The Best of Shorties, Volume 2: B-flat Clarinet Book

López has curated 18 crowd-pleasing tracks that live at exactly the grade level where students start feeling like real musicians. The instrumentation (keyboard, electric bass, drumset) transforms these charts into full-sounding ensembles even with modest clarinet forces, and the variety of styles keeps rehearsals fresh and students engaged across genres that matter to them.

These arrangements sparkle with contemporary energy and classic swagger. Whether you're digging into funk grooves like "Conga" and "Jungle Boogie" or swinging through jazz standards like "Sing, Sing, Sing," the sound is always confident and fun, with clarinet lines that sit squarely in the pocket.

This collection works for marching bands, pep bands, and stands bands at grades 2-3 who want accessible arrangements of recognizable songs. It's ideal for directors building a flexible library of short charts that play well for games, pep rallies, and casual performances without requiring large instrumentation.

• Listen closely to the recorded versions of these songs before rehearsing. Recognizing the original groove, phrasing, and energy will help your clarinetists nail the style.
• Balance the clarinet line carefully with your bass and drums. These arrangements rely on tight rhythmic cohesion to sound polished, so lock the section parts first.
• Pay attention to dynamics marked in the book. Even short charts benefit from shape and contrast; avoid playing everything at one volume level.
• Let your rhythm section (keyboard and bass) lead in rehearsals. Once the groove is steady, the clarinet parts will sit cleanly on top.

Build a rotation of these charts for game day and pep rally performances. They work especially well as openers or closers in a program because they're short enough to keep energy high without eating into your concert time, and their familiar melodies connect immediately with audiences.

• Playing with rhythmic precision in funk and rock styles
• Reading syncopated eighth-note and sixteenth-note patterns
• Matching tone and articulation to contemporary genres
• Responding to dynamic changes in short-form arrangements
• Blending with bass and rhythm section accompaniment