On a Mission
for percussion ensemble
Price range: $13.00 through $42.00
On a Mission by Kyle H. Peters is an energetic and exciting percussion ensemble. Written for five intermediate players, this piece echoes the fast-paced intensity found in your favorite spy and adventure films. It features a limited setup that delivers a bold sound, making it an ideal choice for ensembles looking to make a big impact with minimal equipment.
On a Mission ships as a fully bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for either printing or tablet viewing.
- Snare drum
- Bongos
- 2 Concert toms
- Concert bass drum (small or medium)
- Hi-hat
Reviews
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Matthew Geiger –
“On a Mission” offers a highly energetic ensemble piece with a minimal setup, perfect for the high school looking to dive into percussion ensemble without pulling out several cymbals, accessories, or keyboards at each rehearsal. Utilizing standard equipment found in most ensemble rooms, the piece is easily rehearsed and performed from the back of the band room. Kyle Peters writes an effective concert work that would help any group of percussionists grow while also playing enjoyable drumming music.
All five parts are similar in challenge at the written tempo, although the bass drum part is slightly less involved in the middle of the piece compared to the other instruments. Each part requires the performers to play fast sixteenth-note rhythms at 160, with frequent accents needed to help keep the piece from becoming lethargic and overplayed. Peters does a good job of incorporating several unison and call-and-response figures to help younger ensembles become more accustomed to chamber playing. This is an ideal piece to help train percussionists with placing upbeats as well as controlling accents in a concert setting.
Peters’s quintet features many of the same elements of other fast-paced Tapspace chamber works (e.g., Slayter’s “Breakdown” or Blume’s “Black Racer”) such as syncopated rhythms and accent-heavy interplay; however, with a smaller setup, the piece doesn’t have as much impact or diverse colors. Peters makes up for the lack of instrumentation by providing various themes and developmental ideas to help keep the piece moving forward. Peters’s variety helps create many mini moments throughout the piece, helping to provide anchor points for the audience and ensemble. With so much speed and intensity throughout — as well as the ease of instrumentation — the four minutes fly by, making “On a Mission” a great piece to add in the middle of any band, orchestra, or percussion ensemble concert.
—Matthew Geiger
Percussive Notes
Vol. 63, No. 1, February 2025