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Northeastern Young Band
& Jazz Band Series

Young Band Series

• Grades ½ thru 2
• Music requires as few as 5 instruments:
• 1 Flute, 2 Clarinets, 1 Alto Saxophone, 1 Trumpet
• With added instrumentation the sound gets richer NOT LOUDER
• Fuller harmonies
• No doubling of notes or part
• Pieces are written to develop specific developmental skills
• Grading system is skill related
• Appropriate for elementary thru high school
• Some Grade 2 music will require more than the above 5 instruments, and a very few call for a full instrumentation

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Grade 1/2

• Can be played after 5 or 6 lessons
• Clarinets Do Not cross the break
• Highest note for trumpets is A or Bb
• All instruments play the same rhythm at the same time (except percussion)
• Rhythms are whole, half and quarter notes (8th notes in some songs; percussion will play 8th notes at times)
• All chords of the diatonic scale are used
• Easy to play; sounds harder than written
• Playable with as few as 5 instruments

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Grade 1

• Includes features of previous grade level
• Performable after the first half of the beginner method book
• Clarinets Do Not cross the break
• Trumpets highest note is usually C
• Rhythms include whole, half, dotted half, quarter and some eighth notes
• Time signatures of 2/4, 3/4, 4/4

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Grade 1 1/2

• Includes features of previous grade level
• Only 1st clarinets cross the break in some compositions
• 1st trumpet’s highest note is D, in most cases
• Rhythms include dotted quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes, as well as rhythms learned previously
• Simple syncopation introduced
• Time signatures of 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8
• Performable towards the end of the beginner method Book 1

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Grade 2

• Includes features of previous grade level
• Rhythms include dotted quarter, 8th and 16th notes
• Increased use of 8th and 16 notes, as well as syncopation
• Students should be studying from method book 2
• Time signatures include 2/4. 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, and cut-time
• Arrangements might include key changes within the compositions
• 1st clarinets usually cross or play above the break
• 1st trumpets play up to high (4th space) E

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Flex Series

• Designed for bands with all instrumentations
• Playable with a very small and/or unbalanced ensembles
• Large ensembles have a full, rich sound
• Great recruiting tools to get the lower elementary students interested in band
• Every instrument has two parts to choose from
• Parts stay within the grade level indicated
• Clarinets do not cross the break
• Music can be distributed to match the skills of the student
• Grades 1 to 1 ½

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Young Jazz Band

• Upper elementary/middle School to junior high school level compositions
• Shortest rhythmic value is the 8th note
• Highest note for trumpets is G, above the staff
• Highest note for saxophone is D, two ledger lines above the staff
• Highest note for trombone is F

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