Accent on Performance Concert Favorites Collection: Trumpet 2 Book

These 22 arrangements strike an uncommonly satisfying balance between musical substance and technical accessibility. The variety of contemporary styles keeps rehearsals engaging across a full season, and because every piece was composed with the Accent on Achievement curriculum in mind, the technical demands align naturally with your students' skill progression rather than forcing stretches or creating frustration.

The collection sweeps across imaginative scenarios: medieval quests, dramatic confrontations, and modern overtures. Each piece balances accessibility with genuine musical storytelling, so students feel they are performing real concert works rather than exercises, even as the technical demands stay manageable.

This collection serves trumpet 2 players in grades 2-5 concert bands or anyone using Accent on Achievement as a primary curriculum. Directors seeking a cohesive set of supplementary arrangements that progress logically alongside method book pages will find this especially useful.

• Pay attention to articulation markings in the opening statements of each piece; the character of titles like 'Centurian' and 'Attack of the Cyclops' depends heavily on precise tongue control and consistency with the section.
• Balance your Trumpet 2 line against the first trumpet part by listening carefully in rehearsal; many of these arrangements use the second trumpet to provide harmonic support, which demands steady tone and rhythmic precision rather than projection.
• Mark the style changes within longer pieces; several arrangements shift between sections with different rhythmic feels or articulations, and knowing these landmarks in advance prevents ensemble ragged spots.
• Use the key signatures and accidental patterns as landmarks for intonation; several pieces modulate or employ chromatic passages that benefit from deliberate tuning checks.

Pull from this collection throughout the year to reinforce method book progress without constant searching for coordinated repertoire. A piece like 'Centurian' works well early in the season to build ensemble foundation, while later selections like 'Windstar Overture' and 'Knights Kingdom' provide momentum for mid-winter or spring concerts.

• Articulation control in contemporary idioms (legato, staccato, accented passages)
• Harmonic support and secondary voice independence
• Intonation in chromatic and modulating passages
• Reading across a variety of time signatures and rhythmic patterns
• Musical phrasing and style differentiation
• Steady tone production across dynamic ranges