Measures of Success Baritone B.C. Book 1: Baritone BC Method Book

Measures of Success refuses to separate musicianship from mechanics. It treats baritone players as musicians first, building their understanding of how music actually works while they're learning the instrument. The method's emphasis on assessing growth throughout the year means you're not guessing whether students are truly progressing; the built-in checkpoints tell you.

Learning to play baritone with Measures of Success feels like being invited into the thinking behind the music, not just the mechanics of it. Early exercises carry real musicality and purpose, so students feel like musicians from the start, even as they're building fundamental skills.

Beginning baritone players in middle school or high school band who need a structured, musically intelligent method that doesn't talk down to them. It's equally valuable for directors who want their developing brass section to understand music theory and performance technique as interconnected rather than separate subjects.

• Listen to ensemble recordings with your students before they play. This removes the mystery from what 'good' sounds like and gives them a target to chase.
• Use the conceptual sidebars to ask questions before jumping into exercises. When students understand why they're doing something, the repetition becomes purposeful rather than tedious.
• Rotate which students read different parts in unison passages. This builds confidence in players who otherwise hide in the middle of the section.
• Check in on the self-assessment prompts with individual students. These conversations often reveal what's actually clicking and what needs reteaching.

Use this as your core baritone method for the first year or two of study. Its emphasis on conceptual understanding and formative assessment works well alongside your regular ensemble rehearsals; students practice skills in method book, apply them in concert band repertoire, and you have clear data on what's sticking. Consider pairing it with carefully selected solo literature to show players how the fundamentals they're building actually serve real musical expression.

• Reading treble clef notation on baritone
• Long tone control and embouchure development
• Counting and executing rhythmic patterns at varying tempos
• Understanding major scales and their applications
• Identifying intervals by ear and on the staff
• Distinguishing dynamic levels and responding to musical phrasing
• Self-assessing performance accuracy and effort