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Hello Friends,

Can you help with giving some suggested solo pieces w/piano for an 8th grade euphonium student and where to get them? It needs to be relatively easy and not go too high. It is for a competition they hold within the school or district I believe. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete Link

Philip Sparke - Fantasy for Euphonium
Endering Young Charms - Arr Stanley Boddington
Beautiful Colorado - Arr Stanley Boddington
Pantomime - Philip Sparke

NickJones wrote:Philip Sparke - Fantasy for Euphonium
Endering Young Charms - Arr Stanley Boddington
Beautiful Colorado - Arr Stanley Boddington
Pantomime - Philip Sparke

Are you serious? For an eighth-grader?

There is a really nice and easy arrangement of Greensleeves that I've heard several middle-school euphoniumists play well. I'm sorry, but I don't remember the arranger.

Sorry I thought you meant a grade 8 student ( which any of the pieces I listed should be quite possible ) saying that any high school student who is serious about Euph playing should get these solos , If you only play easy repoirtoire then how are you to improve?

NickJones wrote:Sorry I thought you meant a grade 8 student ( which any of the pieces I listed should be quite possible ) saying that any high school student who is serious about Euph playing should get these solos , If you only play easy repoirtoire then how are you to improve?

In the U.S., an 8th grade student would be about 13 years old and would have been playing the euphonium 2 or 3 years.

right that clears it up , not knowing the US education system or the student involved , still always good if the student has a real talent to test them with solo's like fantasy for Euph etc. who knows you might have a talent like David Thornton ( who was playing for UK Championship section bands at the age of 13) and Glyn Williams who was doing the same with the national youth brass band of wales

There are some great solos for the young player, here are a few that I remember playing at an early age:

-Solos
Andante and Allegro - Ropartz
Camping Out - Smith/arr. Falcone
Electra III - Smith/arr. Falcone
Berceuse, Op.7 - Boehme
Allerseelen - Strauss/arr. Walters
Pastorale - Frackenpohl

-Solo Collections
Classic Festival Solos, Vol. 1 - Lamb
Concert and Contest Collection - Voxman
Solos for the Trombone Player - Smith
Classic Festival Solos, Vol. 2 - Lamb

Hope this helps. In regards to the levels, the UK grading system is much different than ours. By stating grade 8, that is actually a much higher level of playing than someone in 8th grade.

- Pat Stuckemeyer

Since we're on the subject of UK & USA music education levels, would someone care to make a comparison chart? To help the UK people along, most public school music programs start students in 5th or 6th grade (10 or 11 years old), occasionally in 4th, not counting Suzuki violin schools, child prodigies, or other such exotica.

I heard my friend play a song called Something's Coming from West Side Story. It sounded pretty easy.....and everyone loved it. I don't know the arranger though