Breaking Out, for percussion ensemble, 8+ players

Breaking Out (2019) is a work for high school or early college-level percussion ensemble, 8 players, and about 6 minutes in length. The work only utilizes instruments commonly found in a high school music program, and keyboard percussion parts may be doubled to accommodate extra players. It was commissioned by Clinton High School (TN), Matthew Bimstein, director, who premiered the work in 2019.

The title of the work refers to "breaking out of one's shell." Musically, the work begins quite timid and nervous. There are small flashes of excitement, always ending with a return to the darker, more controlled opening material until later in the work, when there is an outburst to an exciting, vibrant tutti in 7/8, serving as the work's climax and ending sections. "Breaking Out" also refers to the students for whom this piece was written breaking out of their personal shells. While this piece remains at a high school level technically, I attempted to include harmonic, rhythmic, and thematic ideas which were very different or possibly more sophisticated than what they may have studied in the past, encouraging each performer to stretch their eyes and ears a little further than what they were used to.

Instrumentation:

Glockenspiel

Vibraphone

Xylophone

2 Marimbas (4.3 oct)

Timpani (32", 29", 26", 23")

Snare Drum

Bass Drum

2 Woodblocks

Flexatone

Triangle

Suspended Cymbal

Mark Tree

This product will be delivered as a PDF. The order will include the full score and all parts.

A MIDI mock-up recording of this work can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/marco-schirripa-967420186/b...

Clinton High School's premiere performance can be viewed below: