In addition to his work as a musician and composer, Steve is well known for his contributions to the world of music education. He is the Author-Composer of the ground breaking series for young concert bands entitled Rubber Band Arrangements, and its counterpart for young string ensembles, entitled the Elastic Orchestra. The innovative pedagogical format of these materials, has opened up new musical possibilities for students in over 1000 schools in the US and worldwide.
The Rubber Band Arrangements program for young concert bands includes two books: The Arrangement Collection and the First Semester Workbooks. Together they form a complete program for beginning and intermediate level concert band. Each may also be used as supplemental material to any traditional band method. In addition Volume II of the Arrangement Collection, “More Rubber Band Arrangements,” is scheduled to be released in the coming year.
Arrangement Collection books feature 14 full-length pieces, for beginning and intermediate level concert bands. Each is representative of a distinct musical genre, including Classical, Jazz, Rock and International styles. They are uniquely formatted to sound complete with practically any instrumentation, accommodate multiple ability levels simultaneously, and allow young concert bands to: Learn in Unison but Perform in Counterpoint.
First Semester Workbooks are a complete introductory program for beginning band, designed to prepare your students to begin study in the Arrangement Collection. They combine rote learning with gradual introduction of note values and staff reading in and innovative format that makes failure virtually impossible!
The Elastic Orchestra presents 19 graduated pieces in a variety of styles utilizing the same highly successful format as the Arrangement Collection. They include well known classical themes, holiday pieces, international folk melodies, American patriotic songs and Rock and Jazz selections. They are uniquely formatted to sound complete with practically any instrumentation, accommodate multiple ability levels simultaneously, and allow young string ensembles to: Learn in Unison but Perform in Counterpoint.