About Curving Walkway Publications
Beginning Percussion Classics:

The original CWP Beginning Percussion Classics were written by Tony Oliver for a group of beginning percussionists he was instructing. The compositions grew from the need for pieces that would fit the available instrumentation, could teach the performers specific percussion-instrument or ensemble-playing skills they needed, that weren’t too long or too difficult, that they could have success with, and most importantly, that they could have fun with. They are designed to help teach and reinforce the teaching of important percussive and musical skills and concepts through the performance of “real” music. There are helpful hints and directions—including photographs and diagrams—in the parts and scores to act as guides and reminders for beginning players. They also allow beginners to constantly “self-teach” during and away from the ensemble or lesson setting. And because almost any music in an ensemble setting can seem overwhelming to the beginner, the pieces' more complicated sections are kept short allowing for attainable mastery instead of endless frustration (but they still take some work!). The pieces are excellent for developing the beginning player’s understanding of the nature of playing percussion in a group: Each player must learn to play as a soloist while at the same time learning how to play in a percussion section. Excellent for young or adult performers in school or other ensemble programs. The pieces may also be used in college methods courses for further practical experiences with percussion ensemble performing or directing.

Please feel free to contact Dr. Oliver c/o Curving Walkway Publications if you have questions or comments about the CWP Beginning Percussion Classics, or if you are interested in having a Classic composed for your ensemble or course.

All of the CWP Beginning Percussion Classics can be used for performance, but we found that some work REALLY well for performances by advanced beginners, and these pieces tend to be most versatile in the widest variety of concert/workshop settings. These "great for performance" pieces are marked GREAT FOR PERFORMANCE in their descriptions.