Flex-Ability: Holiday: Percussion (Mallet Solo, Mallet Harmony, Auxiliary Percussion, Drumset (Snare, Bass, Cymbals) Book

The percussion writing here demonstrates real intelligence about how mallets and drums work together. Rather than reducing parts to mere rhythmic filler, López gives each percussion line its own character and purpose, so students at every proficiency level feel like they're playing actual music, not just keeping time.

Warm and festive without saccharine orchestration. Each carol and traditional holiday tune emerges clearly from the mallet and drum parts, creating an inviting sound that serves the songs themselves rather than burying them in arranging complexity.

Ensembles with mixed percussion abilities who want holiday material that doesn't condescend to advanced players or overwhelm developing ones. Programs needing 11 accessible Christmas and winter titles that work for concert performance, winter pops events, or classroom demonstrations of percussion ensemble writing.

• Balance the mallet lines so the melody (level 2.5-3) sits in front without drowning out the harmonic support. Encourage lighter mallets on the middle parts.
• Coordinate the drumset player's cymbals and bass drum with the auxiliary percussion parts; they should lock as a unit rather than operate independently.
• Use the recorded accompaniment as a rehearsal tool to anchor tempo and phrasing before attempting the full ensemble, particularly helpful for students still building rhythmic confidence.
• Adjust cue notes and octave options based on your ensemble's range distribution. This flexibility lets you keep all four lines active even if your mallet players cluster at one skill level.

Build a percussion spotlight concert in December by performing several selections from this collection, demonstrating to your school community what your percussion section can accomplish. The graduated difficulty levels also make this ideal for sectional rehearsals where advanced students mentor developing players through the same repertoire.

• Four-part ensemble coordination across different technical levels
• Mallet independence and control (soft vs. direct attacks)
• Harmonic function awareness (distinguishing melody, countermelody, and harmonic support)
• Reading ledger lines and extended staff notation for pitched percussion
• Maintaining consistent tempo and ensemble cohesion with recorded accompaniment
• Drumset voice independence (coordinating kick, snare, and cymbal patterns)
• Transposition awareness (understanding cue notes and octave flexibility)