Blast Off! – Very Easy Beginning Band arrangement

Blast Off! – Very Easy Beginning Band arrangement

Great for teaching the concert Bb scale to part 1 players.

The Hitchcock System for Beginning Band-

Beginning band arrangements using the Hitchcock system have 2 parts for each instrument. Part 1 is the melody (or melodic harmony) using the first 5-8 notes of the concert Bb scale. This part would be easily playable by 2nd year players or 1st year players later in the year. Part 2 is an extremely simple part using only 2-3 pitches per part. When combined they create basic chords. This part is useful for beginners in September, or those students who are struggling with note reading or coordination.

All rhythms are very basic and are often taught in their general music classes. The extensive doubling of the melody ensures that it can be covered by any number or combination of instruments. The extreme ease of Part 2 allows me to quickly teach the band music and move onto the more logical, sequential learning of a method book. Once the simple parts are learned I can spend my rehearsal time working on band etiquette, tone quality, dynamics, balance, and intonation.

Included are parts for Flute 1, Flute 2, Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone 1, Alto Saxophone 2, Tenor Saxophone 1 , Tenor Saxophone 2, Baritone Saxophone 1, Baritone Saxophone 2, French horn 1, French Horn 2, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Trombone/Baritone (bass clef) 1, Trombone/Baritone (bass clef) 2, Tuba 1, Tuba 2, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, and Hand Percussion (accessories). There is not a recording of this piece available.

Although 22 parts have been included in an easy to use pdf file, not all parts need to be covered. This system provides for extreme flexibility with regards to instrumentation. It can be played by small chamber sized ensembles as well as groups of 100 or more.

Please contact me with any issues, or concerns. I will do my best to address them.

(c) Copyright 2000 by K. Hitchcock