Review

Brian Allen
Trombone Bop Level 1:

, United States
Publisher: Braintone Music
Date of Publication: 2024
URL: http://www.braintone.com

110 pages

Primary Genre: Study Material - method
Secondary Genre: Study Material - etude

Brian Allen’s Trombone Bop method books are based on the Japanese developed Piano Bop piano books. Divided between three volumes each spanning about 100 pages, the Trombone Bop series contains a diverse variety of materials for a younger developing trombonist. The pedagogy is approached via etudes, short pieces, games, listening exercises, and written puzzles to help students develop reading skills, technique, fundamental musicianship, and creativity. Each page contains detailed descriptions of how to perform each exercise to aid not only the student but also the teacher in how best to make use of the books.

Unlike many competing materials in this space, the Trombone Bop approach emphasizes creativity and curiosity with many open-ended assignments and listening exercises. There are fun black and white illustrations throughout each page and an abundance of helpful information specific to each exercise. There are crossword puzzles to find musical terms, tic-tac-toe puzzles to help learn slide positions, and research prompts to guide students to learn more about a particular trombonist, topic, or genre of music on their own.

Despite being nearly three times the length of many competing introductory method books, these books are printed in black and white on inexpensive paper that allows them to be competitive on price with other series that contain only a fraction of the content. There is also a wealth of free online fully orchestrated recordings spanning a variety of musical genres which accompany these books

The Trombone Bop series is perhaps best suited for use in a private one-on-one lesson context with an experienced trombonist who is also a dedicated teacher comfortable working with younger students. A lot of these exercises will likely require extensive demonstration and patience as students explore them. It introduces a large volume of content very quickly which could prove problematic for many students, especially if one-on-one instruction time is limited.

Brian Allen’s Trombone Bop series represents a much needed comprehensive pedagogical approach for younger trombonists. In the right educational setting, it has the potential to revolutionize trombone instruction for younger beginning trombonists.