Improve Your Sight-Reading! Clarinet, Grade 6: Clarinet Book

Harris designed this workbook to address the real anxiety that derails sight-reading, not just the mechanics of decoding notes. His three-stage progression—targeted technique exercises, guided study of a prepared piece, then authentic unseen reading—builds genuine fluency rather than offering a shortcut. Clarinetists at this level benefit from his clear, psychologically informed approach to confidence.

Methodical without being dry. Each exercise builds incrementally, so success feels earned rather than accidental. The progression from problem-focused drills to prepared study to real testing mirrors how professional musicians actually train.

Late intermediate clarinetists who can play accurately with secure technique but find unfamiliar music intimidating. This workbook serves students preparing for ensemble auditions, chair placements, or conservatory entrance exams where sight-reading stamina and composure matter as much as accuracy.

• Spend meaningful time on the rhythmic and melodic exercises for each piece before tackling the prepared study. These aren't busy work; they isolate the specific difficulty you'll face in the actual reading test.
• Work through the prepared piece questions deliberately. Understanding what to look for—key signature, tempo, articulation patterns, tricky intervals—trains your eyes to scan strategically before any sight-read encounter.
• Approach the final unprepared sight-reading section like a real audition: set it aside for a few days after studying, then read it once through without stopping, just as you would in performance.

Use this as core material during practice weeks before festival sight-reading competitions or auditions for advanced ensembles. The structured progression also works well as a semester-long concurrent project alongside ensemble rehearsals, building reading confidence gradually without disrupting regular sectional work.

• Decoding unfamiliar rhythmic patterns at sight
• Scanning ahead for interval patterns and harmonic movement
• Managing performance anxiety during unprepared reading
• Strategic observation of articulation, dynamics, and tempo markings before playing
• Building reading fluency across varied clarinet repertoire