Do you think it'd be taking it too far to make the 8th graders play a harder peice then what they are used to playing to get them ready for high school pit playing? I wrote out a 3 page mallet peice that requires 4 mallets, but its in 3/4 time and pretty easy. I've been in drums so long that I didnt know that the bar has been raised for mallets until i saw my all-region try out music. Any advice would be helpful. THANKS.

well if they know how to learn it. dont just throw it at them and expect them to learn it tell them to learn it note by note and have everything right before moving on and help them

Yea its not really a hard peice to learn...its from the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist. Its really fun to play and when you get it right it has a beautiful sound, so we'll see how it works out. Thanks for the tip.

yeah if you push them too much then they might play the piece note wise right but their technique and sound quality will go out the window. so take it slow.

If they seem capable of doing it, then push them. I write music for my line/pit that is a little above and beyond what they're comfortable with and it really pays off if they achieve it.