Best of Belwin Jazz: Young Jazz Collection for Jazz Ensemble: Tuba Book

Swinging grooves, clever reharmonizations of standards, a few surprises (like the rock treatment of a familiar melody), and genuine jazz authenticity scaled down for young chops. The range from uptempo swingers to ballads gives the tuba real opportunities to breathe and be heard.

Tuba players in middle school and early high school jazz ensembles who are building their first real jazz vocabulary. This book works for sections trying to balance part-writing clarity with engaging solos and for programs where tuba players are still developing consistent pitch and articulation.

• Listen closely to the rhythm section during rehearsal; your part locks into their pocket, especially on swing charts where the walking bass line anchors everything.
• Study the written-out solos before rehearsal so you understand the harmonic movement and can anticipate the shape of each phrase.
• On the ballads, use space and breath control to shape your tone rather than relying on volume to project; less is often more in these intimate arrangements.
• Work the Latin and rock charts with a metronome to lock your rhythmic feel, since young ensembles often rush or drag these styles.

Use this as your core young jazz ensemble book for the season, rotating through different charts in rehearsals rather than sectionalizing by difficulty. You can program 3-4 contrasting titles on a jazz concert to show range and control, or integrate individual pieces into school assemblies and informal performances.

• Reading jazz notation and chord changes
• Understanding jazz articulation (legit swing tonguing vs. straight eighths in rock charts)
• Listening for and locking into the walking bass line
• Executing written-out solos with stylistic awareness
• Adapting tone production across swing, ballad, Latin, and rock feels
• Counting and managing syncopated rhythmic figures across different meters