Making Percussion Parts Meaningful
by Dan Halpern
Numerous articles have detailed the follies of ignoring the percussion section in band rehearsals. However, even when they are not being neglected, young percussionists face challenges that differ from those of other musicians. Although many excellent articles have addressed concerns relating to percussion pedagogy, one issue that is rarely addressed is the degree to which choices of repertoire contribute to common problems in that section. Issues such as difficulty reading music, following a conductor, playing expressively, and others often stem from the percussion parts themselves. This is especially problematic in music for young bands.
Many popular grade 1 and 2 band arrangements contain percussion parts that seem like an afterthought, sometimes only conceived for a few players. Yet, today’s school bands often have larger percussion sections. Many directors choose music based solely on the number of players, ignoring both musical and technical quality. In order to meet the needs of all students, teachers must carefully approach instruction and the selection of music.
“Why can’t they read?”
A common complaint is that percussionists often struggle reading basic rhythms even while other instrumentalists read similar rhythms in addition to reading pitches. Band directors shout, “All you have to do is play the rhythm!!!” Sometimes the problem is actually due to the fact that their parts are not melodically conceived, and don’t seem to fit with the melody. Although the counting may be easy, it can be difficult for young percussionists to hear how their parts fit with the rest of the ensemble. Hearing a melodic rhythm that is different from their own rhythm can confuse inexperienced players. Making sense of how their parts fit with the overall musical texture is an important skill that percussionists must develop early on. This challenge is exacerbated when their parts really don’t fit well within that texture.
Many arrangements written before the 1990’s, such as those by John Kinyon, Andrew Balent, and others, are well written and worthwhile for wind players, but fail to address the needs of percussionists. Often the percussion parts were seemingly added after the wind parts were written, and make little musical sense. They are very simple and repetitive, offering little in the way of a musical challenge for a young player, and rarely make use of instruments beyond bass and snare drums. There is almost always a crash cymbal part with a single crash at the end. (Imagine being that poor student who has to wait through the entire piece to play one crash! Nothing contributes more to a “play-when-I-point-to-you” level of reading ability than only having one or two notes to play.) Parts like this make it hard for percussionists to connect to the music in a meaningful way, and make reading and playing music a very abstract pursuit. As a result, many young players have more difficulty playing these parts, even though they tend to be easier and less technical.
“Why can’t they follow their music?!?”
Many recent band arrangements have sought to keep the percussionists busy by providing almost exhaustive percussion parts that continue throughout the entire piece. Composers like Robert W. Smith and others are particularly adept at writing substantial percussion parts for multiple players on a variety of instruments. The problem with many of these parts is that they frequently consist of one- or two-measure ostinatos that simply repeat over and over. Thus, once the short pattern is learned, your percussionists are no longer reading music. In fact, more likely they are trying not to get lost in a sea of repeat signs. These types of percussion parts often lead to one of two problems: either your players are buried in their music trying to keep their place, or they ignore their music and wait for the “stop-playing-when-I-point-to-you” signal. (This also explains why some percussionists frequently lose their music; they don’t need it.)
“Why don’t they play dynamics?!?”
Sometimes young percussionists’ difficulties stem from issues relating to publishers rather than composers. In many cases, ignoring all the other parts on the same staff is the challenge. While being able to follow multiple parts on a single staff is an important skill for any percussionist, teachers must recognize that this is a unique challenge for young players. Playing a simple bass drum part can be confusing when it coincides with a complicated snare part, especially if it also doesn’t fit with any other part in the band.
Many standard printing practices lead to common problems. Frequently auxiliary percussion parts are printed with three or more instruments on the same staff. Thus a student playing triangle must not only read her own part, but must follow parts she is not playing. This can lead to confusion, especially when a student is following the part of another player who is in the wrong place. Other issues arise when instruments are printed with similar note-heads. All the notes may look the same, but they represent many different instruments, making it difficult for some young students to recognize which notes are theirs. A common example is when crash and suspended cymbal parts appear on the same staff. One of the most difficult challenges for young percussionists occurs when their parts are written in a miniature score. Following music in this format can be a daunting task for an inexperienced player. Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, is the fact that percussion notation is not standard. Rarely do two pieces of music look the same. Thus playing each piece of music involves decoding a new set of instructions.
