The Garner Ensemble Project (Free, printable duettino alternatos)

Here’s the second installment of The Garner Ensemble Project – Duettino Alternatos! There are 2 more sets to come (trios & quartets), so to be sure you stay in the loop, sign up for our newsletters & updates HERE!

Today we share with you an amazing free resource that will come in handy during this next school year – no matter what format your school year takes. And you and your students will no doubt enjoy them so much, you’ll keep using them for years to come. Dr. Gary Garner, professor emeritus of music at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX, has been keeping himself busy during retirement and has offered to share his incredible project here with our readers.

This week’s installment includes 8 Duettino Alternatos of varying difficulty levels. “What are those,” you ask? The purpose of the Duettino Alternatos is to help students hone their abilities to count rests accurately and re-enter at the right time, perhaps the most frequent cause of serious rhythm problems. A single melody is first presented in its entirety, then divided into two alternating parts—A and B. In some cases, it could be helpful to have one player, or group of players, playing the full melody while others play the alternating A and B parts.

They are “flex” arrangements – written to be played by ANY instrumentation and students can mix & match as they like. There are also mp3 recordings that can be utilized in class, but will be especially helpful during distance learning and at home practice.

This week’s installment includes: