Instrumental Teaching

Audrey's guide to the resources for instrumental teachers

I hope that you will find this site a useful resource with which to support your pupils' music-making! As one might expect from a publisher specialising in creative-approach resources, many Full Pitcher products are extremely innovative! On this page, you will find information about the following:

1. PDF Sheet Music Downloads and online playback of scores
2. PDF Music Downloads for Absolute Beginners
3. Improvisation Resources
4. Tonic Sol-fa
5. Printed Sheet Music, for Postal Delivery
6. Printed Sheet Music for Beginners (Postal Delivery)
7. Custom Arrange or Print

1. Full Pitcher Arrangements in PDF Format

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There is a wide range of flexibly arranged sheet music, which you can listen to online prior to purchase (downloads in PDF format) As most arrangements have contrapuntal interest, parts can be mixed and matched to form satisfying duets or trios. Some arrangements include suggestions for adding improvised parts and, for some, separate Teacher's Notes on improvisation are available.

The online playback can support your pupils' practice in several ways, including:

- demonstrating how their part should sound

- encouraging good intonation

- providing a richer and more motivating musical experience

- encouraging them to keep going, in spite of stumbles

PDf scores are currently available in the following categories:

Easy Piano
Easy Jazz Piano
Flexible Ensembles
Miscellaneous
Creative Flute/Violin
Easy String Quartets
Sacred
Christmas
Easy ensembles
Absolute Beginners:

2. Music for Beginners (PDF Downloads)

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The online "Music for Beginners" section is a useful supplement to the instrumental tutor where exposure to similar material is desirable before proceeding to the next step.

Many pupils have to move too quickly through the chosen method book because there is insufficient material to consolidate their learning, at each stage. As a result, they develop bad habits and a lack of confidence from which they never recover. This is where our, individually available, graded sheets can make a particularly valuable contribution. These accompanied pieces also make a big impression in informal concerts!

We currently have PDF downloads for beginners on the following instruments:

Recorder

You can listen to all this music on the above pages before purchasing from the store.

3. Improvisation Resources

Some of the PDF scores have suggestions for improvisation and, for some, separate teacher's notes are available giving ideas for improvisation and composition.

We also have a mail order section with publications for flute/recorder, clarinet, piano, strings and mixed ensembles, many of which include ideas for improvisation.

Technically, the pieces are fairly undemanding and, when improvising, players can work at their own level. This makes these resources ideal for the instrumental studio, where teachers can use them as a framework for creative exploration with a wide range of pupils.

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Here are two free PDF resources for you to try:

"Drunken Sailor" Improvisation Sheet
"First Blues" Improvisation Sheet

Rhythmic Reading Through Improvisation, Part 1 (PDF Format)

A fun way to help pupils internalise rhythmic patterns and develop rhythmic sight-reading.

Once pupils have developed a secure sense of pulse, they can begin to relate rhythmic groups of sounds to this underlying pulse. As we know, fluent sight-reading pre-supposes they can recognise patterns as a whole, not stopping to work out the duration of every note: bars of rhythmically grouped notes should be as familiar as the key words of their language. When we are learning to read our first words, we encounter each one, repeatedly, in many different contexts. However, the repertoire of the beginner instrumentalist seldom contains sufficient repetition of each grouping for pupils to attain easy familiarity with patterns beyond those introduced in the first few pages of a tutor book.

One way to address this problem is by the regular use of flash cards - but that can be so boring! How can we motivate them to focus their attention on a card? This resource is based on the premise that most pupils find their own ideas far more interesting than those of teachers and composers of elementary pieces! The set of 'flash cards', covers many of the rhythmic patterns the pupil will encounter in the first two or three years of instrumental tuition. 'Cards' are grouped into three levels, roughly corresponding with the requirements of UK examining boards at Grades 1,2 & 3.

PTS002A Rhythmic Reading Through Improvisation/Part 1

PDF sheet music download

Tonic Sol-fa Resources

An Introduction to Tonic Sol-fa for Instrumentalists / Part 1 (PDF Format)
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A knowledge of tonic sol-fa is most helpful to the instrumentalist. In addition to facilitating sight-singing, which is now part of the aural tests for ABRSM graded examinations, it helps memorisation, playing by ear, transposition and understanding of many aspects of theory. This resource, based on a 1-octave major scale and tonic chord, can be transposed to any key, to suit a range of instruments.

