Marching Band Arranging: Methods, Materials, Techniques [Paperback] Review

I used William Spencer-Pierce's marching band arrangements in my high school marching band for many years. They were always well received by the audience and judging community. My students and I were never dissapointed.
I recognize many of the techniques in the book because Bill explained many of the " hows and whys " of his philosophy when I was his client. This book is full of thesegreat nuggets of information on marching band arranging.
I especially like the book because it is practical rather than purely theoretical. The widespread use of musical examples really does a nice job of illustrating the text.
The book belongs in the personal library of every high school marching band director. It would also be a valuable resource for high school or college students considering a career in instrumental music education.
Experienced band directors can also benefit becausearrangements might need to be tweaked during during the marching season to adapt to personnel changes or judges' suggestions.
Based on forty years of teaching marching band, I hardily recommend this book!

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Product Description:
Conversational in style and full of practical advice, this user-friendly book takes the reader step-by-step through the process of writing effective arrangements that will make any band sound better. Over 150 musical examples illustrate the dozens of practical tips and techniques presented.Chapters include Fundamentals, Notation Basics, Basic Scoring, Form, The Wind Section, The Percussion Section, Working Procedure, Special Effects, The Jazz Idiom, and Getting A Big Sound With Smaller Groups. An Appendix includes information on copyright issues, suggested reading, and three arrangements with annotations by the author.Pencil-and-paper procedures are outlined, along with tips and techniques for using MIDI and computer notation software to input, score, print, and record. Detailed without being too technical, "Marching Band Arranging" is an excellent reference for both aspiring writers and for directors searching for ways to improve their group.

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Jazz Composition: Theory and Practice (Berklee Press) [Paperback] Review

Ted Pease has been teaching jazz composition at Berklee for 25 years, and it shows in "Jazz Composition". I was amazed at how easily Pease broke down the process of writing and composing great jazz pieces. The CD was for me, the most influential component due to the fact that it includes music-writing exercises that have greatly inhanced my writing ability. This book is a must have for any student in a theory class.

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Product Description:
When you think of jazz composers, who comes to mind? Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Bob Brookmeyer. This book is about what they (and many others) do. Jazz composition has evolved into a disciplined art that often evidences great emotional depth and breadth of sophistication. Berklee College of Music legend Ted Pease demystifies the processes involved in writing jazz tunes and in composing episodic and extended jazz works. Jazz Composition: Theory and Practice is a by-product of Pease's 25 years of teaching jazz composition. The accompanying CD helps demonstrate melody, harmony and rhythmic elements of jazz and also includes a variety of music-writing exercises focused on learning these same elements to help you begin producing your own effective jazz compositions.

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