Rarely has a published resource contained so much invaluable informationspecifically for middle school band directors. This much-needed volume fills a gap in the acclaimed Teaching Music through Performance series, providing critical information on creating an effective wind band program in Grades 6 through 8, from recruitment, rehearsal, repertoire, to concert. Chapters by leading middle school band directors focus on organization and administration (Gary Barton), developing proper instrumentation(Erin Cole), recruitment and retention (Chip De Stefano), technique (Ch arles R. Jackson), literature selection (Scott Tomlison), rehearsal (Marguerite Wilder), and a comprehensive listing of other resources (SusanTaylor). Central to this volume is the identification and analysis of 100 core works for middle school ensembles, organized by difficulty level, from middle school grade 1 to 3.5. A separate section is devoted entirelyto analyzing marches, also organized by difficulty level. Together, the se works make up core repertoire for middle school bands. As with other books in the Teaching Music through Performance series, each Teacher Resource Guide includes information about the composer, the work, historical perspectives, technical considerations, stylistic considerations, analysis of musical elements and form and structure, suggested listening references, and cross references to additional resources.
