All-State percussionists Mason Beltran and Pranav Devulapalli represented Allen at the TMEA convention in February.
Performed by Mason Beltran, Christopher Connolly, Pranav Devulapalli, and Lilly Reeves
"My beloved English bulldog, Shosti, is no stranger to drums and percussion. She has been surrounded by these sounds her whole life. She lays under the marimba while I practice and refuses to be far from sight when I’m playing drums at home. Added bonus, most of the things she does are rhythmic with some level of consistency. For example, Shosti drinks water in combinations of 7/8 and 9/8, which is represented at letter B. She witnesses a lot of creativity that happens at home and much of it is a direct result of interacting with her in idle moments because I am a huge dork. Consequently, one hilarious and interesting thing about her is that she loves paradiddles. Whether it be drumset, or a multi-setup, or tapping a groove on nearby objects, it instantly sets her off into a boisterous “play mode” frenzy, even from a dead-sleep. She also gets very fired up when hearing Clapping Music (Reich). !
Bulldog is inspired by Shosti and our jam time. The content of the piece is based on paradiddles in various forms, and includes rhythmic grooves and patterns that represent things I associate with the bulldog “freestyle”. Within paradiddle groupings of different lengths, there are variations of voicing, sticking, and patterns. One versatile thing about paradiddle language are the funky grooves that emerge when extracting one voice/hand, especially when juxtaposing over a contrasting but steady pulse. Like an English bulldog, the piece is intended to be fun, sturdy, thick, short and sweet!"
– Andrea Venet
Performed by Josiah Drake (9th grade)
Lukas’ Lexicon is a short study in chordal motion for the intermediate marimbist. Inspired by my cat Lukas’ wildly contrasting moods (whom I adopted during my time in Lexington, KY), this work challenges the performer to quickly switch between a wide variety of styles and techniques throughout its three main sections.
– Francisco Perez
Patrons: Hayden Garrett, Mimi Holden, Justin Anderson
Waiters: Teju Talam, Krishna Ravi, Ismail Iqbal.
Head Waiter: Jachin Mulder
Custodial Staff: Olivia Mouton, Osiah McDade, Mackenzie Deal, Josh Galipeau, Aron Ephrem, Kendall Elder
It's 10 minutes til close at the local diner. 3 hungry (and loud) percussionists drop in for a filling meal. How will it end?!
Performed by AHS Symphonic 2, LFC Symphonic & Concert Band Percussionists
"Africa" is a song by American rock band Toto, appearing as the tenth and final track on their fourth studio album Toto IV (1982). It was released as the second single from the album in Europe in June 1982 and the third single in the United States in October 1982 through Columbia Records. The song was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro, produced by the band, and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Elliot Scheiner.
While popular in the 1980s and 1990s, with the song being certified gold by the RIAA in 1991, Africa saw a resurgence in popularity via social media during the mid- to late 2010s, inspiring numerous Internet memes as well as a fan-requested cover by American rock band Weezer which peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since been certified eight times platinum.
New Steel Pan, courtesy of The Allen Foundation
New 5-Octave Marimba, courtesy of Allen Fine Arts
Earlier this year, Allen percussionists were presented with a brand new Marimba One 5-Octave marimba purchased by Fine Arts. This instrument is essential to afford our almost 60 students at the high school access to play modern marimba literature. All marimba soloists today are performing on this beautiful rosewood marimba.
Performed by Christopher Connolly (12th grade) and Catherine Connolly (9th grade)
As the title suggests, The Small Stuff was written specifically to utilize the collection of small, miscellaneous instruments accumulated over the years by his percussion duo, DuOK. Richardson has found a way to bring these seemingly random instruments together in a syncopated, groovy, and tight-knit package. It includes "found" instruments like pots, pans, junk metal, and ceramic bowls. It also features an extended section for kalimba and tenor steel pan.
