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Indoor Marching Percussion Arrangements
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 | Big Bang
| not available | 0 |  | Cyprus
Hovering in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, nestled near Turkey and Greece, is an island seemingly unto itself, based on Roman conquest millennia ago and relatively devoid of the troubles that inhabit much of the region due to its isolation.
The sights and sounds of this mystical isle inspire Cyprus, replete with soaring modal scale melodies that sound as if they could emanate from the haunts of the Greco-Roman ruins that dot the island. The pulsating rhythmic ostinatos re-create the excitement of when the Roman legions swarmed the countryside while the modality of the melodies pay homage to the Grecian influence that preceded the conquering Romans.
This show offers a chance to explore the civilization’s rich history of art, architecture and mythology in the visual treatment. Think classic Doric columns and marble statues for the earlier Greco period and perhaps centurions for the latter Roman era.
The musical mood varies from bright impacts to dark moods reflecting the history of the island. For the percussion, the musical arrangements are balanced between the pit and battery sections. Pit percussionists are asked to use some unique-yet-simple unusual techniques that are fully explained and therefore easy to learn. Timpani solos abound. The battery section dives into some grooving beats reflecting the pulse of the ethnic music of the Mediterranean. | Medium | 3 |  | Snapshot
Snapshot takes the audience into the act of photography to create lasting images in the memories and psyches of those watching the show unfold. With a narrative helping one along with proverbs and observations such as, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” “Will you take our photo?” and “This photograph always makes me laugh,” the show is full of musical cues that provide for lots of visual references to photography, ending with a member taking a group photo. (This can be done on timer delay so all can be in the photo, which of course the audience won’t see developed…but you could unveil a large snapshot as if it was just processed.)
Consider a tarp with images of favorite photos and sets of tripods and other camera gear. While this is a visually driven show, there is lots of “meat” to the drum parts that propels the line from one possible photograph to another. The possibilities are endless how you can approach the theme; perhaps thinking of a historic evolution of photography, moving from black and white images to color…perhaps playing off of some of the most famous photograph images of all time…perhaps adding your own narration to talk the line through a journey of whatever visual theme you choose. The music is flexible enough to go wherever you want to go with it. | Medium | 3 |  | Vertigo
Fans of classic cinema will remember the unsettling sense of disorientation and fear that Jimmy Stewart’s character felt when climbing the stairs of the bell tower in the Hitchcock masterpiece, Vertigo. Although the production Vertigo isn’t based on the Hitchcock film, the sensation of each movement reflects upon the elements of fear and trepidation one experiences when suffering from the dizziness associated with the balance disorder symptom. The world seems to be spinning out of control as the music plunges us deeper and deeper towards a point of no return, one that forces us to hold on for our lives as the music assaults our senses and disrupts our equilibrium. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Luminosity
Luminosity portrays how Thomas Alva Edison never gave up his search for a workable incandescent light bulb, an invention that made so much of modern life possible. You’ll hear him tinker in his New Jersey lab as he comes up with ideas that will change the course of humanity. The contrasting section takes us through the hard times of testing each of the 3,000 types of filament prototypes in order to find the one that worked. Despite the failures of so many experiments, he fought on against the odds towards the goal of finding the one formulation that would change the world. The show concludes in celebration of Edison’s personal victory with a soaring theme of victory. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Canopy of the Amazon
Canopy of the Amazon takes us into the depths of a rainforest from the very beginning, creating a sense of the wonders and danger lurking in every tree and behind every vine through use of exotic effects and pulsating jungle-like beats. The sounds that escape the dense foliage lead one to feel they are really standing under the lush tropical canopy of the most impenetrable forests on earth.
