PREFACE I composed the fifteen sequential duets of LEVEL UP! in my pursuit to provide varied musical experiences that reinforce specific snare drumming concepts for my students. Used as a supplementary resource alongside traditional snare drum instruction, these duets serve as a fun vehicle for student and teacher to play together, as well as an opportunity to model technique, sound quality, and musical expression. Through this collection, I hope to promote the retention of young percussionists through appropriately challenging yet achievable duets with a hint of humor, providing the motivation to “level up.” Many of the titles were contributed or inspired by former students. I would like to acknowledge the editing, performance, and recording contributions of my detail-oriented and endlessly supportive husband, Shane Jones, the thoughtful suggestions of two of my former teachers and master pedagogues, Ben Toth and Jonathan Ovalle, and my students–past, present, and future–that inspire me to be a better educator and human each day.
—Chelsea Tinsler Jones
PERFORMANCE & AUDIO NOTES These pieces are intended to be read from the score. This helps to reinforce individual awareness within a group and the listening skills required in a small ensemble environment. A downloadable second player score is provided so that both players may have their own scores to read from. Each duet has three play-along/reference tracks: 1. Snare drum 1 – Play-along with snare drum 2. 2. Snare drum 2 – Play-along with snare drum 1. 3. Duet reference – Listen to SD 1 and SD 2 together. The marked tempo for each duet matches the play-along tracks. They are meant to be conservative, keeping in mind the facility of the developing snare drummer. Of course, these tempos are merely suggestions, and live performance tempo may be adjusted based on student progress and teacher guidance.
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