Free Download

Solfa for Grade Exam 'Singing from Score' -1

This resource is geared to the needs of the young instrumentalist preparing for the ABRSM Grade 4 Aural Test 4B. The pitch range for this test does not fit easily with the sequence of learning adopted by today's popular sight-singing methods for children, so a different approach is required to aid rapid learning of this skill. It is designed to enable the exam candidate to prepare independently, easing the pressure on lesson time.

PTS014 Solfa for 'Singing From Score'-1/Treble Clef
PDF sheet music download

Solfa for Grade Exam 'Singing from Score' -2

This resource is geared to the needs of the young instrumentalist preparing for the ABRSM Grade 4 Aural Test 5B. The pitch range for this test does not fit easily with the sequence of learning adopted by today's popular sight-singing methods for children, so a different approach is required to aid rapid learning of this skill. It is designed to enable the exam candidate to prepare independently, easing the pressure on lesson time.

PTS015 Solfa for 'Singing From Score'-2/Treble Clef
PDF sheet music download

An Introduction to Tonic Sol-fa for Flute Beginners / Part 1 (PDF Format)
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The best time to introduce sol-fa into the instrumental lesson is in the early days of tuition. Technical skills are acquired considerably quicker than sight-singing and aural skills and, at a later stage, pupils can become easily frustrated. Only the first five notes of F major scale are used in this resource, which can be transposed to any key.

PMS029/ An Introduction to Tonic Solfa for Flute Beginners

PDF sheet music download

5. Printed sheet Music Publications

We have sheet music titles available for delivery, by 1st class post, in the following categories:

Print-To-Order Ensembles

6. Printed Sheet Music for Beginners

We have a particular interest in helping pupils through those tricky days when they have just discovered that mastering the first steps in learning to play a musical instrument is more tricky than they thought it would be! The following publications are a boon to teachers searching for materials that will hold the musical interest of pupils while they consolidate the first stages of technique:

Merrily I Play Along

Description: All the favourite beginner's pieces, in one handy book, together with lyrics and lots of creative activities. Ideal for early lessons with creatively-minded teachers, or for holiday fun. Most melodies have a range of 3-6 notes (do-re-mi-fa-so-la) with appropriately-pitched versions for beginners on various instruments. See listings for individual instruments for further details.

Piano

Flute

Descant Recorder

Clarinet

Violin

Cello

Stars from the Start! - A First Concert Repertoire

When planning end of term concerts, etc., it is often difficult to find 'real concert pieces' that beginners can manage without spending an inordinate amount of lesson & practice time on them. These five melodious pieces, with a range of just five notes, are intended to plug that gap. Making use of repeated ideas, they are long enough to form satisfying solos, with piano accompaniment. Combining this with their catchy tunes and accessible technique they are, quite simply, pieces that pupils of all ages love to practice!

See printed music pages for individual instruments for further details:

Piano

Flute

Descant Recorder

Clarinet

Violin

Cello

Pitch It Right! - Fun Tunes for Early Readers

Very simple songs, for beginner readers, using the first five notes of a major scale. Pitch It Right! is ideal for teachers who adopt an aural approach to early tuition, or who use tonic sol-fa.

Flute (F-C)

Recorder (G-D)

Bb Clarinet (C-G)

Keyboard (C-G)

Custom Arrange or Print

We have a custom arrange/print service for any of the scores in our PDF section.

For Full Pitcher Flexible Ensembles or Easy/Classroom Ensembles we will prepare you a custom pack of the title of your choice (at a set price), consisting of a score and twelve instrumental parts. Each instrumental part can be supplied in any transposition. On receipt of your order, we will email you a checklist to select the instruments/transpositions you require. We are very happy to answer any queries you may have.

Instrumental Teaching forum

Instrumental Teaching Forum

The Full Pitcher message board where you can find and share information of interest to instrumental teachers.