The Real Book for Beginning Elementary Band Students: Clarinet / Trumpet
Seventy familiar songs using just six notes give young clarinet and trumpet players an unusually large amount of real music to read and enjoy. The first half provides letter names inside the noteheads; the second half repeats the same seventy songs without the letters.
- Extra-large, uncluttered notation
- Familiar music instead of endless exercises
- Letter-name support that eventually disappears
- One B-flat edition for clarinet and trumpet
70 Songs. Six Notes. Two Ways to Read Every Song.
Instead of continually adding more pitches, the book keeps the note vocabulary manageable and gives beginners a large amount of music to actually play.
Familiar Songs
Classical themes, folk songs, patriotic music and traditional favorites keep practice varied.
Notes to Manage
Students can focus on reading, rhythm and tone without being overwhelmed by an ever-expanding pitch range.
Reading Stages
Every song first appears with letter-name support and then returns without it.
Play It With the Letters. Then Play It Without Them.
The second half presents the same seventy-song repertoire again, giving students familiar musical material when the reading support disappears.
Letter Names Inside the Notes
Beginners connect each written note with its letter name while learning familiar songs.
Standard Notation
The letters disappear while the familiar songs remain. Students now read the same music directly from the staff.
The Same Music — With and Without Letter Names
These comparisons use actual pages from the book. Click any image to enlarge it.
Click to enlarge
The First Songs — Pages 1 and 35
Beginning favorites first appear with note-name support and then
return later in standard notation.
Click to enlarge
Classical Repertoire — Pages 16 and 50
Carnival of Venice and Morning from Peer Gynt show how substantial
repertoire can remain accessible.
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Spring from The Four Seasons — Pages 26 and 60
More active rhythms show how much genuine musical reading can
happen within a six-note range.
Less Note-Chasing. More Actual Reading.
A beginning clarinetist or trumpeter already has plenty to manage: breathing, articulation, fingerings or valves, rhythm, posture and tone.
Keeping the pitch range small reduces one source of difficulty while still providing a large amount of varied music.
- More repetition of essential first fingerings
- More attention available for rhythm and steady pulse
- More opportunities to recognize notes rather than guess
- Enough variety to keep practice interesting
Made for Clarinet or Trumpet
Clarinet and trumpet are both B-flat instruments, making this shared written edition especially useful for lessons and mixed beginning groups.
Beginning Clarinet
Reinforce first fingerings, articulation, rhythm and reading while adding a large amount of familiar repertoire.
Beginning Trumpet
Reinforce the first valve combinations, articulation, rhythm and reading through the same seventy-song collection.
Familiar Music Keeps Beginning Reading Interesting
First Favorites
- Hot Cross Buns
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Au Claire de la Lune
- Good King Wenceslas
- Long, Long Ago
Classical Themes
- Rondo alla Turca
- Morning from Peer Gynt
- Spring from The Four Seasons
- Ode to Joy
- Barcarolle
Traditional Music
- A Tisket, A Tasket
- Carnival of Venice
- Oh, Susana
- Folk melodies
- Classroom favorites
Reading Variety
- Quarter and half notes
- Whole notes
- Eighth-note patterns
- Different meters
- Increasing rhythmic independence
The Real Book for Elementary Band Students
The same six-note, seventy-song concept is available for many beginning band instruments.
One Reading Approach Across the Band
Matching instrument editions give teachers a consistent way to develop note reading across a mixed elementary band. Students can work on coordinated repertoire while using the written range appropriate for their instrument.
Choose an instrument below to see its Music Fun Books page.
Use It as a Reading Book or Musical Supplement
School Band
Add familiar-song reading alongside the regular beginning method.
Private Lessons
Give students extensive reading without continually adding new notes.
Small Groups
Clarinet and trumpet students can use the same written material together.
Home Practice
Recognizable tunes make independent reading practice more rewarding.
Why I Created the Real Book Approach
Beginning students need repetition, but repetition does not have to mean playing the same exercise over and over.
By limiting the pitch vocabulary to six notes, I could give students seventy different songs while they continued reinforcing the same essential note-reading and fingering skills.
The letter names in the first half are temporary support. The goal is the second half, where the student returns to already familiar music and reads it without those letters.
Questions About The Real Book
Is this a complete beginning clarinet or trumpet method?
Why does the book use only six notes?
Are there really seventy different songs?
Why are the songs repeated?
Will students become dependent on the letter names?
Does the same book work for both clarinet and trumpet?
Is a free sample available?
Give a Beginning Player Seventy Reasons to Keep Reading
Six notes, seventy familiar songs and a built-in transition from note-name support to independent standard notation.