GIA Publications - Midwest Clinic 2021

We're very proud to feature this new list of resources for Band and Orchestra to be unveiled at The Midwest Clinic on December 15 in Chicago. This year's selection is full of innovative works for music educators at all levels.

If you're planning on attending, visit us at the GIA Booth (#1403) to browse these and many other great resources. When you stop by, you'll also have the opportunity to talk with some of our amazing authors and educators after their workshops. A full list of all GIA promoted events and a schedule of when clinicians will be at our booth can be found here.

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New and Featured Resources for Band New and Featured Resources for Orchestra New and Featured Resources for All Educators

New and Featured Band Resources

Habits of a Successful Beginner Band Musician

A Comprehensive Method Book for Year One and Beyond

Scott Rush & Jeff Scott

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.

The Future of the Wind Band

Philosopher and Practitioner in Dialogue

William Perrine

This thought-provoking book contains seven high-level exchanges between a leading wind band practitioner and a music education philosopher. Each section of The Future of the Wind Band grapples with the most profound issues facing the music education profession and the path of instrumental music education in our schools.

Foundations

The Fundamental Elements for Building a Successful Middle School Band Program

Chip De Stefano & Chris Grifa

Written by an all-star team of music educators with over two hundred years of combined experience and success, Foundations presents the fundamental elements necessary for building, maintaining, and growing a successful middle school band program.

The Golden Age of American Bands

A Document History (1835-1935)

Bryan J. Proksch

This is the story of the American wind band, told chronologically by those who experienced it in real time from 1835 to 1935. Through source documents and articles, Bryan Proksch takes us on an extraordinary journey from the time of the first brass bands in the 1830s, through the Civil War and the golden ages of Gilmore and Sousa, to the cusp of the wind ensemble just before World War II.

Building a Band Program that Lasts

Trey Reely

Developing and sustaining a successful band program is no easy task. But there is good news—understanding and implementing critical guiding principles will provide the motivation for consistent growth and productivity. Building a Band Program that Lasts will give you the essential tools you need for lasting success in band and life.

Brass Methods

An Essential Resource for Educators, Conductors, and Students

David Kish

This book was designed for use in a heterogenous brass methods class and as a reference source for school band and orchestra directors. It provides concise descriptions and recommendations for all brass instruments, including instrument similarities and differences, breath support, historical perspective, and transposition. The information is easily accessible and provides in-depth, yet practical knowledge for music educators, conductors, and students.

Mastering Sight-Reading for Keyboard Percussion

Christopher Butler

Mastering Sight-Reading for Keyboard Percussion is designed for any performance level. The exercises included can be utilized in a multitude of different methods to allow beginners to succeed and also challenging professional musicians. These are great exercises to incorporate as part of a daily warm-up routine.

Rehearsing the Marching Band

Elements of Design, Instruction, Movement, and Performance

Stephen Meyer

Thirteen prominent designers and educators in the marching arts provide insight into their philosophy and creative process for marching band show design and share innovative teaching strategies related to visual fundamentals, visual ensemble, and generating effects that cause audience reaction.

Teaching Instrumental Music (Second Edition)

Developing the Complete Band Program

Shelley Jagow

A unique resource for both novice and experienced band directors gathering effective teaching tools from the best in the field including more than 40 chapters dealing with every aspect of teaching instrumental music from curriculum to valuable websites. This best-selling and highly praised text has become the method of choice for university methods courses throughout the United States and Canada.

Play On!

A Marine's Musical Journey from the Bayou to the White House

John Bourgeois

With his hallmark wit and eloquence, Colonel John R. Bourgeois gives an autobiographical account of his life and career as a musician from humble roots who rose through the ranks to became the twenty-fifth director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Page after page is filled with recollections from Colonel Bourgeois’s tenure with the Marine Band, many of which involve the most significant musical and political figures of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

The Horizon Leans Forward

Stories of Courage, Strength, and Triumph of Underrepresented Communities in the Wind Band Field

Compiled and edited by Erik Leung

At a time when the calls for diversity, equity, and inclusion are stronger and more important than ever, The Horizon Leans Forward... amplifies the talent and voices of the many underrepresented communities in the wind band field. This significant volume takes an honest look at the past and present state of the wind band profession and lays out a bold and promising vision for the future, one in which there is an equitable and universal representation of all people in all areas of the field.