Understanding the nature of these challenges also helps to explain why young percussionists often miss expressive markings, repeat signs, D.S.’s, etc. Reading percussion music is partially a process of disregarding several things that are on the page. Percussionists learn early on that some things in their music don’t apply to them. Unlike other musicians, percussionists must develop an awareness of everything on the page and select what information is important to them. In addition to developing this complex skill, playing percussion also requires a great deal of musical independence. Whereas most wind players feel the comfort of playing in a section, most percussionists are the only ones playing their part. Between the challenges of reading their music, and the fear of playing alone, sometimes it is a wonder that they play anything correctly at all! So, what can be done to help young percussionists overcome these challenges?
Solution #1: Choose music carefully
This may seem obvious, but for some it is easy to take a quick glance at a score, see many percussion parts, and think, “this will be great! I can give all my percussionists something to play!” But take a closer look. Are all the parts appropriately challenging? Are they needlessly repetitive? Do they provide opportunities for the entire section to learn?
On the other end of the spectrum, many directors choose music that suits the wind players, but provides few opportunities for the percussionists. Some teachers make the case that part of playing percussion means doing a lot of sitting around and waiting. While this may be accurate, teachers must ask what educational objectives are being met when many students are not engaged for extended periods. Before choosing repertoire with little in the way of percussion parts, think of what could be done to accommodate those players.
Solution #2: Modify instruction
If resources permit, adjustments in the delivery of instruction can accommodate percussionists when parts are sparse. Perhaps they could play a piece of percussion ensemble music while the winds work on sections without percussion, or the rehearsal schedule could likewise be adjusted so everyone is fully engaged when they are there. Also, consider doubling wind parts on keyboard percussion instruments, thereby encouraging students to embrace both pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments.
Solution #3: Modify parts
The inspiration for this article came after I rewrote the percussion parts for some older arrangements that only had simplistic snare and bass drum parts. While the wind parts were well written and suited the ensemble nicely, the percussionists did not have anything meaningful to play. They actually had an easier time playing the newly conceived parts that were far more technically challenging and had a greatly expanded instrumentation (triangle, tambourine, suspended cymbal, timpani, etc.). Their new parts made greater musical sense. The students were afforded greater musical and technical opportunities, and the sound of the ensemble improved. To purists who don’t like changing parts, I would argue that the educational goal of providing meaningful playing opportunities for percussionists is more important than preserving the sanctity of an elementary or middle school band arrangement.
The same argument could be made in cases where percussion parts are overly repetitive or unchallenging. Rewriting them can help percussionists improve their reading ability, as well as introduce more advanced musical concepts, such as playing longer phrases. If you find yourself thinking, “These percussion parts are repetitive because they go with the wind parts, which are also repetitive,” this could be a sign that choosing another piece would be a better alternative.
Solution #3: Highlight/Reprint Parts
In cases where the parts are appropriate, but the notation is confusing, it is often helpful to highlight students’ music, or extract individual parts using notation software to clarify reading. As students gain experience reading and following music they will learn to rely less on highlighted or extracted parts, but for some, having their own part to follow with nothing else to distract the eye is an important stepping-stone in the process. Students shouldn’t struggle to read their music simply because a publisher wanted to save printing a few extra pages.
