Pelican

This new release is written for nine players and clocks in at around three minutes. It’s a funky jam for younger students that does not pretend to be anything that it’s not; it is here to have fun. The instrumentation is constructed in a very smart way that utilizes a lot of the standard instruments found in a high school or middle school, especially keyboards. As a teacher, one could use this to push keyboard education in a percussion section. The only hiccup would be if a program does not own two marimbas. It gives a chance for a young drum set player to work on groove and even makes playing chimes cool!

Many aspects of this piece work well for less experienced percussionists. While in standard 4/4 time, there are two 5/4 measures that would be a great introduction to time signatures other than common time. One of the marimba parts has a written glissando, which can introduce this concept to students for the first time. Most of the work is in the key of A minor, which could be a good opportunity for students to learn about major keys vs. minor keys. Towards the end of the work, there’s a hard shift to B-flat minor, which can be a good opportunity for students to learn a new key that they don’t usually play in.

There are plenty of great opportunities for learning in this work along with possibly one of the most important aspects of music: fun!

—Ben Cantrell
Percussive Notes
Vol. 61, No. 3, June 2023