This two-movement piece for marimba is meant to be used toward the beginning of a student's two-mallet education. An optional piano accompaniment is also provided, giving the student the opportunity to perform with an accompanist (foreshadowing concerto literature in the future). The first movement, To The Summit, is rolled and slowly meanders from the low end of the instrument to the upper end, when it reaches the climax (or "summit"). The second movement, Downward Spiral, is fast-paced with combinations of eighths and sixteenths and little syncopation. There is a brief recapitulation of the "summit" theme from the first movement before sliding down the remainder of the mountain.