Performed by Mia Rupich (11th grade)
Soaring in the Sky is from a collection of 3 vibraphone solos ("Flight") by Jan Freicher. Soaring in the Sky uses the vibraphones "dreamy" timbre to depict oneself flying. A hint of jazz harmony and Afro-Cuban rhythms (with some extended techniques) make this solo unique and fun.
Performed by Jachin Mulder (11th grade)
Etude 1 (from Nine French American Rudimental Solos, Volume 2) is a the first installment from Volume 2 of Nine French-American Rudimental Solos. This book continues the journey of exploration by Joseph Tompkins and expands on the French-American view introduced in Volume 1. These artfully conceived solos continue to present the complexities of triplets, quintuplets, sextuplets and septuplets with embedded 32nd and 16th notes in the context of long, flowing lines. The addition of the bass drum in Volume II, a musical reiteration of the Volume I text, affirms that these syncopated solos must be founded on a rock solid basis of time. These works combine the fundamental rhythmic anchor of the American Rudimental model along with the details and lightness of the French model. But they should not be viewed simply as a fascination with the dexterity of the hands or as mere calisthenics. These are intriguing and delightful musical gems.
Performed by the 2023-24 Varsity Front Ensemble
Grinder’s Switch is a place that was made popular by Grand Ol’ Opry star Minnie Pearl. In her act she claimed it was her hometown. Grinder’s Switch is an actual place in Centerville, TN, but it’s not a town. All that’s left of this area where she grew up is a small train depot and the railroad track switch after which it was named. For Minnie Pearl, Grinder’s Switch was more about a state of mind than about an actual place. She said, “Grinder’s Switch is a place where there is no illness, no war, no unhappiness, no political unrest, no tears. It's a place where there's only happiness, family and friends”.
That’s where the inspiration for the piece begins. I grew up in Hickman County near Centerville. There were some amazing musicians there. Including some that played on the Opry regularly. It was a great environment in which to learn about music and grow as a musician. Much of my musical influences came from playing train beats on drums behind many a bluegrass gospel song in church. That atmosphere of tradition, fellowship and joy are what I tried to recreate in the piece.
The piece has elements of bluegrass fiddle tunes and jug band music. The snare train beat and signal bell at the beginning is a nod to the trains that came through Grinder’s Switch. The washboard and spoons feature is inspired by jug bands that you might see busking on a street corner. Lots of their tradition and creativity are written into the parts. The catchy fiddle tune-type melodies bring the picture together with a grand shout chorus at the end taking us back to the bluegrass gospel roots - and the tradition, fellowship and joy that Grinder’s Switch is all about!
– David England
Performed by Lilly Reeves (11th grade)
Character No. 2 (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 the combined 8th grade middle school percussionists
The Mandalorian arranged by Kirk J. Gay is based on the main theme from the live-action Star Wars television series of the same name. The original score, written by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, was birthed through experimentation and improvisation. Göransson discovered the opening theme of the work by playing a bass recorder processed with digital audio effects to emulate a more “futuristic” sound. Throughout the piece, Göransson embodies the spirit of the American Western with earthy textures, ostinato drum patterns, and a nod to the famous whistle from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, while incorporating science fiction elements with various synthesizers and references to the Star Wars films.
Gay’s adaptation for percussion ensemble aims to be a close representation of the original score in its instrumentation, effects, and orchestration. The piece calls for 10 players across commonly found percussion instruments. To fully embrace the science fiction nature of the piece, Gay has incorporated a thunder sheet and waterphone for special effect moments. The Mandalorian is an entertaining and fun addition to any percussion ensemble concert.
Performed by all Allen ISD Percussion (grades 7-12)
Caribbean Way was written for the Performing Arts Fort Worth 2019 Percussion Camp and was premiered at Bass Performance Hall. The goal of this composition was to write music that was accessible to a multitude of percussionists across differing skill levels. The piece is based off Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms with sprinkle of Caribbean melodies. This is one tune that will be stuck in your head long after the concert is over!
