66 Festive & Famous Chorales for Band: 3rd Trombone Book

Erickson's arrangements sit at the sweet spot between pedagogical utility and genuine musicality. A 3rd trombone part that stays engaged without stealing focus from the primary voices teaches your lower brass section that supporting voices matter, and the sheer variety across 66 chorales means you'll find something appropriate for almost any rehearsal moment.

These arrangements feel grounded and purposeful. Whether drawn from hymns, spirituals, or Bach chorales, each piece carries weight and tradition without demanding virtuosity. The 3rd trombone sits comfortably in the ensemble's harmonic foundation, allowing players to focus on blend and long-line phrasing rather than technical hurdles.

This collection serves 3rd trombone players in developing to intermediate concert bands who need reliable material for warm-ups and sectional rehearsals. It's equally valuable for composers studying four-part arranging and directors building a core library of flexible, reproducible chorales.

• Balance your tone with the 1st and 2nd trombone parts by listening across the section rather than projecting outward. The SATB voicing means you're filling harmonic space, not carrying melody.
• Use the opening measures of each chorale as a tuning opportunity. Attack together with precision and hold whole notes steady to lock intonation before the ensemble moves on.
• Shape the phrase with dynamic intention even in supporting lines. A gentle diminuendo into a cadence lifts the whole band's musicianship, not just your part.

Open rehearsals with one or two chorales as a focused warm-up that combines tone production, intonation work, and musical phrasing in five minutes. Assign different chorales to sectionals so your trombones develop consistency in how they approach ensemble playing. Include a chorale or two on concerts as palette cleansers between larger works, or program a medley of four or five to create a unified concert segment.

• Harmonic awareness and voice independence within SATB textures
• Consistent tone production and intonation in long-held notes
• Phrase shaping and dynamic control in supporting voicings
• Sight-reading fluency across a broad repertoire of musical styles
• Sectional balance and blend within the trombone section