Sound Innovations for Concert Band, Book 1, Second Edition: B-flat Clarinet Book & Online Media

This method book reflects the input of thousands of teachers, which means the progression actually works in real classrooms rather than in theory. The six-level structure with clear benchmarks lets you measure student growth without guessing, while SI Online provides an embarrassment of riches in supplemental resources, practice tracks, and instructional videos that adapt to your pacing. Sheldon's experience conducting professional and honor ensembles shows in the musical quality of the exercises and arrangements, students don't just learn mechanics; they engage with music that matters.

Sound Innovations feels purposeful from the first page. Exercises have clear musical goals printed right alongside them, and the progression respects what a young clarinetist can physically and musically handle. The writing includes genuine concert band arrangements and original pieces in diverse styles, so you're not grinding through hollow exercises but actually making music that sounds like a real band.

This method is designed for beginning clarinetists entering concert band for the first time, typically in middle school or early high school. It works equally well for mixed-age beginner ensembles and for private studio instruction when you want a systematic, repertoire-based approach. Teachers benefit from the built-in flexibility: you move at your ensemble's pace through six manageable levels, and you have assessment indicators at every step.

• Use the slowed-down accompaniment tracks when introducing new rhythmic figures or passages with wider intervallic leaps; let students lock the pattern before performing at full tempo.
• Build sight-reading stamina by rotating through SI Online's alternate tunes for familiar exercises; students see the same harmonic framework in fresh melodic contexts.
• Reference the instrument-specific instructional videos when clarinet-particular challenges arise (embouchure adjustments, register shifts, common fingering confusions); frame video watching as a guided self-check rather than remediation.
• Loop difficult full-band sections during rehearsal so your ensemble can isolate coordination problems without stopping and starting repeatedly.

Use Book 1 as your core method for the first year of concert band, moving through the six levels as your ensemble demonstrates the skills at each benchmark. The included full concert band pieces and SI Online's extra arrangements give you ready-made performance material for fall and spring concerts without supplementing from a separate repertoire source. If you pull together beginning players mid-year or need to accelerate some students while supporting others, the worksheets and video library let you differentiate without leaving the method.

• Reading standard notation without reliance on note names in note heads
• Playing concert band repertoire in diverse musical styles from early lessons
• Producing clear tone across the clarinet's functional range starting from concert D
• Executing foundational rhythmic patterns (whole, half, quarter, eighth notes and basic rests)
• Recognizing and responding to ensemble balance cues
• Performing major scales and understanding key signatures
• Interpreting dynamic and articulation markings in musical context
• Collaborating in small group and full band settings