Mallet Duets for the Student & Teacher, Book 2: Mallet Instrument Book

The alternating top line is the standout feature here. Students see themselves playing both the challenging and the accessible version of each duet, which builds confidence and shows them that musicianship comes in layers. You get 40 pages of genuinely useful repertoire for one-on-one lessons without the feeling of filler.

These duets feel collaborative and grounded. The student part sits comfortably under the fingers while the teacher line carries real musical interest, so the overall sound is balanced and intentional rather than remedial.

Mallet percussion students in private lessons or studio settings who are ready to move beyond solo sight-reading and explore duet playing. This works especially well for intermediate students who benefit from hearing a model line while building confidence in their own part.

• Before playing, have the student scan both parts silently. Knowing what's coming on the teacher line helps them anticipate the musical flow and understand the full texture.
• Lock in together at the beginning of each duet by counting off clearly. Since you're sharing the lead role, rhythmic confidence at the top of the page sets everything else right.
• Ask your student to listen for the harmonic content they're creating as the teacher line moves. This trains them to hear beyond their own part.

Use a new duet each week as the core of your lesson's sight-reading work. Since students alternate who plays the top line, they naturally build facility across the keyboard and develop a complete sense of each piece's architecture.

• Sight-reading accuracy across different ranges of the mallet instrument
• Playing both upper and lower harmonic voices within a single duet
• Listening and responding to a partner's melodic line
• Understanding musical shape and phrasing through shared leadership