Accent on Achievement, Book 2: Baritone B.C. Book & Online Audio/Software

Accent on Achievement Book 2 respects baritone players by giving them substantive material that sounds like real band music from page one. The pedagogical sequencing ensures students consolidate fundamentals through a comprehensive review cycle before moving forward, and the integration of world music and classical arrangements keeps rehearsals musically rewarding rather than merely technical.

The experience shifts from learning notes in isolation to making actual music with a band. World music and classical selections sound familiar and engaging rather than sterile, while the full-color layout and thoughtfully paced exercises prevent the material from feeling like work.

Beginning baritone players in grades 5-8 who are ready to move beyond their first band book and need material that combines foundational skill-building with genuine musical repertoire. This book serves students transitioning from Book 1 who are prepared for slightly more complex rhythms, wider ranges, and multi-part harmonic contexts.

• Balance your tone in full band settings by listening across the baritone section first, then matching the tuba's fundamental pitch rather than playing above it.
• Approach the scale exercises systematically by grouping them by key rather than skipping around; this reinforces the comprehensive review cycle the method is designed for.
• Use the online audio to check your intonation against the recorded ensemble, particularly in the full band arrangements where your harmonic foundation matters most.
• Work the rhythm and rest exercises slowly at first, ensuring you understand the notation before tempo increases; these build the rhythmic accuracy that makes the later full-band pieces sound cohesive.

Move your baritone section into Book 2 once they have secure command of the foundational positions and can maintain steady pulse in four-part harmony. The 11 full band arrangements are ideal concert selections that sound polished without requiring extensive rehearsal time, freeing your sectionals to focus on technique from the chorale and technical pages.

• Reading both treble and bass clefs with fluency
• Playing rhythms that include sixteenth-note patterns and syncopation
• Sustaining steady tone across the full working range of the instrument
• Understanding harmonic function within a four-part ensemble texture
• Performing in multiple keys with secure intonation
• Sight-reading short passages at sight-reading tempo
• Balancing dynamics and blend in ensemble contexts