James Walker
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Mar 18 2002
Posts: 1283
Loc: Connecticut
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Does your school band program use mallet percussion (xylophone, marimba, vibes, orchestra bells)? Does your school marching band use a "pit" of concert instruments? What pieces are you playing that use mallet percussion?
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Mark Mahoney
Tiger Talk Trainee
Reged: Oct 08 2002
Posts: 11
Loc: CT
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My school most defiantly uses mallet percussion. Two years ago we put in for a lease to own deal with Yamaha with our central office. The result was we got a Acoustilon marimba (the best sounding synthetic marimba I've heard ) and a set of YV 2700 vibes.
I can't tell you how much having some good instruments really sparked interest in mallet playing.
Upon entering the middle school that I work at, the students are required to purchase a stick bag and all the appropriate mallets. We have had local distributors put together Mike Balter mallet packs that inc. Marimba,Vibes, Timp, Bell and BD mallets. The percussionists really enjoy having some quality mallets to use.
Instruction on the instruments does take some back paddling and patience on both the director's and student's part. But, once the effort is put forth by both parties, the rewards are great. The student percussionist enjoy being able to play along with the melody (or some times I have them dble t-bone parts on marimba to fill out the low end). For the director, the band sound much more complete, esp. if you use mallets to fill out instruments in which you may be lacking.
Last year my mallet lessons were so popular that we actually had a 7th grade percussion ens. We did several concerts that were a big hit with the performers and audiences alike.
Before you think that I'm some mallet player extraordinare, that can wow kids, you should know that drumset is my main instrument.
No doubt about it; I do love playing mallets, but
it was something I came into rather late.
What you really need first is the instruments.
After that a little motivation from the director can go a long way.
Best of luck,
Mark Mahoney
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James Walker
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Mar 18 2002
Posts: 1283
Loc: Connecticut
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I do some private teaching, and one frustration I've had is the lack of entry-level mallet instruments, something along the lines of (as a friend mentioned to me recently) a "Bundy clarinet" - not meant to be a professional instrument, necessarily, just something a kid and his/her parents can afford when just starting out.
Vancore has come out with a "tabletop xylophone" practice instrument, but I can't find a price anywhere online - I can't seem to find them anywhere, not in the Steve Weiss catalog, not on the Grover percussion site (http://www.groverpro.com - Grover imports Vancore instruments into the U.S.). Great idea, but where do I send my students to check into these practice instruments?
Padouk instruments are a step in the right direction, but even they're too expensive for many students. Heck, I'd settle for synthetic bars, if the price were to come down low enough. The lowest price I see for any marimba in the current Steve Weiss catalog is the Ross "R410 3 octave Marimba - Prolon Bars" - and that lists at $1995.
It's so frustrating as a teacher, to have students who want to learn mallets, but who don't have an instrument at home or at school. I've got two percussion students, just starting on mallets, who are really interested, but they end up working on their exercises at the piano - which is helpful to a certain extent, but it's like practicing timpani parts on practice pads; close but no cigar.
I wish I had some expendable capital, I'd buy a bunch of "student model" mallet instruments and just rent 'em out...come on, mallet manufacturers, there's a *huge* market out there.
Hopefully, things are starting to move in the right direction - when I was in school, most percussionist never touched mallet instruments; at least now, "bell kits" are standard issue for most high school or junior high school (or younger) percussion students. Let's hope more schools will do what Mark's school has done, and find the money for mallet instruments, so their students can actually have something to play on.
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Nathan
Tiger Talk Pro
Reged: Oct 27 2002
Posts: 84
Loc: California
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I am in my high school's marching band and concert band and we have mallet percussion in our "pit" and in our concert percussion section. However, instruction is limited as it's really the older players teaching the younger players and there is absolutely no motivation in the pit.
I march tenors, but I was in pit last year and i did play mallets, and I play mallets in concert band; moreover, I am going to try out for the DCI Drum and Bugle Corps, <a href="http://www.sandiegoalliance.org">San Diego Alliance</a>'s pit, with strong intentions to play mallets. I also play in the local community college's concert band.
I find that mallet percussion is often overlooked, or limited to bells or a measure here and there of xylophone. A nice piece with an easy but obvious marimba solo is "To The Summit" By Robert W. Smith.
I hope that a spread in the genre of mallet percussion will cause better literature to be written.
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BloodyHarmonist
Tiger Talk Trainee
Reged: Nov 24 2002
Posts: 17
Loc: New Jersey
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Last year my school was definately into mallet percussion. We had a large pit for the marching season (9 people) and had many mallet features in the show. We had serious practices and good instruction, and were probably one of the best sections in the band. During concert season we didn't perform with the concert band, but had a percussion ensamble where we'd play music our instructor wrote.
However, we got a new assistant band director this year, one who is not a percussionist, and thing went down-hill. We had an instructor, but he was more of a baby-sitter, as he didn't know anything about mallet instruments, and he wasn't there half the time beacuse of work, and when he wasn't there we did absolutely nothing. Most of the section defected to the drumline or learned outer instruments, and a large portion of the freshmen supposed to be in the pit this year quit, leaving us with 5 people total. We were ignored for the most part, given transpositions of the trumpet music or flute music to play, and were probably the worst, most unmotivated section in the band this year. We're having percussion ensamble again this year, but not as much practic time is being put in, the director either assigns people parts that are too hard or too easy for their level, and the parts are generic Christmas arrangements from Rowloff.
The first year, we played Miss Saigon as our marching show, and the instructor wroet all the music for it. As mentioned, he also wrote most of the music we played for concert band, with the exception of that we played a Christmas arrangement by Rowloff that had "Here we Come A-Wassaling, We Three Kings, and a few other songs, (I can't remember the name of the arrangement. I had sort of a jazz feel to it though.) We also played and arrangement of "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquin Rodrigo.
This year our field show was James Bond. Again the music was all written by our instructors. For percussion ensamble we are playing "Marching Season" by Yanni, unsure of the arranger or the company it was purchased from, "Christmas Time is Here" written by Guaraldi/Mendelson and arranged by Kevin Madill and Chris Brooks from Rowloff, and "Valley of Nepal" by Chris Brooks, also from Rowloff.
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BloodyHarmonist
Tiger Talk Trainee
Reged: Nov 24 2002
Posts: 17
Loc: New Jersey
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As for an entry level instrument, it's not exactly cheap, but I like my Musser M32. At $1500, it's the cheapest thing I've seen out there, and it has a nice range (4 octaves). It's nothing fancy. The bars are very light-weight and made of padauk wood, the frame is some type of plastic. However, it's easily transportable, fits pretty much anywhere (mine is in my bedroom) and has held up very nicely for me so far. It's been a nice practice instrument for me for two years, and when I graduate high-school I'll probably sell it either on the internet or to somebody in my band or indoor line, and use the money to buy myself a nicer marimba or a set of vibes (depending on whether the school I go to is more classical or jazz oriented).
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