- The Allen ISD Percussion Program is under the direction of Miles Locke and assisted by Jesse Vela.
- These students are part of the Allen ISD Band Program and are members of the 600+ member Allen Eagle Escadrille.
- Allen ISD has 151 percussionists grades 6-12.
- Schools represented at tonight's concert are: Curtis Middle School, Ereckson Middle School, Ford Middle School, Lowery Freshman Center, and Allen High School.
- This year both varsity and JV drumlines placed in the top 3 at the Lewisville Drumline Invitational and JV won their classification.
- In 2022 the Allen Percussion Ensemble performed at the prestigious 76th Annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago.
- The Allen Escadrille will be performing in the 137th Rose Parade on January 1st, 2026 in Pasadena California.
All-State percussionists Lilly Reeves and Pranav Devulapalli represented Allen at the TMEA convention in February.
Performed by AHS Sym 3, LFC Symphonic & LFC Concert Bands
Eye of the Tiger was written as the theme song for the 1982 film Rocky III and released that year as a single from Survivor's third album, Eye of the Tiger.
Sylvester Stallone, the director and star of Rocky III, enlisted Survivor after Queen denied him permission to use their song Another One Bites the Dust. Survivor derived lyrics, including the title, from dialogue in the film, and conceived a riff with chord changes to match the punches in the boxing scenes.
Performed by AHS Wind Symphony, Sym 1, Sym 2, and LFC Wind Ensemble Percussionists, assisted by AHS Jazz I (Alex Baczewski, director)
Conga is a song by American band Miami Sound Machine, led by Gloria Estefan, released as the first single from their second English-language album, Primitive Love. The song was written by the band's drummer Enrique Garcia. The song first appeared on August 31, 1985, as part of the album. The single was released in Australia on September 9, 1985.
Conga became a worldwide success and is recognized as the Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan's signature song. The single reached the top 10 in various countries, including the United States, where it was the band's first charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Netherlands.
Performed by AHS 1st Period Percussion
Thundersnow is a natural phenomenon that happens when snow falls as the primary precipitation of a thunderstorm instead of rain. It is considered rare and must have perfect atmospheric conditions to form. It is more common in the Great Lakes region due to the water of the lakes heating the air above it, creating the appropriate temperature differential to build a static charge needed for lightning.
When I first heard the term "thundersnow", I thought how cool that title would be for a piece. I also
thought that the juxtaposition between thunder (drums/cymbals) and snow (metallic/melodic
instruments) would be perfect for a percussion ensemble.
Thundersnow was written for the Allen Percussion Ensemble for their performance at the 76th
Midwest Clinic in December 2022.
Performed by Pranav Devulapalli and Jachin Mulder (12 grade)
Written in 2007 for George Clements' senior recital at the Eastman School of Music, the piece's unique name comes from unique experience. Robert Marino played 3rd bass drum for the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps eighth DCI World Championship in 2000, and George played 2nd bass drum in the Cadets for their ninth DCI World Championship in 2005. The piece was written with the goal of combining drum corps elements into a formal recital piece that would challenge any percussionist, regardless of his or her level of experience.
Performed by the combined 8th grade middle school percussionists
Stormbreak opens with a collection of natural effect sounds; the ocean drum, swirling shakers, and rainstick. As these die out, the storm breaks and a rhythmic groove kicks in on the rim of the snare drum. As rhythmic elements layer in, the motive of Stormbreak becomes clear and will continue to make itself known throughout the piece. A section of 4-bar solos pass through the percussion instruments then culminate with a call and response between percussion and keyboard instruments.
Performed by Josiah Drake (10th grade)
Character No. 1 (from Two Characters) was the winner of the 2008 Classical Marimba League Composition Contest in the Tonal 21st Century category. This advanced four-mallet marimba solo features a myriad of technical challenges amidst a tonal array of virtuosity.
Performed by all Allen ISD Percussion (grades 7-12)
Mr. Blue Sky is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album “Out of the Blue” (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite on side three of the original double album.
“I suppose this is my most well-known song. Everybody tells me something different about it. It’s even got crazy appeal to kids since it’s like a nursery rhyme. I remember writing the words down. I was at a chalet in the mountains of Switzerland, and it was all misty and cloudy all the way around. I didn’t see any countryside for the first four days or so, and then everything cleared, and there was this enormous view forever, and the sky was blue. I wrote Mr. Blue Sky and 13 other songs in the next 2 weeks.” – Jeff Lynne