The Ralph Vaughan William Transcription Series for Band

Ralph Vaughan Williams

In partnership with Oxford University Press and authorized by the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust, this major new initiative brings the incredible catalog of Ralph Vaughan Williams to the wind band community, with scholarly transcriptions by leaders in wind band composition.

Listening Excerpts to Develop Band Musicianship

Jim Childers

With this essential book, Jim Childers does the hard work of classifying the top wind band recordings to provide efficient excerpts for just the right concept. This resource collects hundreds of quality listening excerpts into tables and categorizes them both by instrumentation and by characteristics such as expressive elements, articulations, tempo, and more.

Teaching Music through Performance in Band - Volume 12

Volume 12 of the landmark Teaching Music through Performance in Band series continues the tradition of excellence—a resource that has become essential for every wind band conductor looking for the best repertoire or to gain insights from leaders of the profession. Like its predecessors, this mammoth volume includes Teacher Resource Guides for 100 significant works published for Grades 2 through 6, including works by Frank Ticheli, John Mackey, Julie Giroux, Ola Gjeilo, Michael Daugherty, Zhou Tian, and many more.

The System

Gary E. Smith

The System: Marching Band Methods by Gary E. Smith is the quintessential marching band instruction textbook intended for music students, drum majors, colorguard, college music majors, and band directors. It covers all the methods for building, improving and maintaining an outstanding marching band program.

Tuning for Wind Instruments

A Roadmap to Successful Intonation

Shelley Jagow

The most complete intonation resource for band directors! This book contains everything a music educator requires to approach fine-tuning intonation with their ensemble.

New and Featured Orchestra Resources

The Conductor's Craft

An Advanced Orchestral Conducting Workshop

David Itkin

This advanced orchestral conducting resource features concise discussions of advanced technical and interpretive issues for 44 major orchestral works that all conductors will perform during their careers. All music examples have been faithfully reproduced from original scores, and Maestro Itkin has also arranged each excerpt for string quintet, ideal for the conducting class setting.

Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra - Volume 4

This much-anticipated fourth volume in the indispensable Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra series arrives 13 years after the publication of the previous volume, with a new team of authors and editors, each at the top of the string education profession. But while the team is new, the book remains an essential resource for today’s string teachers and conductors at all levels.

Rehearsing the High School Orchestra

Sandy Goldie

This book contains collective insights from some of the most inspirational high school orchestra directors in the United States. They reveal their ideas on rehearsal philosophy, rehearsal preparation, warm-up strategies, favorite repertoire, tone/bow control, intonation, articulation, expression, online instruction, recruiting and building community.

Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra

Sandy Goldie

In this highly informative compendium, nationally renowned orchestra directors share their unique expertise concerning rehearsal philosophy, intonation, tone and bow control, setup and fundamentals, articulation, planning, warm-ups, recruiting, community building, and more.

A View from the Rear

Memoirs of a Virtuoso Timpanist in the Orchestra's Golden Age

Saul Goodman

At 19 years old, Saul Goodman became timpanist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini. Forty-six years later, he retired as one of the most celebrated orchestral musicians of all time. During his illustrious career as composer, inventor, and timpanist, he performed on over 1,000 recordings, placed his students in the world’s major symphony orchestras, and set standards in percussion performance and pedagogy that remain in place to this day.

Music Theory for the Successful String Musician

Christopher Selby

Music Theory for the Successful String Musician is the music theory and history curriculum string programs have been waiting for. In two carefully crafted books, author Christopher Selby presents a comprehensive and pedagogically sound sequence specifically for orchestral string students and also addresses questions and offers guidance in resolving problems that are unique to the orchestra classroom.

Creating Excellence in Choirs and Orchestras

Dennis Shrock

In Creating Excellence in Choirs and Orchestras, noted scholar and conductor Dennis Shrock uncovers the key factors and proven strategies that lead to the achievement of excellence in music ensembles at any level, from youth and volunteer groups to professional ensembles. With an inspiring premise at its core, this insightful text guides readers as they embark on their own quest for musical excellence.

New and Featured Resources for All Educators

Upbeat

Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond

Matthew Arau

Just as a conductor’s preparatory “upbeat” gesture at the beginning of a performance influences the way an ensemble plays, we too get to choose our “upbeat”—our thoughts and attitudes—at the startdsfasdfd of each day, at the beginning of each class, and in our interactions with students and colleagues.

High Needs, Monumental Successes

Teaching Music to Low-Income and Underserved Students

Donald Stinson

Every student deserves an excellent teacher, a fair chance at success, and the opportunity to participate in a school music program. With considerable depth and care—and wonderful practical suggestions—High Needs, Monumental Successes addresses the nuanced but critically important topic of teaching music to low-income and high-needs students.

Portraits of Music Education and Social Emotional Learning

Teaching Music with Heart

Scott N. Edgar

This book showcases the inspiring stories and innovative ideas of music educators who are implementing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction with intentionality in their classrooms at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Music Education and Social Emotional Learning

The Heart of Teaching Music

Scott N. Edgar

Music educators are in a prime position to help students become socially and emotionally competent while at the same time develop excellent musicianship.This pioneering book by Scott Edgar addresses how music educators can utilize Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to maximize learning in the choral, instrumental, and general music classroom at all levels, and at the same time support a student’s social and emotional growth.

Musician, Heal Thyself!

Free Your Shoulder Region through Body Mapping

Jennifer Johnson

Pain in the shoulder region is one of the most common problems afflicting instrumentalists, vocalists, and conductors alike. Musician, Heal Thyself! uses the principles of Body Mapping to free musicians of their shoulder pain, injury, and limitations, leading to more expressive and healthy music making.

The Musician's Empathy

James Jordan & Jason Max Ferdinand

In The Musician’s Empathy, James Jordan argues for both awareness and understanding of the essential role Empathy plays in honest musicianship. Jordan states that our awareness of what Empathy is (and is not) will build both new human depth and new connection within the rehearsal room and concert hall.

Boosters to the Rescue! Handbook for Educators

A Practical Handbook to Start from Scratch or Take Things to the Next Level of Success!

David W. Vandewalker

Boosters to the Rescue! goes beyond ideas and plans with online links to ready-to-use Word, Excel, and PDF files that are easy to customize and print. These reproducible tools will save you time, and enable and empower you to build an amazing team of people dedicated to musical excellence!

Strategic Plans for a Successful Booster Club

Time-Tested Concepts for Breaking Through to the Next Level

David W. Vandewalker

Strategic Plans for a Successful Booster Club is an invaluable resource for every music leader who wants to create a community of support around the important task of educating young musicians. These reproducible tools will save you time, and enable and empower you in developing your own successful booster club.

The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music

Richard Floyd

With more than fifty years of experience, Richard Floyd is a highly distinguished teacher and conductor in Texas and across the United States. Over the years, he kept a journal to document rehearsal strategies that not only improve technique within the ensemble but also achieve artistic, musical results. Each chapter contains inspiration for the conductor and simple, unique exercises designed to achieve artistry in every rehearsal.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Music Making

Richard Floyd

What are our musical sins? Are they obvious or subtle? When do we unwittingly commit such transgressions? And above all, how can we avoid them? In this sequel to his acclaimed bestselling book The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music, master teacher and conductor Richard Floyd makes a compelling case for The Seven Deadly Sins of Music Making, which he identifies and expounds upon as the following: articulation, dynamics, rhythms, tempo, line, silence, and proportion.

Completing the Circle

Free Video Resource Pages

Bud Beyer

The videos and documents on this site showcase Professor Beyer’s artistic concepts, enabling teachers and performers to comprehend these concepts and exercises with greater understanding and providing them with a practical and understandable pathway to integrate these concepts into their ensemble rehearsals, their daily teaching, and their artistic work.