Sound Innovations for Concert Band: Ensemble Development for Intermediate Concert Band: Trombone 1 Book

This book bridges the critical gap between foundational method work and full concert repertoire. The 412 carefully organized exercises and 70+ chorales by respected composers give your trombone section tools to develop both technical independence and refined ensemble listening, all within a single resource that grows with your students' abilities.

Working through these exercises builds quiet confidence. The progression feels natural rather than forced, and the chorales by today's most widely performed band composers give students a tangible connection to music they'll play in concert.

Trombone 1 players in intermediate concert bands who need focused, composer-grounded material to strengthen ensemble blend, intonation, and musicianship without abandoning technical development. This book serves bands transitioning from pure method work into more sophisticated literature, as well as programs that want a unified resource for sectional rehearsals and individual practice.

• Study the marked chorales first to establish stylistic consistency across the section. These pieces by Boysen, Sheldon, Standridge, and other working composers reflect current band repertoire idioms your students will encounter in full-length works.
• Use the unmarked exercises to build independence and musical decision-making. Have individual students or small groups propose dynamic shapes and articulation choices before you confirm or adjust them as a section.
• Organize your practice around the key groupings to maximize transfer. Work through multiple exercises in the same key at successive rehearsals so students solidify their intonation and fingering patterns without distraction.
• Deploy the variety of difficulty levels strategically within a rehearsal. Warm up with accessible exercises at the same difficulty level, then tackle more demanding writing that requires students to apply what they've just practiced.

Use this as your primary trombone sectional resource during the intermediate years, cycling through it across multiple seasons so students encounter all 412 exercises and absorb the musical language of the composers whose full works you program. The flexible unmarked exercises also serve as warm-up material before rehearsing larger ensemble pieces, allowing the section to coordinate sound and phrasing independent of the full band.

• Reading and performing in multiple keys with secure intonation
• Articulation clarity and consistency across the section
• Balance of stylistic markings (dynamics, tempo, character) with musical intuition
• Blend and tuning in interval-based exercises
• Sustained tone control and breath management across phrase lengths
• Quick transposition and adaptation to written exercises at varying difficulty levels