Charting the Course Christmas Collection, B-Flat Book: B-Flat Instrument Method Book

Familiar holiday melodies wrapped in swing and blues feels. The charts breathe with the ease of a small group that knows how to lay back and enjoy the pocket, trading solos and supporting each other without pretense. There's warmth here alongside genuine musicianship.

Band and jazz directors managing mixed-level small ensembles during the holiday season. These charts work for students who are still solidifying their jazz vocabulary but want to play real jazz repertoire, not simplified versions. The flexible instrumentation means you can pull this off whether you have a full quintet or are creatively doubling parts.

• Spend time with the chord breakdown and scale etudes before assigning the full charts. Students who understand the harmonic foundation will swing harder.
• Use the play-alongs strategically during sectionals so each student owns their part before full rehearsal. This cuts down on the read-through grind.
• Have your soloists work the transcribed solos first to absorb the phrasing and articulation, then encourage them to develop their own lines using the suggested solos as scaffolding.

Drop this into December when you need something that satisfies both the holiday concert requirement and your jazz program's credibility. The six tunes give you enough material for a full jazz set or to pepper throughout a winter concert, and the play-alongs mean less rehearsal time spent on basic tuning and tempo issues. This is also solid for winter jazz festivals if your festival schedule allows holiday material.

• Reading and performing jazz articulation and phrasing
• Chord changes and harmonic function in a jazz context
• Solo construction using melodic and harmonic frameworks
• Playing to a recorded rhythm section and locking with ensemble tempo
• Three-part voice leading and sectional blend