Accent on Achievement, Book 1: Piano Acc. (Instrumental) Book

This accompaniment book does the heavy lifting for directors managing multiple instrument ranges and abilities in a single rehearsal. The 11 full band arrangements give your ensemble genuine performance material from day one, and the piano part is written to support, not overshadow, developing instrumentalists.

Opening this book reveals a refreshing breadth: classical forms and folk traditions side by side, full arrangements that sound complete even when only half your band shows up to rehearsal. The writing supports young players without sentimentality, treating them as musicians from the start.

Band directors and pianists accompanying beginning instrumental ensembles (grades 5-8) who need reliable, varied accompaniment material that grows with their students across the first two books. This is especially valuable in mixed-ability rehearsals where the piano part can provide harmonic scaffolding while students focus on fundamentals.

• Balance your voicing so the piano anchors harmonic progression without drowning out individual instrumental lines; think of yourself as the foundation, not the feature.
• Use rhythmic clarity in rhythmic or rest exercise sections to establish steady pulse for younger students who are still building their internal tempo sense.
• Lean into the classics and world music selections by finding the stylistic character first; a minuet needs different touch than a folk melody.

These accompaniments transform early rehearsals into genuine ensemble experiences rather than isolated instrument drills. Use the arrangements as anchors for your concert programming while students work through scales and chorales in sectionals, then layer students back in as they gain confidence.

• Listening to harmonic progression while maintaining individual melodic lines
• Ensemble balance and blend across mixed ranges
• Interpretation of rhythm and rest notation with consistent pulse
• Recognition of classical forms and world music idioms through repeated exposure
• Sustained tone control within longer arrangements