“Sounds of Silence” A Rhythm Study Focusing on Rests:

               There was a “Habits” book written by Scott Rush and me that preceded the high school “Habits” book for bands.  We worked on it for three years, but it was shelved when GIA decided to use a different format instead.  The original one was organized into fifteen “rhythm vocabulary” units.  The “Sounds of Silence” was a supplemental section near the end of that first book.  Rests give many students a bit of a challenge and many times, even more so than notes.  These were designed to help prepare for “sight-reading” auditions, as well as rhythm reading in general.

I thought I would include this on my website to offer some additional materials in this area.  The three or four lines (that are in each unit) are designed to stand alone or be played in any combination with each other.  The purpose is to heighten the “challenge” level of the exercise and (more specifically) focuses on “independent part” counting and playing skills.