[Trombone-l] Trombone-l Digest, Vol 22, Issue 3

[Jackie Harris-Stone]

 This ended up rather long, but here's what I use for students of the level you mentioned (past the 3 Standard of Excellence, but  w/ limited range):
   
   
    I second the Rubank, highly.  You can also try Kopprasch, Slama, Arbans, the Pares scale studies,  
   
    Before Rochut, there's Studies in Legato - some easier etudes that cover the same sort of thing with limited range.  
   
    I like solo collections for students at this level, too.  There's a collection called "solos for the trombone"- there's a play-along version, and I like it because it takes the students through the transition from hitting F's to gaining register to play pieces such as the entire Rimsky Korsakov, with good music, though usually on the slow side- it includes transcriptions from music from other instruments, movements from  the Galliard sonatas, the Rimsky Korsakov, and Morceau Sinfonique at the end, and Mippy II in the non- play-a-long version, good music, but it starts lower and easier, so it gently stretches the students until they can play the higher register. 
   
     Before that, there's the Vandercook pieces- they're Arthur Pryor style, so some kids might find them a bit cheesy (I'm thinking more of my college beginners), but others will find them fun.   It also has a play-along version, which I like.   
   
    The Galliard sonatas are good, too, for early advanced, then the Rimsky Korsakov, and the Mozart bassoon sonata.  (both the latter have Bb's, so I'd use them after "solos for trombone")
   
    I'm doing the Pederson trombone trios in my group classes at this level- I decided that in school settings, I was going to shave 10 minutes off each class so I can use the extra time for an ensemble, which has helped tremendously in enjoyment of the instrument, and lets me teach ensemble skills.  I'm still looking for a good quartets collection for the level you're talking about- they're beyond my easy quartets and not quite ready for achieved- we're doing an edited version of Tiger Rag, (i.e. we stop before it gets tricky, and give students the leeway to improvise on the written out solos to simplify), and I'm going to try the Equali, though I don';t think that's "cool" like the others were.   Last year w/ my scool aged intermediates,  I composed something for them, out of desperation, which you can find on the Finale website- Monterrey Blues. It satisfied the "cool" factor, and taught them the beginning of the blues scale, though it's not tecnically a blues in form. 
 (Again, I played the top part- the bottom part is for tuba)
   
     For a first quartet experience, I use a book called concert for strings, which has some sharps in,. and "Quartets for all" which is entirely flats (I play the top part, but at the level you're talking about you can get them to play the top parts.   
   
    I'm also taking the students through a scale a week- I start w/ pentachords and chords, to learn notes and keep it simple if they're school aged, (older beginniers can go straight to scales)  then go on to learning scales and arpeggios, then scales and their relative minors with arpeggios, then add the forms of minors (sometimes I teach Dorian too, for imprv.), and then interrupted scales in thirds (123 234 345 456 567 678 789 8 876 765 654 543 432 321 217 1), then scales in thirds (13 24 35 46 57 68 79 8 86 75 64 53 42 31 27 1) Past that, I have a list I go through, but that's for more advanced levels.  
   
    Theyre also at an age where they like playing the scales, arpeggios, or whatever you're teaching them to jazz rhythms with the Aebersold Major/ minor, and starting to improvise a bit.  
  
  Hope this helps generate some ideas!
   
   

Jackie Harris-Stone
Bass Trombone, Orquesta Sinfonica de Monterrey 
Professor of Trombone, Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza, 
Professor of Low Brass, UANL
 
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