Habits of a Successful Beginner Band Musician is a field-tested, vital, and—most important—musical collection of 225 sequenced exercises for the beginning band student. The book’s cutting-edge online component, Habits Universal, features a backend gradebook that allows students to submit video recordings of their performances as a primary source of assessment. This gradebook is compatible with PowerSchool, Canvas, Google Classroom, Brightspace, Edmodo, Schoology, and many other platforms! In addition, Habits Universal features supplemental rhythm vocabulary sheets, accompaniment tracks, video start-up clinics, as well as a professional video coach for each exercise in the book.

Whats makes Habits of a Successful Beginner Band Musician unique? Features Include:

• Teacher tips for each exercise in the book.
• Diatonic solfege that begins on the first day of instruction.
• Initial exercises on the mouthpiece, mouthpiece and barrel, reed, bocal and reed, or headjoint prior to playing the first notes in the book.
• Sequential rhythm charts embedded in the book. These same rhythms are then presented with pitches for a seamless transfer to the music students are performing.
• Technique and skill-building exercises embedded within the method, which helps to prepare students for future Habits exercises.
• Rhythm vocabulary that progresses through quarters, eighths, dotted rhythms, sixteenths, and an eighth and two sixteenths.
• And much, much more!

Habits of a Successful Middle School Musician is a field-tested, vital, and—most importantly—musical collection of more than 300 sequenced exercises for building fundamentals.

Habits of a Successful Middle School Musician:

• Provides material for use during fundamentals time that promotes a comprehensive approach to developing skills necessary to fill the musical toolbox.
• Presents effective exercises for clarinets going over the break, trombones in second and fifth position, flutes going from C to D, percussion sticking, trombone F- attachment tips, and L and R indicators for clarinet.
• 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.
• Combines pedagogy, technique building, fundamentals development, sight-reading and musicianship into one book under one cover.

Perfect for use by an entire band or solo player for years two, three, and beyond, this series contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, chorales, sight-reading etudes, rhythm vocabulary exercises, and much more. In one place, this series presents 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.

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.

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 musician.
• Creates a mindset intent on establishing a culture of excellence for both the full band program and individual players.

Habits of a Successful Beginner Mariachi Músico is a field-tested, vital, and – most important – musical collection of over 100 sequenced exercises to build fundamentals in a beginner mariachi program. Perfect for use by an entire ensemble or solo player, this series contains carefully sequenced exercises for violin, trumpet, guitar/vihuela, and guitarrón that also include rhythm vocabulary charts, musical terms, and activities to teach idiomatic genres and styles. In one place, this series presents everything an aspiring player needs to build fundamental musicianship skills and then transfer those skills directly into the performance of great mariachi literature.

Habits of a Successful Young String Musician is a field-tested and musical collection of 220 sequenced exercises for the beginning string student. The companion website (www.habitsstrings.com) features supplemental resources including accompaniment tracks, start-up clinic videos, and full performance videos for each exercise in the book. These cutting-edge online components are on MusicFirst (PracticeFirst) and MakeMusic Cloud (SmartMusic).

What makes Habits of a Successful Young String Musician unique?

Tone is at the heart of this method.

• Students begin using the bow earlier than other resources.
• The familiar melodies enable students to use their ears to develop good pitch and tone.
• Online videos allow students to see and hear professional string players modeling goodtone and technique for each exercise.

Tonal Literacy is a key focus of this book.

• All four open strings are introduced early.
• New notes are introduced with clear fingerboard diagrams and pictures next to the staff.
• New keys are taught by highlighting notes affected by the new key signature.

Online resources (www.habitsstrings.com) include instructional videos by professional string coaches to reinforce instrument position, left-hand set-up, bow hand technique, hooked bows, slurs, developing good tone, as well as shifting and positions in the lower strings.

More than 180 NEW Sight Reading and Rhythm Exercises!

Habits of a Successful String Musician, Second Edition is a complete method of over 400 musical exercises for teaching upper-level string students the technical skills needed to play advanced orchestral music. Perfect for an entire string orchestra or solo player, this series contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, sight-reading etudes, rhythm vocabulary studies, chorales, tuning canons, and much more. It includes everything an aspiring string musician needs to build musicianship skills and then transfer those skills into the performance of great literature.

What’s NEW in the Second Edition?

• Part I. Tone and Articulation: The open-string exercises and bowing variations remain invaluable tools for teaching articulation skills. The Second Edition now includes a rhythm canon for combining various articulations and new melodic exercises for developing tone, blend, vibrato, spiccato, and sautillé.
• Part II. Left Hand Patterns, Positions, and Shifting: Left-hand exercises are now organized into a sequence of musical exercises and etudes that review middle level skills, extend up to the highest registers, and teach alternate clefs and thumb position. A new Intermediate Positions curriculum teaches young cellists the shifting skills required for keys with more than three sharps or flats. A new sequence of two-octave arpeggios in ten keys improves students’ range and fluency across the instrument. The Advanced Positions pages contain new etudes for teaching the chromatic scale, diminished arpeggios, harmonics, thumb position, alternate clefs, and other challenging skills seen in advanced orchestral
• Part III. Scales, Arpeggios, and Thirds: This section still has the much-loved tuning canons and chords, dominant arpeggios, and thirds, as well as one-, two-, and three-octave scales and arpeggios in all twelve major and minor keys. The Second Edition has improved cello and bass fingerings and includes bass scales with C-extensions.
• Part IV. Chorales: There are now 50 percent more chorales in a greater variety of keys and from more diverse cultural backgrounds.

