(USED) Listen, Move, Sing and Play – Comprehensive Music Instructor for Band – Bulk Set Books 1 & 2 – James O. Froseth – GIA Publications
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Listen, Move, Sing and Play – Comprehensive Music Instructor for Band – Bulk Set Books 1 & 2
James O. Froseth's nonverbal, experience-oriented band method — published by GIA Publications, Music Learning Research — spanning 7 Book 1 titles and 6 Book 2 titles across all major wind and percussion voices.
About This Set
Listen, Move, Sing and Play is not a conventional band method, and that is precisely its strength. Dr. James O. Froseth — Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and a pioneer in nonverbal music instruction — built this curriculum around the idea that beginning students learn music most naturally the same way they learn language: by listening first, moving with the pulse, singing before reading, and then transferring that physical and auditory understanding to their instrument. Nonmusical exercises are replaced entirely by folk song literature, musical rounds, and ensemble pieces. This bulk set brings together Books 1 and 2 across the clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone, bass/tuba, and percussion families — a realistic instrumentation spread for a program running both beginning and continuing students under the same musical philosophy.
Key Highlights
- Author James O. Froseth is Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and a recognized pioneer in nonverbal modes of music teaching
- Published by GIA Publications under the Music Learning Research imprint — a division dedicated to research-grounded music education
- Nonverbal, experience-oriented approach: students listen, move, and sing before notation is introduced
- All study materials are musical — nonmusical exercises are excluded in favor of folk song literature, rounds, and ensemble pieces
- Singing is used throughout to develop tonality, phrasing, tempo, and musical style before those concepts transfer to the instrument
- Supports individual differences within the same class setting — high-, average-, and lower-achieving students can progress simultaneously
- Book 1 is 33 pages per title; designed to build a genuine musical foundation, not just mechanical technique
- Books 1 and 2 together carry the core pedagogical approach well beyond the first year of instruction
The Philosophy
Froseth's method treats music learning as an aural and kinesthetic experience first. Students listen, feel the pulse through movement, and sing the material before they ever read a note on the page. That sequence — sound before symbol — produces students who understand what they are playing, not just how to play the notes printed in front of them.
The Repertoire
Every exercise in both books is genuinely musical. Folk song literature, musical rounds, and ensemble pieces replace the dry technical drills found in most beginning methods. Students are developing musicianship from the very first lesson rather than waiting until the material becomes "real music."
The Classroom Fit
The format is built to accommodate real student differences. Students at different ability levels can work through material simultaneously without the class being held to a single pace, giving the director flexibility without abandoning a unified approach to the music.
Great Fit For
- Directors who prioritize aural skill development and musical thinking over notation-first instruction
- Programs seeking a research-backed alternative to conventional beginning band methods
- Teachers running heterogeneous ability groups who need a method that adapts to individual progress
- Schools stocking both a beginning and continuing cohort under a shared instructional philosophy
- Music educators familiar with Gordon's Music Learning Theory or similar audiation-centered approaches who want a practical band-room application
Pedagogical Context
Listen, Move, Sing and Play is grounded in decades of music education research. The four-part title is not a tagline — it is the literal sequence of the instructional approach. Students first listen to a musical model, engage with the pulse through movement, sing the material using their voice as the primary instrument, and then transfer that developed musical understanding to the written page and their band instrument. This order matters. It mirrors how humans learn language, and it produces students who can think and hear musically rather than simply decode notation. For the director, it means ensemble playing feels more natural, intonation develops with better ears behind it, and the difference between mechanically correct and genuinely musical begins to close much earlier in the students' development.
Complete Book Inventory
| Title | Book | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Book 1 Titles | ||
| Clarinet | Book 1 | x5 |
| Alto Saxophone | Book 1 | x5 |
| Percussion | Book 1 | x4 |
| Trumpet | Book 1 | x3 |
| Trombone | Book 1 | x3 |
| Flute | Book 1 | x1 |
| Bass (Tuba) | Book 1 | x1 |
| Book 2 Titles | ||
| Percussion | Book 2 | x6 |
| Trombone | Book 2 | x4 |
| Flute | Book 2 | x2 |
| Tenor Saxophone | Book 2 | x2 |
| Trumpet | Book 2 | x2 |
| Bass | Book 2 | x2 |
Set Specifications
This one is for the director who has thought carefully about how students actually learn music — not just how they learn to read it. Froseth's Listen, Move, Sing and Play is a genuinely different approach, and the teachers who use it tend to feel strongly about it. If you are stocking a program that puts musical thinking at the center, this is a set worth having.
Whether you are familiar with the method and just need to fill out your library, or you are curious and want to talk through whether it fits your program, we are glad to help. This is exactly the kind of conversation we enjoy.
Reach out anytime — call or text 814-371-5666. Spotts Music Center, Dubois, PA. Helping you make music.