Concert Band & Orchestra Methods

Teachers keep coming back to the Accent on Achievement series across every instrument: the clarinet and trumpet books by John O'Reilly are best sellers, followed by the flute, alto saxophone, and trombone editions. Deborah A. Sheldon's Measures of Success methods for clarinet and trumpet are equally popular foundations for beginning bands. For strings, Strictly Strings Book 1 by Jacquelyn Dillon remains a standard choice.

The Harry Potter Foundations series arrived in 2025, with separate books for concert band and string orchestra that include full scores and curriculum guides, both authored by John Williams. Jacquelyn Dillon also released Strictly Strings Book 2 as a digital audio download.

John O'Reilly has written 262 titles in this collection, anchored by the Accent on Achievement series that reaches clarinet, trumpet, flute, alto saxophone, and trombone players at the beginning level. His work defines what many teachers expect from a foundational band method.

Robert Sheldon brings 166 titles including Measures of Success and is recognized as one of the most performed composers of wind band music today. His compositions for educational ensembles balance musicality with pedagogical clarity, and his work appears on festival and contest programs nationwide.

Bob Phillips authored the Sound Innovations series across six levels and has created over 25 book series for string and band education. His focus on large group pedagogy and eclectic instrumental styles has shaped how thousands of string students learn each year.

James D. Ployhar's 176 contributions reflect a career spanning over 800 publications. His Contemporary Band Course, now published by Alfred Music and translated into multiple languages, remains a foundational text in music education internationally.