Holiday Toolkits
compiled by Brian Appleby
These were done in response to students who said "six of us have been asked to play some Christmas music at church, but our band pieces don't sound that good with just a few of us."
They are simple four part arrangements of nine of the most popular Christmas classics. Every instrument has the melody, plus any of the harmony parts that will fit on their instrument. For instance, trumpets have melody and part two, while alto saxes have melody plus parts two and three, and trombones have melody plus parts three and four.
Many different combinations are possible, from like or mixed instrument duets, trios, and quartets, to full band. They also work great for audience singalongs.
As a bonus, each package also includes the melody written out in nine other keys. Playing a familiar tune in a variety of keys is a great way to master key signatures.
My students have enjoyed these tremendously over the years, I have made up books with all nine Toolkits and all the Holiday Melodies, and it's great to be able to get out the books each year and instantly provide so much material for students to enjoy on their own, with their friends, or in class or full band.
click on the above links to download sample pages in pdf format. You can view these on screen or print them out. On some computers the staff lines may be slightly distorted on screen, but the pages should print perfectly.
