instruments are used to represent rock, paper, and scissors. Each has its own musical personality. The woods play hocketed 16th

Composed so that it could be performed by three or four players and still hold its laid-back, groovy feel, this piece has elements of minimalism and drumset grooves. It can be felt in two different ways

The third in a series of marimba quartets based heavily on video game and electronic dance music. The constant driving pulse and changing meters keep up the excitement to the very end. The work is scored

Grainger tells us that Arrival Platform Humlet conveys the sense of "awaiting the arrival of a belated train bringing one's sweetheart from foreign parts; great fun! The sort of thing one hums to

Based on the term "minutes to midnight" associated with the Doomsday Clock that has represented probability of the threat of global catastrophe since the late 1940s. It is a fun yet unnerving work for

A groovy, engaging percussion quartet for three keyboards and drum set.

A through-composed, programmatic work in three movements for large percussion ensemble. This challenging composition combines melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture to aurally describe the essence of three

An exciting follow-up to Daiki Kato's duet The Last Dance. Scored for percussion trio, this time each player has a keyboard instrument and drums.

In this percussion trio, the notion of "omnes trio" or "trio for all" is achieved through its homogeneous composition. The instruments include a shared concert bass drum, three sets of bongos, and six opera

This piece is centered around a continuous jazz/funk-inspired sixteenth-note groove started by the marimbas and subsequently carried throughout the ensemble. The feel is achieved brilliantly through an

Rapid eye movement or REM is a stage of sleep characterized by the rapid and random movement of the eyes. It is also the part of sleep where the most vivid dreaming occurs. Part programmatic, part

It takes two to tap off in this collection of medium-advanced duets for marching snare and tenor. These four pieces were smartly written by Brian Blume to function as audition pieces for college/advanced

An elaborate piece for large percussion ensemble designed to create a hypnotic sense of euphoria by way of layered, repetitive figures and colorful textures. The piano plays a substantial role in adding to