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It is sometimes difficult to define exactly what makes up each grade level in band music - e.g., why a given piece is labeled Grade 3 rather than a Grade 4 - but the following guidelines can be used to aid educators in selecting music at an appropriate level of difficulty for their bands. We should always keep in mind, though, that criteria for defining each grade can vary greatly from publisher to publisher, so what one company designates as a Grade 1.5, another could call a Grade 2.5. There are no defined industry standards for grading band music, which makes the job of choosing repertoire of appropriate difficulty for one's ensemble all the trickier.
The grading system discussed below classifies pieces from Grade 0.5 to Grade 6. A range chart that provides general guidelines for each level is included. There are sometimes exceptions to even the most specific of criteria (e.g., in a jazz-oriented piece. Trumpet 1 may be expected to play notes beyond the suggested range for that level) but, in general, the parameters outlined here should help "define" each grade.
General items to consider
* range demands increase with the levels (see Range Guidelines chart below)
* technical demands increase with the levels:
? woodwinds usually see more technically-demanding parts before the brass do
? within each section, technical demands are greater for first-chair players than for the second- and third-chairs
? percussion may be asked to play more complex rhythms (e.g., 16th-notes) at a lower grade-level than the winds
* independent lines are limited in the lower grades, with many parts doubled
* time signatures, key signatures, and key changes are limited in the lower grades
* more complex rhythms and musical concepts are introduced in the higher grades
* instrumentation will expand with the grade levels (e.g., one trombone part in Grade 1.5, but three in Grade 3)
* cued parts are provided to "cover" exposed lines in the lower grades (e.g., horn cues in the saxophones)
* the duration of pieces increases with the grade levels
* more specialized instruments are introduced in the higher grades (e.g., piccolo, English horn, etc.)
Grade 0.5
These are pieces that the students often play once they are out of the beginner...