Belwin 21st Century Band Method, Level 2: B-flat Clarinet Book

This method respects the pace and confidence students built in Level One while strategically expanding their technical range and musical repertoire without overwhelming them. The inclusion of genuinely recognizable songs (Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, Sleigh Ride) alongside foundational technique work keeps motivation high, and the commissioned pieces by del Borgo and Clark give students performance goals beyond the pop arrangements.

Approachable yet purposeful. The familiar tunes offer immediate gratification, while the scale studies and technical exercises provide the scaffolding needed for real musical growth. The mix of classical, world, patriotic, and popular material feels contemporary without abandoning the fundamentals that make a young clarinetist solid.

Clarinet students in their second year of study, typically in concert band settings, who have completed Level One and are ready to expand their range and tackle ensemble playing with more independence. This book also serves students preparing to transition into more varied concert repertoire and those encountering world music and popular song arrangements for the first time.

• Explore the multiple accompaniment styles available through MakeMusic Cloud for each piece; using contrasting arrangements on the same tune reveals how tempo, texture, and groove affect your own musical choices.
• Build consistency on the scale studies and technical exercises before moving to the full performance pieces; this method's progression assumes solid fundamentals at each stage.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to develop your internal pulse and to hear how your part sits within the full ensemble texture, especially in the popular standards where rhythm section clarity matters.
• Approach the two commissioned performance pieces (Celtic Air and Dance and Destiny) as short concerts in miniature; they reward musical phrasing and ensemble balance more than the exercise pages do.

Pair the popular standards with themed concerts (holiday program with Sleigh Ride and Merry Little Christmas, or a film music night with Star Wars and Wizard of Oz) to build ensemble cohesion while keeping students engaged. The commissioned pieces work well as closing numbers for festival or concert settings where you want to showcase what students have actually learned rather than relying solely on simplified arrangements.

• Extended range playing on B-flat clarinet
• Scale construction and fluency in multiple keys
• Syncopated rhythms and mixed meters
• Listening for balance and blend in ensemble contexts
• Interpretation of popular melodies and classical forms
• Sight-reading from measured, progressively challenging notation