Many creative instruments are utilized and if you have or can acquire these instruments, you will have lots of fun exploring the sounds they can make in unique combinations. Kalimbas, rain sticks, ocean drums, djembes and bamboo wind chimes are just some of the exotic instruments employed throughout this colorful show. The drumming utilizes African rhythms and South American musical styles to give the music the groove anyone would expect from the heart of the jungle. With huge impacts and indescribable ethereal effects, this show has the sophistication, raw strength, and a big ending that makes the crowd jump up faster than realizing they had just stepped on a python. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Amazonian Rainforest
Amazonian Rainforest is a show that transports us to one of the most exotic, dangerous, thrilling, mesmerizing and beautiful places on earth. The descriptive sounds permeating the production help the audience create an image in their minds of the Amazon River and the deep, tangled forest that offers a surprise around every tree.
| Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Chronometry
You’ve heard the sayings: “Time is of the essence.” “Time flies.” “Time is money.” We’re fascinated about time, and yet we’re unable to control it, stop it, make it rewind…unless we explore Einstein’s theories…but that’s another show.
Due to our fascination with time, we’ve long developed methods of keeping track of time’s passage. We’ve gone from huge clocks on watchtowers to small watches on our wrists. We’ve created clocks to wake us up in the morning, program our microwave ovens and record television programs while we’re away.
Chronometry is a musical journey about three of the most visual methods of time keeping.
| Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Clockworks
Describing the inner mechanisms of clocks, Clockworks is an exciting show in a basic fast-slow-fast format, each movement exploring the mechanizations of time and timepieces.
Throughout the show, one hears the various components that make up clocks; springs springing, bells bonging, gears grinding and pendulums ticking. Most of these clock sounds are of the mechanical variety. Some sounds are toy-like, as toys often run on mechanical motors. Other toy-like sounds are heard in music box effects, the mechanism of these devices also being run like clocks.
But clocks and related timing devices are also used to set off explosives and other devices. The anticipation leading up to the culmination of the brash and/or powerful effects of these devices going off creates moments where one knows something is going to happen, but one is never prepared for the big “pow” effect that releases the pent-up energy.
Visual possibilities include references to clock gears as well as large drawings of early computers, such as Babbage’s early counting machine. You can have hands of a clock slowly spin around the clock, perhaps even using the drummers as the hands. Given a little “time,” you’ll think of lots of possibilities. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Circuitry
Circuits are all around us in places we’re not even aware. It might be said we live in an age that circuits made possible. From microwave ovens to digital watches, from cell phones to all around our automobiles, we can’t live without the benefits of circuits.
Circuitry explores this “connection” that circuits have in our daily lives. It is a modernistic essay ripe with spectacular visual potential. The journey from the acoustic environment to the electronic opens many possibilities that a creative staff can spend hours wrapping their heads around. Some groups have already performed this show with electronic sampling of vocal and electronic sound effects and have geared the show towards being about data and/or computers. Truly, the potential of creative originality is unlimited. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | From the Point of Origin
At the point where everything begins, there is suspense regarding what comes next. In From the Point of Origin, everything is possible and we can go anywhere into the universe, depending on what direction we take at any particular moment.
A lone snare soloist is quite literally and figuratively the “point” from which everything originates. From the notes that bounce off that single drumhead spreads the message of the show, slowly and then hurriedly heading off to parts unknown. The chase is on for discovery and no one really knows what is going to happen next, as this show is continually full of unsuspected surprises in the form of unique sounds and effects.
Part 1: Motivations explores the inspiration for how things commence and then develop. The melodic and rhythmic lines continually spreading out from the point of origin, connecting in surprising ways with each other and then move forward to discover new ways of connecting with more lines. Visually, you can have the different sections continually connect with each other and break apart to be motivated to reconnect in different combinations, bringing each highlighted motif to the fore at its time of musical connection.
Part 2: Deviations springs forward in different directions as the music strays from the original themes. The Brazilian feel to the beat is accomplished by the use of a pandero hand drum and a captivating snare feature loaded with virtuosic sticking reminiscent of the DCI championship Bridgemen drum lines of the early 1980s. When the movement deviates as far as it can go, it’s time for the big revelation to follow.
