Introduction
This compilation was created to build what I call “studio ensembles.” Starting in 6th grade, my students spend a few weeks learning each of these ensembles, and we repeat them throughout the following years. By 8th grade, my goal is for students to have learned every part from all five pieces. As such, all players will then have some basic proficiency with 4-mallet playing, a technique that can cause anxiety but has increasing importance in modern percussion playing.
As the pieces progress through this collection, so do performers’ technical demands. For instance, Foggy Nights and The Enchanted Woods introduce 3-mallet playing by adding a second mallet to one hand, and Wind Chimes After the Storm incorporates basic 4-mallet technique in parts 2 and 3. Mallet stickings are often provided as suggestions, but feel free to alter them to the players’ skills and comfort. Below are diagrams of the different mallet grips used in these pieces.
WALTZ OF THE INSECTS
Waltz of the Insects allows the performers to use their imagination as different “insects” join the same ballroom dance. The exciting waltz melody keeps this song moving as the students build to the final culmination of rhythmic intricacies. Each part gets a chance to be the melody, and we encourage the performers to share their imaginations as the song progresses.
RIPPLES IN TIME
This piece was written during Dia de Los Muertos. When the veil is thin, our loved ones from the past can visit the living world to offer spiritual connection and guidance. This composition builds to the moment where both worlds become one. Peace is found at the end when the two soloists play a rubato finale.
FOGGY NIGHTS
Foggy Nights was written to have an up-beat energetic feel while introducting 3-mallet playing (two mallets in the right hand and one in the left). It gives the performers the ominous feeling of being out under a full moon on a super foggy evening exploring a new world. I encourage audiences and students to use their imagination to conjure this imagery while listening to or playing Foggy Nights
THE ENCHANTED WOODS
While the score displays Part 3 in bass clef (except Foggy Nights, which works best in treble clef), the included set of parts contains both treble and bass clef options for Part 3. For players who don’t yet have experience reading bass clef, it may be preferable for them to read from a treble clef part. If choosing to use the treble clef version, the player would simply perform an octave lower than written on the marimba.
Aside from providing foundations for basic mallet playing, these pieces are designed to encourage a love of chamber music. They require musical communication and awareness between performers that leads to more sensitive ensemble playing. I’ve used these pieces with my students long enough that it’s not uncommon for me to walk into my band room and hear students working their way through one of these pieces. Nothing makes me prouder than witnessing my students learning to love chamber music with friends—not for large performances but for the simple joy of making music together.
The Enchanted Woods takes performers on a wild journey into a world of magic and mystery. Imagine a witch and wizard as they conjure and project their spells into the world. In this mythical world anything is possible. The musical development suggests that otherworldly creatures may lurk around any corner!
WIND CHIMES AFTER THE STORM
Wind chimes around the world come in many sizes, materials, and scales, and I wanted to bring that sense of uniqueness to this piece. One day during a thunderstorm, the wind chimes outside my studio window were ringing the same four notes over and over. I decided to play along with the wind chimes on my piano and started to feel a connection to something greater than myself. Using pentatonic scales and a very simple two-chord harmonic progression, this piece aims to transport players and listeners to a meditative state of consciousness. Increasing layers of rhythmic density propel it forward, and it subsides in a lone, simple statement of the primary motif to conclude the journey.
—Alejandro Gonzalez
