Band Today, Part 1: B-flat Trumpet (Cornet) Book

Band Today provides a sequenced, methodical introduction to trumpet fundamentals without overwhelming beginning players with premature technical demands. The material reflects decades of classroom experience; Ployhar built this method knowing exactly what first-year students need to hear, see, and play in order to succeed together in a full band setting. Its alignment with the entire Contemporary Band Course ecosystem means you can scale the learning vertically across your program without retraining students to a new pedagogical approach.

Band Today opens with clear, achievable sounds before layering in complexity. Students progress through recognizable melodic shapes and rhythmic patterns that feel musical rather than clinical, building confidence with each page while maintaining the discipline of proper fundamentals.

This book is designed for first-year trumpet and cornet players in concert band classes, instrument classes, or private instruction. It serves students beginning their journey on B-flat trumpet who benefit from a structured, sequential approach that mirrors what their full band is learning.

• Establish steady breath support from the opening exercises; this sets the muscular foundation for all subsequent trumpet technique and prevents common tension habits that form early.
• Balance tone quality with rhythmic precision when moving between exercises and simple melodies; rushing tone development at the expense of rhythm leaves students vulnerable when sight-reading new material.
• Use duets and unison passages as opportunities to reinforce listening habits; trumpets blending well together depend on players hearing beyond their own sound.
• Work through the material at a consistent pace rather than accelerating through easier sections; this allows muscle memory and reading reflexes to develop together.

Integrate this book as the primary text for all trumpet players in your beginning band class, allowing every student to build skills in lockstep with the curriculum. Pair it with the supplementary technic and theory books from the Contemporary Band Course to deepen understanding of the concepts introduced here. Individual lessons and sectional rehearsals benefit from consistent reference to these same pages, ensuring students practice the exact material their director is reinforcing in full band.

• Reading in treble clef with whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes
• Breath control and sustained tone production on long tones
• Proper embouchure formation and maintenance
• Fingering patterns across the first and second valve combinations
• Rhythmic accuracy in simple duple and triple meter
• Counting and conducting patterns corresponding to basic time signatures
• Articulation and tonguing control
• Playing in tune through listening and adjustment