Part 3: Revelations starts with a focus on the mallets and prominently creates a simulated digital delay effect that is accomplished entirely acoustically, through the masterful way that the several melodic lines are layered. The revelation here is how this can be done without relying on electronics.
As performed by the original drum line, the mallet performers kept moving their keyboards around the floor to highlight the music spreading out from the point or origin, only to return to the starting point with a single note at the end announcing everything had come full circle. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Infinitive Journey
To borrow from the most famous of split infinitives, Infinitive Journey boldly goes where no show has boldly gone before. A journey of the unexpected through texture and timbres, one can think of the show as a realization of the “Big Bang”. Once the initial energy is thrown in our faces, the musicians move out through space at ever increasing speeds, throwing out ever increasing amounts of energy to spin off new ideas and new sounds in new combinations.
The powerful opening metrically modulates and plops us in the middle of a ritualistic-sounding section that makes effective use of the African clay pot Udu drums. As the ears attempt to get used to this unique sound, the tenors employ three mallets each for intriguing visual effect and the cymbal section adds to the mysterious ethnicity by using rainsticks, as if the sky had gently opened up on the ritual below.
A beautiful contrasting section utilizing tone bars, hand chimes or handbells is the other side of the split journey, wrapping the ethos in shimmering sound waves of effervescent loveliness. The effect here is neither for the sake of melody nor rhythm, but rather for the creation of a shimmering essence that vibrates across the floor.
A heavy battery percussion feature shocks us back to the reality that returns us to the beginning amidst a flurry of vigorous rudimental drumming. The beautiful moments are left in the dust as the show boldly goes back to where it began, tying together the split infinitives.
| Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Medusa
Medusa explores the personality and life of the mythical underworld goddess who could turn to stone those who dared look at her and her bizarre head of live venomous snakes. The edgy music slithers through the lush harmonies and pulsating rhythms of ancient times, striking out—when least expected—like a coiled serpent to emphasize the menacing anxiety of Medusa’s distorted view of the world. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Midnight in Transylvania
Few stories have been as persistent and haunting through the ages as those of vampires in the forbidding far reaches of what is now Romania. Midnight in Transylvania captures the aura of these stories as if told over a campfire to wide-eyed youngsters quaking at the slightest rustle of leaves.
Set between the hours of 9:00 P.M. to Midnight, the bewitching hours are each introduced by the tolling of a bell (chime), announcing the next phase of whatever is about to happen next when one lets down their guard.
The opening commences with nine tolls of the bell. The vampires are about to take over the night and play havoc with anyone who crosses their path.
The contrasting section sets the vampires loose on the night as they search for the purest blood of all from the bodies of young and unsuspecting beautiful maidens.
At midnight, things get freaky and wildly intense. The vampires are in the midst of their feeding frenzy like a school of sharks going after chum. The music is violent and severe as the frenzy reaches its peak! The show’s conclusion is noted by a single sinister chime. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Need for Speed, The
The Need for Speed can be performed as a tribute to NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt, or simply for what it is, an exciting and nail biting auto race to the finish! The show opens with a fanfare announcing the revving of engines prior to the start of the race. The drivers are in their cars and getting ready to tear down the track. After a relatively mild pace lap, the green flag comes out and the race is off and running, with music that jumps in tempo to a blistering speed that is further witnessed in the sudden increase in the speed of the guard work. The contrasting section remembers the aura that Dale Earnhardt Sr. cast over all the drivers through his seventy-six career wins and seven championship seasons. His popularity with the fans due to his charming but devilish demeanor and the aggressive driving that was a large part of the legend is felt in this tribute, both tender and dynamic. The last section grows ever more wild and intense as two cars battle for the lead and the win. The music keeps increasing in intensity as the finish line grows ever closer. Only at the very end do we have a winner! The checkered flag is revealed and the winner advances to the victory lane as the fans cheer and fists are pumped in the air in joyful triumph!
| Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Origami
Based on the ancient Oriental art form, Origami is flavored throughout with Asian influences, including featured Taiko drums. Generally accepted among scholars and artists, origami began approximately in the first century AD in China where people discovered the simple thrill of folding paper into various shapes and forms. Many of these primitive methods survived to this day as basic origami shapes and moves. As the skill of making paper moved across the Eastern world the art became quite popular in Japan where it melded with the culture and religion at the time. Soon the Shinto religion integrated various origami shapes and creations in their ceremonies where they remain until this day. In fact, origami is a Japanese name itself meaning "ori" or folding and "gami" which means paper. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Pandoras Box
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. After Zeus ordered the god of craftsmanship to create her out of water and earth, she was endowed by the gods with many talents, making her all-gifted. Pandora's Box follows Pandora’s story with many musical references to the story line and reflects on the curiosity of the title character. In the famous Greek myth, Pandora was instructed not to open a box that was sent with her to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. Zeus was punishing Prometheus for stealing fire from heaven and giving it to the mortals, and by sending his brother the prized jewel - Pandora, Zeus would extract revenge on Prometheus. But Pandora opened the box she was to leave alone under all circumstances. Before she could close the lid, all sorts of things had escaped to cover Earth…all except Hope, which lay on the bottom. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Relativity
Relativity evokes concepts from Einstein's theory of relativity, demanding high energies and redefining fundamental ideas. The work progresses through different nebulous aspects otherwise unknown to reality and to this universe. It is a constant acceleration of motion and fluidity.
These results have gravitational like influences occurring throughout the middle section of the work. By the end of the piece, the concept of time dilation comes into effect which cause the tempos to be light and evokes soft warm qualities. Passages of time slow down for objects moving closer to the speed of light. This piece is structured around these ideas, in part, to offer plenty of options when designing a show that best suits one's needs as both designers and performers. - Fred Emory Smith | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Rise and Fall of Rome
This is not your typical Roman-themed show. The Rise and Fall of Rome isn’t about the political or military reasons why the Roman Empire fell, but rather explores the wonders of Roman architecture and the influence that religion had on the ancient civilization. The opening production focuses on the hard work of slaves and other laborers, using chisels, hammers and their own backbreaking labor to create the beautifully stunning architectural masterpieces that still exist as ruins in and around Rome. Many of these works were created to honor the many gods of Rome, as well as the emperors. The music portrays the chiseling of the stone and the assembly and erection of the large Roman columns.The contrasting segment captures the darkened, murky crevices of the underground burial grounds of the ancient Romans and latter Christian martyrs. Somber and reverent, it portends the other side of the glorious Roman culture. The conclusion explores the Pagan celebrations of many gods, some not so benevolent as others. The “Pagan Dance” segment is ritualistic and a tad ominous, percussion pounding the underlying beat while the celebrants conjure up a flurry of unrestrained revelry. The “Great Fire” segment re-creates the awesome cataclysm that started in the wooden shops and houses around the Circus Maximus, destroying untold structures, including Nero’s palace and a variety of temples. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty is a show based upon traditional Asian folk songs and the gamelan percussion ensembles found in Indonesia. The music is comprised of pentatonic scales and interlocking hemeolas. Many visual possibilities are available with the musical selection. A very serious approach with traditional Asian dress is one possibility. Another idea is to use a movie or video game approach to the visual design. Back-drops, costumes and floors with Kanji symbols (Asian alphabet), yin-yang medallions, and gi’s are all just some of the possibilities.
The music ranges in dramatic ideas from dark and dramatic to light and beautiful. The ending is a “fight sequence” using a super-slow-motion section with a running bass solo underneath leading to a drum-to-drum ending that will bring the house down. This is an exciting show with great impacts and effects. Showcase your line with this crowd pleasing selection. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Space: Journey, Wonders, Dangers
Space: Journey, Wonders, Dangers is derived from the fascination and risk involved in space exploration.
The journey begins as we travel through Earth's atmosphere, breaking the barrier between our world and that of the unknown. This beginning section of the work features quick tempos, impressive battery figures, and strong ostinatos which give the music a constant feeling of movement.
