Pop Hits for the Instrumental Soloist: Trombone Book & CD

These arrangements honor the emotional weight of their original melodies while keeping the technical demands manageable. You'll find yourself playing recognizable songs that feel both accessible and genuinely expressive, with accompaniments that ground your playing in a full harmonic context.

Trombonists in middle school or early high school who have solid fundamentals and are ready to move beyond method book etudes. These arrangements work equally well for students preparing for solo contests, building recital repertoire, or simply gaining confidence on familiar material.

• Balance your dynamic shaping with the recorded accompaniment by listening through the full track before rehearsal, then practicing sections where your part carries the melody with confidence.
• Pay attention to the editing of the trombone part; the arranger has chosen specific passages for your instrument, so commit to those phrases without over-thinking range or position changes.
• Use the CD to internalize the harmonic context; knowing how your solo part sits within the full arrangement helps you phrase with intentionality and stay locked rhythmically with the accompaniment.

Slot individual titles into solo recitals, winter or spring concerts, or solo festival programs where contemporary music strengthens the overall arc. Students can also rotate through different songs across a school year as technical skills deepen, turning the collection into a reliable resource for building confidence and musicianship.

• Phrase shaping within a harmonic context provided by recorded accompaniment
• Expressive melody playing in contemporary idioms
• Rhythmic independence with a full ensemble sound
• Navigating chord changes implied in the accompaniment
• Sustaining tone quality across sustained solo passages