EASTMAN COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL CLARINET CURRICULUM Revised 2000 Anthony Franco and Eva Brieger Regan LEVEL 1 (School Grade 4, Age 10) Breeze Easy Book 1 Clarinet Student Elementary Rote songs in Major E below staff to G top of staff Students will be able to perform the following scales in legato tongued quarter notes, one octave each Chromatic from C below staff to C on staff (1 octave) Rhythm and Meter: Whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes 2/4 3/4 4/4 Students will be able to perform Using breathing that clearly communicates correct phrasing Varying styles of articulation, including slurs, staccato, and legato Music which uses the following markings: DS al Coda DC al Coda First and second endings p (piano) f (forte) crescendo and decrescendo The use of rote songs at the beginning of instrumental instruction allows the student to focus primarily on learning the physical aspects of playing the clarinet without the added complication of learning to read music notation simultaneously. The student will develop a repertoire of songs from memory and will have a sense of accomplishment very early on in his/her musical career. The instructor may use the Jump Right In instrumental series, which has students playing by ear and practicing with pre-recorded accompaniment. As an alternative, students may learn songs written out by the instructor. The following are some suggestions on how to get started with this process (each instructor may choose different tunes and different keys if desired): Songs in C do
Hot Cross Buns (cde) *new notes edc edc cccc dddd edc Mary Had a Little Lamb (cde) edcdeee ddd eee edcdeeee ddedc In the Jungle (cdef) *new note cded efedc dedc ed Ode to Joy (cdefg) *new note eefg gfed ccde edd eefg gfed ccde dcc Jungle Bells (cdefg) eee eee egcde ffff feee edde dg eee eee egcde ffff feee ggfdc Lightly Row (cdefg) gee fdd cdef ggg gee fdd cegge dddd def eeee efg gee fdd ceggc Oh When the Saints (cdefg) cefg cefg cefgeced edc cegggf efgecdc LEVEL II (School Grade 6, Age 12) Methods: Breeze Easy Book 2 Clarinet Student Elementary (later part of book) Selected Duets, Beginning and Intermediate Rote songs in Major, minor Sample Solos: Whitney Clarinata Schumann for the Clarinet, inc. Folksong, op. 51 #2, Ring on My Finger, Op 42 #4 Mendelssohn/Bender March of the Priests Handel/Hovey Sarabande and Couree Haydn/Kaplan Theme and Variations E below staff to C above staff Students will be able to perform the following scales in at least two Octaves a minor (natural) d minor (natural) Bb Major g minor (natural) e minor (natural)
D Major (1 octave) b minor (natural) Chromatic from A below staff to G above staff Rhythm and Meter: Sixteenth notes, and rhythms involving 16 th and 8 th notes, including Syncopations and dotted eighth rhythms 2/2 12/8 9/8 6/8 3/8 LEVEL III (School Grade 6-7, Age 12-14) Methods: Studies and Melodious Etudes Collis Clarinet Student, Intermediate Method Hite Melodious and Progressive Etudes, Book 1 Selected Duets, Beginning & Intermediate Sample Solos Divertimento in Bb Romanze and Menuetto E below to D above a minor (natural) d minor (natural) Bb Major g minor (natural) Eb Major e minor (natural) e minor (natural) D Major b minor (natural) A Major f # minor (natural) Chromatic from E below staff to high F above staff Level IV (School Grade 8-9, Age 14-16) Rubank Advanced Method, vol. 1 Hite
Melodious and Progressive Etudes, Book 1 Selected Duets, Beginning and Intermediate Sample Solos Milhaud Petite Concert Vaughan-Williams Six Studies on English Folksong Gordon Sonatina Stamitz Concerto #3 Telemann in C Minor #3 E below to F above Introduction of harmonic and melodic minor scales (at this point, minors should be done in all 3 forms) a minor d minor B b Major g minor E b Major c minor A b Major f minor e minor D Major b minor A Major f # minor E Major c # minor Chromatic from E below staff to high F above staff Twinkle (cdefga) new note ccggaag ffeeddc ggffeed ggffeed ccggaag ffeeddc Frere Jacques (cdefga) cdec cdec efg efg gagfec gagfec cgc cgc Cumbaya (cdefga) ceggg aag ceggg fed ceggg aag fec ddc My Country tis of Thee (bcdefga) new note ccdbcd eefedc dcbc ggggfe ffffed efedc efg afedc Songs in G do: Same as above, using low gab, gabc, gabcd, gabcde (my country is optional) *new notes Songs in F do:
Same as above, using low fga, fgab(flat), fgab9flat)c, fgab(flat)cd, efgab(flat)cd *new notes Yankee Doodle (fgab(flat) throat tones) *new note ffga fagc ffga fe ffga b(flat) b(flat) aaggf Goodnight Ladies (fgab(flat)) afcf afgg afb(flat) b(flat) b(flat) aaggf In the Jungle (fgab(flat)) Fgag ab(flat) Songs in C do using high notes: Same as above LEVEL V: DIPLOMA LEVEL (School Grade 10-12, Age 16-18) Rose 32 Etudes Baermann Complete Method, vol. 3 OR Baermann/Hite Foundation Studies (scale books) Bonade Orchestral Excerpts Selected Duets, Advanced Klose duets from Complete Method Langenus Clarinet Method, part 3, duets Sample Solos Weber Concertino Saint-Saens Quintet Hindemith Copland Concerto Finzo 5 Bagatelles E below staff to high G above staff Minor scales in all forms a minor e minor d minor D Major b minor B b Major
g minor A Major f # minor E b Major c minor E Major c # minor A b Major f minor B Major g # minor D b Major b b minor Chromatic from E below staff to high G above staff Rhythm and Meter: I ntroduction of mixed meters 5 7 7 8 8 4 STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PERFORM with an understanding of advanced phrasing, rubato, and espressivo. LEVEL VI: HONORS LEVEL (School Grade 11-12, Age 16-18) Rose 32 Etudes Rose 40 Etudes Baermann Complete Methods, vol. 3 OR Baermann/Hite Foundation Studies (scale books) Polatschek Studies Bonade Orchestral Studies Kell Staccato Studies Selected Duets, Advanced Klose duets from Complete Method Langenus Clarinet Method, part 3, duets Suggested Solos: Brahms Fm E b Schumann Fantasy Pieces Stravinsky Three Pieces Weber Concerto #1, Concerto #2 Grand Duo Concertante Copland
Concerto Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie Poulenc Spohr (Concertos) Marty Fantasy Osborne Rhapsody All Major and minor scales; minor scales in all forms Chromatic from E below staff to double high A above staff STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PERFORM with an understanding of advanced phrasing, rubato, and expressivo.