Up-Grade! Clarinet, Grades 2-3: Clarinet and Piano Book

Wedgwood writes with real stylistic range, and this book proves it. Moving from jazzy idioms to classical models without feeling forced or scattered keeps students engaged across a full rehearsal or practice session. The piano parts are genuinely musical partners, not afterthoughts, which means you're developing chamber music instincts from the start rather than treating accompaniment as decoration.

Brisk and generous. One moment you're playing a compact, groove-based number that makes you want to tap your foot; the next you're shaping a small classical gem with real harmonic substance. Throughout, the music feels purpose-built for where you are right now in your learning.

Clarinet students in early-to-mid elementary grades (roughly grades 2-3 at classical exam levels) who want quality repertoire between major exam cycles. If your student is gaining confidence on basic positions and rhythmic patterns, these pieces offer the next meaningful step without overwhelming.

• Listen carefully to the recorded accompaniments (available separately) to lock the harmonic and rhythmic framework before drilling rhythmic passages on your own.
• In the jazz-inflected pieces, lean into the swing feel without overblowing; let the piano's groove establish the pocket while you color the melody above it.
• Clarinet tone at this level benefits from slower practice on the lyrical selections. Use these pieces as opportunities to shape sustained lines and hear how your sound projects in a duo context.
• Mark articulation choices clearly in your part before performance. Wedgwood's stylistic shifts demand precise switching between legit legato in classical selections and tongued, bouncy attacks in the rhythmic pieces.

Program individual pieces from this collection in studio recitals, especially if you're building a short set that shows range. Alternatively, extract contrasting selections across a few weeks of lesson time to refresh the student's ears after drilling exam material. The variety prevents fatigue while maintaining forward momentum through the grade.

• Switching between classical and contemporary articulation styles
• Reading and responding to rhythmic patterns in swing and jazz idioms
• Sustained tone production and phrasing in slower, lyrical settings
• Listening and responding to piano accompaniment rather than playing in isolation
• Building independence in sight-reading across multiple stylistic contexts