The middle section of this piece symbolizes the beauties and wonders we encounter as we travel through outer space. Beautiful, yet haunting melodies supported by tasteful battery passages dominate this section of the work. The frequent use of metallics gives images of flickering lights and stars; and the use of extreme ranges of the keyboard instruments give contrast between lightness and darkness (which infers the vast emptiness of space).
The closing movement of the piece represents the many dangers that outer space encompasses. Fast tempos and often chaotic ensemble segments display this idea of inevitable peril. Finally, in our attempt to escape the pandemonium, we again plunge into our atmosphere, headed back towards Earth. We briefly revisit the beginning of the work, and with the final note, we crash back into our world.
The show concept and organization make "Space: Journey, Wonders, Dangers" easy for any show designer to create. Challenging battery and keyboard passages guarantee the enjoyment of performing this piece as well as showcasing the skills of any ensemble. So have fun as you experience the journey through space, but always remember that exploration has its risks! | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Transparency
Glass has long inspired and captivated artists and the public alike. It has the ability to be plain and functional or extravagant and artistic. From the artistry of old-time glass blowers to the colorful assemblages of Dale Chihuly, glass has served as a poetic muse for artists who have created some of the most beautiful works of art ever witnessed.
Transparency explores the various degrees of clarity of glass. The music is thick and impenetrable, then light and open, and finally invisible and airy. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Universal Duality
The central idea behind Universal Duality lies within the element of change. The evolution of the universe and music are intertwined, ever changing with each passing moment. This idea is carried throughout the show, utilizing various timbres, colors, and genres in order to convey the notion of change. From the modern, pop-like sound of the opener, to the laid-back groove section in the middle, "Universal Duality" offers a fresh, exciting perspective on the sudden change music can deliver at a moment's notice. With such musical freedom incorporated into the composition, visual & design elements are not limited to one concept alone, thus allowing a multitude of options for the instructor and performer alike. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Way of the Storm
Way of the Storm is based on the concept of intense thunderstorms and their behavior patterns.
The piece begins calm and light, symbolizing a typical day with an early morning drizzle. However, the calmness soon turns to chaos when a massive storm cloud appears in the distance. The ostinatos and dissonances displayed in the keyboard sections present the idea of great pandemonium as people rush to prepare for the enormous storm about to hit. The battery figures support this idea with strong, thunder-like unisons and tasteful solo segments. Near the end of the movement, the storm approaches, closer… and closer. When it arrives, a deafening silence engulfs the town, and the first lightning strike hits.
The middle section of the work symbolizes the madness involved within the storm. A great deal of motion within all instruments indicates the constant hammering of thunder, lighting, and heavy rain.
The last movement of the piece reveals the amount of destruction the storm leaves behind. Haunting melodies in the metallic keyboard instruments tell the story of this unfortunate reality. Then just when it seems as if the worst is over, another storm cloud appears in the distance.
The show concept and score were created with both the performer and designer in mind. Yet, the originality of the show guarantees the enjoyment of preparing and performing this piece. So have fun… the storm is about to hit!
| Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |  | Carmen
Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen is one of the most popular and best-known works to come out of the opera theater, its melodies among the most recognizable in the world. Carmen is drawn from the best known of the most beloved of these melodies. The "Prelude” sets the scene of the townspeople milling around the square in Seville. With Spanish exoticism permeating the atmosphere, Carmen is introduced and begins to exhibit the flair that makes her so appealing to men. “March of the Toreadors/Allegro Moderato,” perhaps the most famed of the melodies, euphoric and vivacious, comes to the fore as the bullfighter in the storyline is celebrated. While you certainly don’t have to take a literal approach to this show, this would be a great spot to do some work with a bullfighter’s cape. The “Finale” is from the end of the opera, where a jilted lover kills Carmen and the famed bells theme peals out, mourning the loss of the title character. | Medium Difficult | 4 - 5 |
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