Conclusion
The process of reading and playing music is different for percussionists than for other instrumentalists. This presents a set of unique challenges for teachers. As educators who engage in differentiated instruction, we must ask ourselves what we can do to meet the needs of every student in our ensembles. We must carefully choose music that presents educational opportunities for all students – percussionists included. When problems are identified, teachers must develop creative solutions. In this way, all students gain.
by Dan Halpern
Numerous articles have detailed the follies of ignoring the percussion section in band rehearsals. However, even when they are not being neglected, young percussionists face challenges that differ from those of other musicians. Although many excellent articles have addressed concerns relating to percussion pedagogy, one issue that is rarely addressed is the degree to which choices of repertoire contribute to common problems in that section. Issues such as difficulty reading music, following a conductor, playing expressively, and others often stem from the percussion parts themselves. This is especially problematic in music for young bands.
Many popular grade 1 and 2 band arrangements contain percussion parts that seem like an afterthought, sometimes only conceived for a few players. Yet, today’s school bands often have larger percussion sections. Many directors choose music based solely on the number of players, ignoring both musical and technical quality. In order to meet the needs of all students, teachers must carefully approach instruction and the selection of music.
“Why can’t they read?”
A common complaint is that percussionists often struggle reading basic rhythms even while other instrumentalists read similar rhythms in addition to reading pitches. Band directors shout, “All you have to do is play the rhythm!!!” Sometimes the problem is actually due to the fact that their parts are not melodically conceived, and don’t seem to fit with the melody. Although the counting may be easy, it can be difficult for young percussionists to hear how their parts fit with the rest of the ensemble. Hearing a melodic rhythm that is different from their own rhythm can confuse inexperienced players. Making sense of how their parts fit with the overall musical texture is an important skill that percussionists must develop early on. This challenge is exacerbated when their parts really don’t fit well within that texture.
Many arrangements written before the 1990’s, such as those by John Kinyon, Andrew Balent, and others, are well written and worthwhile for wind players, but fail to address the needs of percussionists. Often the percussion parts were seemingly added after the wind parts were written, and make little musical sense. They are very simple and repetitive, offering little in the way of a musical challenge for a young player, and rarely make use of instruments beyond bass and snare drums. There is almost always a crash cymbal part with a single crash at the end. (Imagine being that poor student who has to wait through the entire piece to play one crash! Nothing contributes more to a “play-when-I-point-to-you” level of reading ability than only having one or two notes to play.) Parts like this make it hard for percussionists to connect to the music in a meaningful way, and make reading and playing music a very abstract pursuit. As a result, many young players have more difficulty playing these parts, even though they tend to be easier and less technical.
“Why can’t they follow their music?!?”
Many recent band arrangements have sought to keep the percussionists busy by providing almost exhaustive percussion parts that continue throughout the entire piece. Composers like Robert W. Smith and others are particularly adept at writing substantial percussion parts for multiple players on a variety of instruments. The problem with many of these parts is that they frequently consist of one- or two-measure ostinatos that simply repeat over and over. Thus, once the short pattern is learned, your percussionists are no longer reading music. In fact, more likely they are trying not to get lost in a sea of repeat signs. These types of percussion parts often lead to one of two problems: either your players are buried in their music trying to keep their place, or they ignore their music and wait for the “stop-playing-when-I-point-to-you” signal. (This also explains why some percussionists frequently lose their music; they don’t need it.)
“Why don’t they play dynamics?!?”
Sometimes young percussionists’ difficulties stem from issues relating to publishers rather than composers. In many cases, ignoring all the other parts on the same staff is the challenge. While being able to follow multiple parts on a single staff is an important skill for any percussionist, teachers must recognize that this is a unique challenge for young players. Playing a simple bass drum part can be confusing when it coincides with a complicated snare part, especially if it also doesn’t fit with any other part in the band.
Many standard printing practices lead to common problems. Frequently auxiliary percussion parts are printed with three or more instruments on the same staff. Thus a student playing triangle must not only read her own part, but must follow parts she is not playing. This can lead to confusion, especially when a student is following the part of another player who is in the wrong place. Other issues arise when instruments are printed with similar note-heads. All the notes may look the same, but they represent many different instruments, making it difficult for some young students to recognize which notes are theirs. A common example is when crash and suspended cymbal parts appear on the same staff. One of the most difficult challenges for young percussionists occurs when their parts are written in a miniature score. Following music in this format can be a daunting task for an inexperienced player. Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, is the fact that percussion notation is not standard. Rarely do two pieces of music look the same. Thus playing each piece of music involves decoding a new set of instructions.