Habits of a Successful Middle Level String Musician is a field-tested musical collection of over 300 sequenced exercises for building fundamentals. Perfect to use with the entire string orchestra or a solo player, this series contains carefully sequenced finger pattern and shifting etudes, tone and articulation warm-ups, sight-reading exercises, rhythm vocabulary studies, chorales, 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.

Habits of a Successful Middle Level String Musician:

• Presents a differentiated, sequential, and comprehensive method for developing finger pattern and shifting skills to address the most common problems encountered by intermediate level orchestra students.
• Organizes tone, rhythm, and articulation patterns into a flexible and sequential series.
• Creates a method for teaching scales, arpeggios, and thirds that simultaneously accommodates students of different ability levels.
• Provides chorales for the development of intonation, tone quality, blend, and musicianship.
• Presents rhythm charts in a new format to allow transfer from timing and rhythm to pitches in a musical context.
• Includes over ten pages of audition sight-reading exercises in a full- ensemble format that is well planned in scope and sequence.
• Promotes the idea that students should cross the threshold from the “technical components of playing” to music making.

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

Habits of a Successful String Musician is a field-tested, vital, and—most importantly—musical collection of almost 400 sequenced exercises for building fundamentals. Perfect to use with the entire string orchestra or solo player at virtually any skill level, this series contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, sight-reading etudes, rhythm vocabulary studies, chorales, tuning canons, 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.

• Presents a differentiated, sequential, and comprehensive method for developing skills that lead to the mastery of reading rhythms, and ultimately, to musical sight-reading.
• Creates a method for teaching scales, arpeggios and thirds that simultaneously accommodates students of different ability levels.
• Organizes tone, rhythm and articulation patterns into a flexible and sequential series.
• Creates finger pattern and velocity studies that address the most common problems encountered by intermediate orchestra students.
• Provides beginning through advanced shifting exercises for students of every level.
• Creates exercises for learning alternate clefs and higher positions.
• Provides chorales for the development of intonation, tone quality, blend and musicianship.
• Presents rhythm charts in a new format that allows transfer from timing and rhythm to pitches in a musical context.
• Provides audition sight-reading in a classroom “full ensemble” format that is well planned in scope and sequence. There are over 130 sight-reading examples in this book.
• Promotes the idea that students should cross the threshold from the “technical components of playing” to music making.

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

Habits of a Successful Choral Musician is a field-tested, vital, and—most important—musical collection of more than 200 sequenced exercises for building fundamentals and artistry.

Perfect for use by an entire choir or soloist, this book contains carefully sequenced warm-ups, vocalises, chorales, rhythm work, tonal patterns, sight-singing etudes, and much more. In one place, this book presents everything an aspiring singer needs to build fundamental musicianship skills and then be able to transfer those skills directly into the performance of great literature.

Habits of a Successful Choral Musician:

• Provides material for use during fundamentals time that promotes a comprehensive approach to developing skills necessary to fill the musical toolbox.
• Includes a sequential format that leads to the mastery of reading rhythms and, ultimately, to musical sight-singing.
• Provides chorales and other ensemble exercises for the development of tone quality, ensemble sonority, and musicianship.
• Includes partner songs, folk songs, and rounds to develop harmony skills.
• Combines pedagogy, literacy, fundamentals development, sight-singing, and musicianship into one book under one cover
• Promotes the idea that technique and artistry are not taught in silos but are simultaneously taught as students build capacity in both areas.
• Provides chorales for the development of intonation, tone quality, blend and musicianship.

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

In music programs across the country, student leadership is often thought of in terms of titles, authority status, section leader positions, and being in charge of others—a responsibility assumed by only a select few. But what if we reframed and broadened the idea of leadership to include all students as leaders of their own pathway in life?

Band director Scott Rush and leadership legend Tim Lautzenheiser join forces to create Pathway to Success, a dynamic and engaging resource that fosters the leadership qualities of every student, not just the chosen few. This workbook guides students through ten sequential levels as they journey up the metaphorical mountain of self-leadership.

Along the way, students will encounter lessons, activities, stories, quotes, and questions that address the key qualities of any effective leader: communication, attitude, honesty, trust, integrity, self-discipline, emotional health, goal setting, relationships, cooperation, loyalty, selflessness. Upon reaching the summit, students are challenged to create a “moonshot”—to set a goal and achieve something that has never been done before!

True leadership begins with self-reflection in each and every student. All students can benefit when they see themselves as their own best leaders, and therein lies the foundation of a culture of excellence. Pathway to Success is a groundbreaking leadership program designed to inspire student growth and enhance any band, choir, or orchestra program—and beyond.