Concert Time Developing Band Book 1 - Percussion: Percussion Method Book

This collection gives percussion players the same carefully scaffolded progression that Concert Time Beginning Band Book 1 provided, but with genuine compositional variety that keeps students engaged. Each of the 15 pieces approaches rhythm, sticking patterns, and mallet technique from a different angle, so players aren't repeating the same musical problems across pieces.

The 15 pieces span moods and compositional styles, keeping rehearsals fresh and showing percussionists that their role extends beyond keeping time. You'll encounter moments of straightforward support, opportunities to shine as part of a melodic line, and passages that demand clean ensemble coordination.

Developing percussionists in grades 1-1.5 concert bands who have moved past introductory material and are ready for pieces that ask more from their technique and musicality. Directors building a well-rounded percussion section will appreciate the stylistic range and the chance to address specific technical challenges across different musical contexts.

• Work through sticking patterns slowly before adding tempo. These pieces introduce new hand combinations progressively, and rushing through them obscures what you're meant to learn.
• Listen to how each piece sits in the band's texture. Some demand precision as timekeepers; others let you carry melodic material. Adjust your dynamic approach accordingly.
• Break mallet percussion and snare drum sections into separate practice blocks. The coordination demands change between them, and dividing your focus helps each set of skills develop cleanly.

Use these pieces to structure your fall and winter rehearsals, selecting them as centerpieces for sectional focus or as full-band repertoire that requires percussion parts with substance. They fit well alongside standard concert band fare because they're composed to integrate seamlessly rather than stand apart as 'percussion features.'

• Independence between hands on snare drum in mixed meter contexts
• Mallet control across pitched and unpitched percussion instruments
• Reading and executing varied sticking patterns at increasing tempo
• Dynamic shaping and balance within an ensemble texture
• Coordination between snare drum and mallet parts across the collection