Understanding the nature of these challenges also helps to explain why young percussionists often miss expressive markings, repeat signs, D.S.’s, etc. Reading percussion music is partially a process of disregarding several things that are on the page. Percussionists learn early on that some things in their music don’t apply to them. Unlike other musicians, percussionists must develop an awareness of everything on the page and select what information is important to them. In addition to developing this complex skill, playing percussion also requires a great deal of musical independence. Whereas most wind players feel the comfort of playing in a section, most percussionists are the only ones playing their part. Between the challenges of reading their music, and the fear of playing alone, sometimes it is a wonder that they play anything correctly at all! So, what can be done to help young percussionists overcome these challenges?
Solution #1: Choose music carefully
This may seem obvious, but for some it is easy to take a quick glance at a score, see many percussion parts, and think, “this will be great! I can give all my percussionists something to play!” But take a closer look. Are all the parts appropriately challenging? Are they needlessly repetitive? Do they provide opportunities for the entire section to learn?
On the other end of the spectrum, many directors choose music that suits the wind players, but provides few opportunities for the percussionists. Some teachers make the case that part of playing percussion means doing a lot of sitting around and waiting. While this may be accurate, teachers must ask what educational objectives are being met when many students are not engaged for extended periods. Before choosing repertoire with little in the way of percussion parts, think of what could be done to accommodate those players.
Solution #2: Modify instruction
If resources permit, adjustments in the delivery of instruction can accommodate percussionists when parts are sparse. Perhaps they could play a piece of percussion ensemble music while the winds work on sections without percussion, or the rehearsal schedule could likewise be adjusted so everyone is fully engaged when they are there. Also, consider doubling wind parts on keyboard percussion instruments, thereby encouraging students to embrace both pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments.
Solution #3: Modify parts
The inspiration for this article came after I rewrote the percussion parts for some older arrangements that only had simplistic snare and bass drum parts. While the wind parts were well written and suited the ensemble nicely, the percussionists did not have anything meaningful to play. They actually had an easier time playing the newly conceived parts that were far more technically challenging and had a greatly expanded instrumentation (triangle, tambourine, suspended cymbal, timpani, etc.). Their new parts made greater musical sense. The students were afforded greater musical and technical opportunities, and the sound of the ensemble improved. To purists who don’t like changing parts, I would argue that the educational goal of providing meaningful playing opportunities for percussionists is more important than preserving the sanctity of an elementary or middle school band arrangement.
The same argument could be made in cases where percussion parts are overly repetitive or unchallenging. Rewriting them can help percussionists improve their reading ability, as well as introduce more advanced musical concepts, such as playing longer phrases. If you find yourself thinking, “These percussion parts are repetitive because they go with the wind parts, which are also repetitive,” this could be a sign that choosing another piece would be a better alternative.
Solution #3: Highlight/Reprint Parts
In cases where the parts are appropriate, but the notation is confusing, it is often helpful to highlight students’ music, or extract individual parts using notation software to clarify reading. As students gain experience reading and following music they will learn to rely less on highlighted or extracted parts, but for some, having their own part to follow with nothing else to distract the eye is an important stepping-stone in the process. Students shouldn’t struggle to read their music simply because a publisher wanted to save printing a few extra pages.
Conclusion
The process of reading and playing music is different for percussionists than for other instrumentalists. This presents a set of unique challenges for teachers. As educators who engage in differentiated instruction, we must ask ourselves what we can do to meet the needs of every student in our ensembles. We must carefully choose music that presents educational opportunities for all students – percussionists included. When problems are identified, teachers must develop creative solutions. In this way, all students gain.