John Kinyon's Basic Training Course, Book 2: Trombone Book

Kinyon designed this method to work across every teaching context you'll encounter: one-on-one lessons, homogeneous instrumental classes, and mixed concert bands. The flexibility built into these pages means you're not buying curriculum that forces you into one pedagogical box. Directors and private teachers have relied on this sequence for generations because it actually teaches.

Methodical and encouraging. Kinyon moves through the slide positions with patience, building confidence through small victories. The exercises feel purposeful rather than rote, and the melodies that emerge give students real music to play, not just technical drills.

Beginning trombonists in middle school or high school, whether learning in private lessons or as part of a concert band program. This book also serves instructors working with adult learners or community band students picking up trombone for the first time.

• Establish breath support before slides; students should feel air moving through the instrument even as they're learning which positions produce which pitches.
• Use the duet pages as early ensemble reading opportunities; pairing students reinforces rhythm and intonation without the pressure of full band rehearsal.
• Isolate position shifts slowly; many young trombonists rush between positions because they're not sure where to land. Talk through the arc of the slide before playing it.

Assign Book 2 after students complete Book 1 or once they've mastered first position and basic breath control in a concert band setting. The cumulative nature of this series means it works best as a sequential method rather than a stand-alone text, progressing through the full Kinyon course as your students advance.

• Slide position accuracy (positions 1 through 7)
• Reading treble clef in mixed rhythmic values
• Breath control and long tone production
• Ensemble intonation and blend
• Simple rhythmic reading including eighth notes, quarter notes, and rests
• Legato and staccato articulation