Helpful links:

I have been using Chamber Ensembles as a main part of my curriculum for 15 years, see Why?

I learned more as a trombone player in small ensembles than I ever did during band or orchestra. Why? Trombone players are not challenged in band. They rarely get the melody and rarely get to do anything but accompaniment. This means that some sections of your band are neglected because of the nature of band and orchestra music. Some composer's do a better job but on a whole there are a lot of songs that neglect some sections of the band.

Finding the right music for your chamber ensemble.

Problem: I have found is it is almost impossible to find the right level of music for each small ensemble. With normal band you select music and with larger numbers of students they help one another with weaknesses. In Chamber ensembles, everyone has to play on the same level or it sticks out and the group can fail.

The most important thing as a music educator is help students select appropriate music. I bought everything I could to make it work. I spent thousands of my budget to find a few pieces that work well. I ended up having to arrange music to make it work for every one. Some of the pieces I bought were great pieces of music but would never be able to be played by my students. Others were just not good pieces.

Solution: You can spend a lot of time and money buying music and trying it out. You can spend even more time arranging music yourself. I want to offer a quick fix to help each group have a good start. Watch the video on the right. Pet of the Petticoats, Sousa and The White Plume, Sousa.

This video demonstrates excerpt from Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Book 1 and 2.  I have been developing this book to teach musicality in a progressive manner easy - hard. I wanted to teach students all parts of music: bass line, melodies, accompaniments, and harmony. What ended up happening is I have the only progressive book to teach small ensembles. Book 1 starts with grade level 2 and develops harder ending with excerpt 50 in grade 3. Book 2, to be released this summer 2020, is from grade 3 to 4.

Imagine having a start for your chamber groups this fall. You can make each group successful with the right level music for each student. Flexible arrangements so any small group can use any instrumentation. Each excerpt has between 2 and 6 parts but some can be left out. 

Excerpts from Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa

Free PDF example from Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Book 1

Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Grade 2 - 3

You can buy one book for $13.95 and have 50 excerpts from grade 2 -3 or later this summer you can buy the book that is from grade 3 - 4. I offer discounts for ordering a classroom set. The bands that have been testing this out for the past year have loved it. My own students have commented how their favorite part of each rehearsal is playing Sousa's music.

Teaching Articulation with Tech Teacher Support Materials

$20.00

Support materials for video lessons to Teaching Articulation with Tech

Features

  1. Seven video lessons, easy to share online.
  2. Seven google form quizzes with playing assessments included.
  3. Thirteen accompaniment tracks to practice exercises with.
  4. Easily share and print PDFs online or in person.


Links will be emailed to you within 48 hours of order, usually much quicker.
Shop

On Sale

On Sale

Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Book 1 grade 2-3

$0.00 - $325.00

Classroom Set: Book 1 Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Grade 2-3

If you want your students to become musicians you need to teach musicality. No other book approaches teaching it in this way. Each day you can sight-read and practice musical elements like melody, counter melody, articulations, accompaniments, bass lInes, dynamics, musical lines, harmony, and more. Each excerpt can be played and rehearsed in about 5 minutes. Yes, learn and teach new music every day in 5 minutes. Watch the video for more ideas.



Available Books: Conductors Score, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet / Bass Clarinet, Alto / Bari, Trumpet / Baritone T.C. / Tenor Sax, French Horn, Trombone / Baritone, Tuba, and Percussion books.


Classroom Set: You get 30 books. Specify in comments how many of each book you want as long as it equals 30.


Digital Order: PDF will be sent via email within 48 hours.
Shop

On Sale

On Sale

Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Book 2 Grade 3-5

$0.00 - $325.00

Classroom Set: Book 2 Progressive Musical Studies: Sousa Grade 3-5

If you want your students to become musicians you need to teach musicality. No other book approaches teaching it in this way. Each day you can sight-read and practice musical elements like melody, counter melody, articulations, accompaniments, bass lInes, dynamics, musical lines, harmony, and more. Each excerpt can be played and rehearsed in about 5 minutes. Yes, learn and teach new music every day in 5 minutes. Watch the video for more ideas.



Available Books: Conductors Score, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet / Bass Clarinet, Alto / Bari, Trumpet / Baritone T.C. / Tenor Sax, French Horn, Trombone / Baritone, Tuba, and Percussion books.


Classroom Set: You get 30 books. Specify in comments how many of each book you want as long as it equals 30.


Digital Order: PDF will be sent via email within 48 hours.
Shop

On Sale

On Sale

Band Intonation Exercises Score Spiral Bound

$35.00 $25.95
Band Intonation Exercises are the only full color intonation exercises that show simple to implement and easy to remember techniques. These exercises are easy for your band to play, and are easy to understand. This is the only method that teaches how to adjust for Just Intonation to make chords even more beautiful and sonorous.

Band Intonation Exercises simplifies band intonation with 19 different exercises which can solve simple problems like reminding brass players to grease tuning slides and having flute players check their head joint, to less common problems like how do mutes effect pitch and how to adjust pitch in cold weather.


Each individual instrument part includes: 
  • Pitch Tendency Chart, with full color graphics showing exactly how to adjust pitch.
  • 19 Pitch Tendency Exercises showing which notes are generally sharp and flat.
  • Chorales showing which notes the third of the chord is so they know exactly when to lower the pitch to make chords in tune.
Shop

Band Intonation Exercises (PDF)

$29.95

What do you get in your purchase?

Band Intonation Exercises Reproducible PDF of score and parts plus accompaniment tracks. 


What is taught?

BIE is an innovative approach to teaching intonation showing pitch tendencies, pitch guides, and unison exercises. It teaches students to listen and adjust pitch with accompaniment tracks (Link in score PDF), exercises in unison, and natural pitch tendencies. The pitch guide shows how dynamics, temperature, reed strength, and many more things affect pitch.


Each instrument gets a 

  • Pitch Tendency Chart
  • Intonation Issues and Solutions
  • 19 Pitch Tendency Exercises


You will receive a link to download files in your receipt. You will have 3 downloads. Accompaniment tracks are available through link in PDF of Score.
Shop

​40 Rudiments: Torrent of Rhythms

$12.95

40 Rudiments is a supplement to your percussion curriculum. 

Each book contains 84 pages of exercises for practicing and developing rudiments. Exercises are written so any musician can read an understand and teach any rudiment.

Features:

    1. Rubric for practice development

        a. Which rudiment should I practice first and how fast.

     2. Accompaniments: Every exercise has an accompaniment track. You can listen to them on this webpage or download all the tracks to load on your phone or device.
Shop

​40 Rudiments: (PDF)

$25.95

40 Rudiments is a supplement to your percussion curriculum. 

This PDF includes reproducible copies of 64 pages of exercises for practicing and developing rudiments with practice tracks. Exercises are written so any musician can read an understand and teach any rudiment.

Features:

    1. Rubric for practice development

        a. Which rudiment should I practice first and how fast.

     2. Accompaniments: Every exercise has an accompaniment track. You can listen to them on this webpage or https://www.sevierband.com/store/p71/40rudimentspdf.html to load on your phone or device.


Download: Link will be sent in the email receipt. Link to accompaniment tracks are in the (PDF)
Shop