"After teaching mallet instruments for many years, using the mallet books in which the student learns to play, always by themselves or solo, I started teaching my own child. My wife is a piano teacher, which has given me access to many beginning piano books. My daughter started learning the piano at 4 years old and when I introduced her to playing the marimba, I took the pieces she had already learned and transferred them to marimba, with myself playing the left-hand part, while she played the right-hand part. It was so much fun that I started to teach in this manner. Once the student has mastered their part, the teacher joins in with the accompaniment . This enables the student to hear the whole piece as it was originally written. Playing these pieces with the accompaniments, the student learns ensemble playing, which improves their rhythm and overall musicality.

Most of the music fits on a 4.1/3 octave marimba. A Short Story sounds beautiful with vibraphone and marimba, but can be played only on marimba. The Clementi Sonatina and the Witches Brew are larger pieces, so I have put the accompaniment on vibraphone, but can also be played on a separate marimba.

The accompaniments are just a little more difficult than the solo part, so if performed with two students, the accompaniment part should be played by a slightly more advanced student. These pieces work as duets, but are not duets." - Jon Wishnuff