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Music selection for beginners

Posted by Art Vandelay on 2/3/2023, 7:53 am

Hello

I'm wanting to start an after school group for my 6th grade beginners. This group will be primarily African American students and would be about 30 students. Flutes, Clarinets, Trumpets, Trombones and Percussion are my instruments that I have.
I'm looking for music that will inspire these students to continue on to 7th grade band. Any tips?

Re: Music selection for beginners

Posted by More details needed on 2/3/2023, 10:24 am, in reply to "Music selection for beginners"

This is a cool opportunity and really not bad instrumentation - maybe. Do you have equal numbers of players on all instruments or odd numbers (i.e. 11 flutes, a clarinet, 2 trumpets, 6 trombones and 10 percussion)?

If the numbers are relatively equal, I think there's a great deal of playable beginner music out of method books.

Re: Music selection for beginners

Posted by Hmm on 2/3/2023, 9:45 am, in reply to "Music selection for beginners"

Why the race? What purpose does that information serve? Would we make different suggestions if they were white, Hispanic or Asian?

Music to inspire? Classic band literature. Ethnically adjacent music to inspire? Maybe a little presumptive/condescending.

1. Show them the great band literature that keeps you going.
2. Show them old and new black composers like Scott Joplin, William Grant Still, Quincy Hilliard, and William Owens.
3. Ask the students what they want to play.

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