Session Proposals

A member of Three by Radio, the 513 Trio, and the Barnes Duo, Micheal Barnes has been an invited performer at the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, National Flute Association Convention, and International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest. Micheal is actively working to grow the repertoire available to percussionists, having premiered and commissioned over two dozen works to date.

An in-demand clinician, performer, and writer, Micheal has presented papers on pedagogy, embodied cognition, and conceptual metaphor theory at NCPP, PASIC, and the CHRONOS Multi-Disciplinary International Percussion Symposium. He has composed works for solo percussion, percussion ensemble, and steel band and published articles in Percussive Notes and Rhythm! Scene. His theory master’s capstone portfolio focuses on embodied cognition, the interaction of instruments, bodies, and analysis, and the use of Schenkerian concepts in percussion pedagogy. In 2018, Barnes was awarded the American Prize in Solo Instrumental Music and has been a featured soloist with many groups including the University of Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra. The Barnes Duo (Carly Barnes, flute) was awarded second place in the 2022 American Prize for Chamber Music.

Micheal holds a DMA from Temple University, an MM in Music Theory and an MM in Percussion Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a BM from the University of Oklahoma. Micheal is a Vic Firth Educational Artist, Marimba One Educational Artist, Grover Artist, and Zildjian Artist.

This presentation examines the benefits of playing marimba chorales beyond the typical introductory level. Understanding how these works can foster deeper musical decision making and growth is the key outcome with points of discussion including roll textures, roll speed, singing, voicing, and general expression. Exercises for developing these advanced techniques will be provided and demonstrated.

In a pedagogical setting, chorales such as Glennie’s A Little Prayer or Peter’s Sea Refractions are useful for introducing four-mallet repertoire and building foundational skills such as mallet independence as well as a student’s strength and endurance. However, after these introductory works are taught, chorales are often sidelined in favor of more virtuosic, patternistic marimba solos. Even though the rhythmic design of chorales is often simple, they are in no way lacking in musical depth.

Playing chorales offers marimbists the ability to show musical sensitivity and a great depth of artistry. It also poses many challenges. Aside from mallet and instrument selections, when playing the marimba, the performer must account for performance factors including the “velocity of the stroke, exact area of contact, and angle of the mallet upon contact” for each mallet, all of which can be infinitely varied.[1] Together, these aspects create tone, and the control of each element is vital for voicing. Voicing is a way of bringing out “many aspects of music, such as a melodic line within a group of chords, individual notes in chords and melody lines over accompaniments.”[2] In non-chorale-style works, these concerns exist and should be carefully considered by the performer. When playing chorale-style compositions, these performance factors are paramount to successful and expressive performance as each choice of velocity, mallet angle and placement, and body positioning are amplified due to the typically slow-moving rhythms and repeated strokes to produce continuous rolls. These factors are therefore heard not only in relation to the other voices of the same chord but also in relation to all chordal members of neighboring chords as well. By studying marimba chorales beyond the introductory level, students learn to become more aware of the many variabilities of sound production and color when playing the marimba.

[1] Leigh Howard Stevens, Method of Movement for Marimba, 25th Anniversary ed. (Keyboard Percussion Publications, 2008), 23.

[2] Robert Paterson, “Sounds That Resonate: Selected Developments in Western Bar Percussion During the Twentieth Century,” (DMA diss., Cornell University, 2004), 127.

[3] Stevens, Method of Movement for Marimba, 23.

• Band - Secondary
• Collegiate