Technic Today, Part 1: E-flat Alto Clarinet (E-flat Clarinet) Book

Ployhar built this supplement on years of classroom experience, which shows in every exercise. The progression mirrors how students actually learn, moving through foundational patterns before tackling more complex technical demands. If you're already teaching Band Today Part One, this book feels like the natural next step rather than an add-on.

Purposeful and direct. These exercises strip away melody to focus on the mechanics of playing, yet they're written with musicality in mind rather than as dry drills. Each page builds confidence in specific technical areas while maintaining enough variety to keep practice engaging.

E-flat alto clarinetists who are working through Band Today Part One and need targeted technical reinforcement. The book serves students at the late beginner to early intermediate stage who benefit from focused exercises on scales, intervals, articulation, and rhythmic precision.

• Work through the exercises systematically rather than jumping around; the sequence reinforces concepts from earlier pages and prepares for what comes next.
• Use a metronome from the start, beginning at a tempo where your student can execute the technique cleanly before gradually increasing speed.
• Connect the technical work back to the Band Today method repertoire your ensemble is learning; recognize patterns and articulation shapes that appear in both books.
• Schedule short, focused practice sessions with these exercises (10-15 minutes) rather than extended drills to maintain clarity and prevent fatigue.

Assign exercises as weekly homework that directly supports the Band Today method your ensemble is studying. This keeps technical development consistent across your section and reinforces the same fingering patterns and articulation styles students encounter in rehearsal. For students working ahead or struggling with specific passages in method repertoire, target individual exercises that address their needs.

• Scale passages and interval reading
• Articulation clarity and consistency
• Rhythmic precision and subdivision
• Tonguing coordination with fingering changes
• Dynamic control across the instrument's range
• Sight-reading fluency in basic concert keys