Percussion Break: Concert Band Conductor Score

Marlatt captures something that's genuinely hard to pull off at Grade 2.5: a piece that sounds sophisticated and current while remaining playable. The structural confidence here stands out, opening with a pure percussion feature, pivoting to samba, and threading ensemble clapping as a compositional device shows real craft. This is the kind of selection that reminds your ensemble why they love playing together.

The opening hits you immediately, pure rhythm and energy from the percussion alone, no filter. When voices enter, they lock into a groove that feels rock-solid and modern. Then comes the samba section, bright and propulsive, with enough Latin color to feel like a genuine style shift rather than a surface change.

Concert bands at the 2½ grade level looking for a contemporary piece with genre variety and genuine section features. This works especially well for directors who want to highlight their percussion section's musicianship and give student soloists meaningful performance experience within an ensemble setting.

• Lock the percussion section's opening groove tightly before adding any melodic voices. Record just the drums and percussion on your phone during sectional rehearsal and have them internalize that pocket before the band comes in.
• Treat the band clap responses as rhythmic unisons, not ad-lib hand percussion. Use your hands to show the exact pulse and spacing you want from the ensemble—this isn't organic clapping but part of the composition.
• Give your alto soloist time to sketch out the improvisation before the final run-through. Frame it as "play within the harmonic space the band provides" rather than "make something up from scratch."
• Balance the low voices in the samba section carefully. They carry the harmonic foundation while percussion drives the rhythm, so ensure violas, cellos, and baritones can be heard without overwhelming the upper voices.

Program this as a stand-alone closer or near the end of your concert when energy levels need a boost. It pairs well with more traditional literature earlier in the program, providing textural and stylistic contrast. The roughly 3-minute duration makes it an ideal finale that leaves audiences with an upbeat, contemporary impression.

• maintaining steady groove in rock and latin feels
• precision in ensemble rhythmic figures (the band clap responses)
• improvisation within harmonic and metric constraints
• balance and independence between rhythm section and melodic voices
• sectional leadership (percussion section opening)
• listening and entrances in minimalist textures (gradual voice addition)