Accent on Christmas & Holiday Ensembles: Percussion Book

This collection gives percussion students exactly what they need during the holiday season: music that sounds festive without requiring advanced techniques, and flexible combinations that let you use whoever shows up that day. The duets, trios, and quartets format means every percussionist gets to play a real part, not just fill time on the sidelines.

These arrangements capture the warmth and brightness of holiday music through straightforward melodies and rhythmic patterns that feel familiar without requiring complex notation or technique. The energy is celebratory and accessible, letting students feel the joy of playing together in small groups.

Percussionists in beginning band programs who are ready to move beyond unison exercises and into ensemble playing. This book works for students still in their first year or two of study, particularly those using Accent on Achievement Book 1 as their primary method.

• Plan your instrumentation combinations ahead of rehearsals so students know which part to prepare each week. Flexibility is valuable, but advance notice lets percussionists focus on their specific voices.
• Balance mallets across the group. If you're mixing mallet and non-pitched percussion, work out who carries the melody so the arrangement lands clearly in performance.
• Use these pieces to reinforce part independence in smaller ensembles. With fewer musicians per part, each student owns the line in a way full-section playing sometimes obscures.
• Consider breaking these out of rehearsal and into sectional work early in December. Percussionists often rehearse separately anyway, so these duets and trios fit naturally into your existing schedule.

Program a small percussion ensemble on your December concert, or use these duets and trios as part of a larger holiday pops arrangement that features different instrumental combinations throughout the set. They're also ideal for holiday parties, community events, or chamber performances where you want percussionists showcased with manageable rehearsal time.

• Reading rhythmic patterns across mixed percussion voices
• Balancing dynamics and blend in small ensembles
• Playing with part independence and awareness of other lines
• Coordinating mallets and non-pitched percussion in the same arrangement
• Sustaining musical focus in shorter ensemble formats