Habits of a Successful Musician

By Scott Rush & Rich Moon

Habits Successful Musicians Books

For High School and Intermediate-to-Advanced Level band musicians

 

Methods for all major band instruments, Mallets, and percussionists

 

Available as a physical book or online digital version
Online digital version available for $6.95

 

Available on both MusicFirst and MakeMusic Cloud online teaching platforms

 

Habits of a Successful Musician is a vital, field-tested series for building fundamentals and—most importantly—a musical collection of more than 200 sequential sight-reading exercises.

Perfect for use by an entire band or solo player at virtually any skill level, this series contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, sight-reading etudes, rhythm vocabulary builders, and much more. In one place, this series collects everything an aspiring player needs to build fundamental musicianship skills and then be able to transfer those skills directly into the performance of great literature.

The spiral-bound Conductor's edition features expanded text, exercises, and lessons.

Habits of a Successful Musician is the answer to the very simple question: “What should I be learning during fundamentals time?”

Habits of a Successful Musician:

  • Provides material for use during fundamentals time that would promote a comprehensive approach to developing skills necessary to fill the musical toolbox.
  • Promotes the idea that fundamentals time should transfer directly into the performance of great literature.
  • Includes a sequential format that leads to the mastery of reading rhythms and, ultimately, to musical sight-reading.
  • Provides chorales for the development of tone quality, ensemble sonority, and musicianship.
  • Presents rhythm charts in a new format to allow transfer from timing and rhythm to pitches in a musical context.
  • Provides audition etude sight-reading in a full-band format that is well thought-out in scope and sequence.
  • Presents exercises in various keys, tonalities, and modes to aid in the development of the complete musiciain.
  • Creates a mindset intent on establishing a culture of excellence for both the full band program and individual players.

Available Editions

NEW Conductor's Edition with Expanded Percussion Parts!

In 2011, we published our first method book in the Habits series, Habits of a Successful Musician. When the method was first published, the percussion part only consisted of mallet or keyboard percussion.

In 2018, our percussion writer, Kevin Boyle, wrote a battery percussion book to add to the series that consisted of snare and timpani parts for selected exercises. When this book was released, the added percussion parts were not in the 2011 version of the Conductor’s Edition.

We're excited to announce that we now have a newly released Conductor’s Edition for Habits of a Successful Musician, that includes the expanded percussion parts. This includes 22 rudiments, timpani parts for the chorales, and basic technique building exercises for percussion.

Testimonials

Habits of a Successful Musician gives the music teacher a resource that combines pedagogy, technique building, fundamental development, and sight-reading into a single book. I love being able to cover everything without having to juggle multiple method books in the student folders.

Gary Gribble

Director of Bands - Pope High School

Marietta, GA

Habits of a Successful Musician is a great resource for band directors looking for that warm-up book that offers everything: Breathing and technical exercises, lip slurs, etc. Something is in here for every student in every band in our program, from the most advanced to the most remedial. I found the sight reading section to be particularly helpful, special and unique. Our books were well used at the end of the school year.... What a great teaching tool!!

Scott Casagrande

Director of Bands - John Hersey High School

Arlington Heights, IL

Did You Know...

Each student method book in the HABITS series is available digitally for access on any device of choice!

Even More!

Habits of a Successful Beginner Band Musician comes with a FREE digital access code printed on the inside cover!

All other Habits student method books are available digitally for $6.95 (a $3 saving compared to the physical edition).

View Habits Digital Books