John Kinyon's Basic Training Course, Book 2: Keyboard Percussion Book

Kinyon designed this keyboard percussion book to function across multiple teaching contexts without losing pedagogical coherence. The flexibility to use it with individual students, same-instrument groups, or integrated into full band rehearsals means you can adapt it to your teaching situation rather than forcing your program to fit the material.

Clear, purposeful, and encouraging. Each page builds logically on the last without overwhelming the learner. Kinyon's method voice is direct and practical, reflecting years spent in actual rehearsal halls watching students develop confidence with mallets in hand.

Keyboard percussion players entering band, whether they're brand new to music reading or transitioning from another instrument. This book works equally well in private lessons, focused percussion classes, and mixed concert band settings where percussionists need systematic foundational training alongside their ensemble colleagues.

• Assign specific exercises to percussionists during sectional rehearsals while the rest of the band works on their parts, then bring everyone together for the full-ensemble pieces.
• Use the graded progressions to align keyboard percussion development with your overall band curriculum timeline; don't rush ahead of where the rest of the ensemble sits.
• Rotate melodic and rhythmic responsibility among keyboard players on the same piece to build confidence and reinforce reading across different registers.

Integrate this as your keyboard percussion curriculum from the first week of band through the end of Book 2. Assign exercises during sectional time and progress through ensemble pieces at a pace that matches your overall band advancement, ensuring percussionists stay aligned with their section mates while building the independence their instrument demands.

• Reading treble and bass clef notation on keyboard percussion staves
• Mallet control and stroke consistency across different mallets
• Sight-reading melodic and rhythmic patterns in concert band contexts
• Four-mallets technique fundamentals
• Ensemble balance and listening while reading from a method book