GIA Publications

A Comprehensive Method Book for Years Two, Three, and Beyond

Authors: Scott Rush, Jeff Scott, Emily Wilkinson, Rich Moon, Kevin Boyle
Editor: Marguerite Wilder
Format: Book
Instrumentation: Mallets

Habits of a Successful Middle School Musician is a field-tested, vital, and -- most importantly -- musical collection of more than 300 sequenced exercises for building fundamentals.

Perfect for use by an entire band or solo player for years two, three, and beyond, this series contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, chorales, sight-reading etudes, rhythm vocabulary exercises, and much more. In one place, this series presents everything an aspiring player needs to build fundamental musicianship skills and then be able to transfer those skills directly into the performance of great literature.

Habits of a Successful Middle School Musician:

• Provides material for use during fundamentals time that promotes a comprehensive approach to developing skills necessary to fill the musical toolbox.
• Presents effective exercises for clarinets going over the break, trombones in second and fifth position, flutes going from C to D, percussion sticking, trombone F- attachment tips, and L and R indicators for clarinet.
• Includes a sequential format that leads to the mastery of reading rhythms and ultimately, to musical sight-reading.
• Provides chorales for the development of tone quality, ensemble sonority, and musicianship.
• Combines pedagogy, technique building, fundamentals development, sight-reading and musicianship into one book under one cover.

Habits of a Successful Middle School Musician is the answer to the question: "What should I be learning during fundamentals time?"

Table of Contents:

• I. Warm-Up
• II. Chorales
• III. Rhythm Vocabulary
• IV. Sight-Reading by Level
• V. Audition Sight-Reading by Time Signature