First Solo Songbook: B-flat Clarinet, B-flat Bass Clarinet, B-flat Cornet (Trumpet), Baritone T.C., B-flat Tenor Sax Book

Feldstein understood what most directors know but often struggle to execute: beginners need to perform sooner rather than later. The six-note constraint isn't a limitation here; it's the entire strategy. Your students will walk out with their first solo under their belts within weeks of picking up their instruments, not months. Add the contemporary pop accompaniments, and you've got genuine practice incentive beyond "because it's good for you."

Familiar melodies float across pop backings that feel contemporary and energizing. There's no struggle in the reading, no reaching for technique you haven't learned yet; instead, the reward comes fast. Playing "Blue Moon" or "The Trolley Song" against these accompaniments feels like performing, not practicing.

Every beginning band student learning a B-flat instrument will find material here. This book particularly serves students in their first year who need immediate gratification and genuine performance opportunity to stay engaged with their instruments.

• Record your students performing one or two solos, then play them back during sectional rehearsals. Hearing themselves builds confidence and reveals intonation issues that group playing might mask.
• Pair students on unison pieces so beginners gain stability from a peer while developing their own tone and air support.
• Encourage rhythmic precision over speed. Pop styles thrive on pocket playing, so use these recordings to discuss laying back on the beat or sitting up front without rushing.
• Have students explore dynamics within the six-note limitation. "When the Saints Go Marching In" sounds entirely different at mezzo-piano versus forte, and the constraint makes dynamic control the focus.

Integrate solos into rehearsal as celebration pieces when a student masters a new concept, or use them as the centerpiece of a family engagement concert featuring your youngest learners. The variety of repertoire ensures you can find something for every occasion, from holiday programs to spring concerts. Many teachers also assign one solo per week as supplemental solo study alongside method book progression.

• Reading single-line melodies in standard notation without ledger lines
• Matching pitch and tone quality to a recorded accompaniment
• Sustaining steady air support for whole phrases
• Responding to stylistic cues in pop-based rhythmic accompaniments
• Building confidence in first solo performance experiences