Much educational repertoire will profit from judicial additions and editing. High school directors who perform more serious literature must be very careful about doubling, particularly snare drums. Both balance and rhythmical precision can be seriously compromised. Again, conductors need to be creative to find ways to involve students without sacrificing musical or educational goals. Careful selection of repertoire is a vital first step.
Technique varies considerably when playing different instruments.
In addition, some percussion musical notation is not particularly clear. Conductors who are not percussionists may need to seek some assistance to teach their students how to play the parts correctly. While it may take considerable time and effort to teach good technique on snare, timpani, or marimba, many instruments require much less energy to achieve a good basic sound. The marching band has created a cottage industry of percussion consultants. Perhaps conductors should seek help from these percussionists for their concert bands on occasion.