Purchase by September 30, 2026, and save $100!

To make a purchase with a Purchase Order or Check, please email boxfivecreations@gmail.com

A comprehensive & effective method book for beginning band students. Designed, compiled, written, & arranged by a band teacher, Don Neptun, for students in real-world classroom settings. Works in a variety of settings – everything from individual or small group instruction up to large mixed ensembles.

Includes books, in PDF format, for the Score & all Parts:

THE BOOK BEFORE THE BOOK:

Sequence, Teacher Packet, & Student Packet
First Sounds Checklist
First Five Notes Fingering Charts & Songs by Rote using first 5 notes only

THE BOOK OF BAND:

Score

Flute / Oboe

Clarinet

Alto Sax / Bari Sax

Tenor Sax

Trumpet / Bb Horn

F Horn

Bassoon / Trombone / Baritone / Euphonium

Tuba

Percussion (Mallets & Drums)

PDF SAMPLES:

Introduction: READ THIS FIRST – Introduction for Directors

The Book Before the Book: Sequence | Teacher Packet | Student Packet

First Five Notes: Fingering Charts | Songs by Rote (using first 5 notes only)

The Book of Band: Director Score | Flute & Oboe | Clarinet | Trumpet & Bb Horn | Percussion

Concept & Skill Sequence Chart for Levels 1-20: Sequence Chart

This purchase includes Levels 1-20 of the Book of Band, which is 70 pages per student book (130 in the percussion book), roughly equivalent in content & length to other beginning band books. Levels 1-20 can be completed in one school year in a beginning band class that meets daily, or you can stretch it into 1.5 or 2 years, if needed. This is a flexible curriculum – you can use it as needed to best serve your students. Level 21 & beyond are currently in development.

Each purchasing school will have full rights to make as many copies as needed, in perpetuity, for their students. This is a one-time purchase that can improve your instruction and save your program & your students money.

Once payment is received the purchaser will receive access to the books in PDF format. This is a Purchase for Digital Goods (PDF files), not printed books. Returns, Refunds, or Exchanges are not allowed.

Why choose The Book of Band, financially speaking?

Purchase Once, Use Forever – no more needing to purchase band method books each year. You can print as many copies for your students as needed.

Free Updates – if the Book of Band gets an update, you get free access to the updates.

Flexible Format – the Book of Band comes as a PDF file and is formatted to print perfectly on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. It fits nicely into a 3-ring binder. No more 9″ x 12″ books getting rough edges in a student backpack! Also, for schools that use devices, the PDF format loads easily onto Chromebooks, iPads, etc. The resolution is high enough that you can zoom in and have full clarity.

Why choose The Book of Band, educationally speaking?

Experience First – as instrumental musicians in the first days, or week, students learn to assemble & care for our instruments then make our first sounds before opening The Book of Band. They also learn the fundamentals of rhythm & music notation. Just as tiny humans mimic others with their first sounds of speech, it is important that students experience making sounds & music first before trying to turn dots & lines into the sounds. Once students can play their first 5 notes and comprehend basic rhythm & notation concepts, then we open The Book of Band. Don’t worry – you’ll also get something called “The Book Before the Book” to help you get started.

Logical Scope, Sequence & Pace – The Book of Band follows a carefully planned sequence of introducing new skills & concepts. Years of using other method books and analyzing & experimenting with their sequences, all with the purpose of improving the learning & experience for students, led to the sequence in The Book of Band.

Educator Resources Included – educators will have access to a complete scope & sequence chart, a suggested sequence and pace of playing tests, a guidebook on how to best use The Book of Band, and contact with Don Neptun, the creator of The Book of Band, who uses this curriculum with his students in his band program.

Layout, Design, & Ease of Use – The Book of Band does not have traditional pages, per say. Rather, it’s pages are set up more like Levels, Sections, or Parts. Each Level starts with a Skill & Concept page where students learn or review the skills needed for the upcoming page of music. Then comes the music. Each Level includes two pages worth of music for woodwind, brass, & mallet percussion. The music pages for drums are two to four pages long. Songs are numbered like 1.1, 1.2, etc. This allows students to quickly locate each song in the book. And, as an added bonus, students can “level up” from Level 1 to Level 2. This whole book can be “gamified,” if that’s your thing. One more thing, each song has all measures numbered to improve efficiency. You’re welcome.

Concept, Skill, & Note Reinforcement – once a new concept, skill, or note is introduced, it is reinforced in a variety of ways & in a variety of songs. For the woodwind, brass, & mallet percussion books, the songs on the first page in each Level introduce the new things, and the song on the second page in each Level reinforce the new things. This is true of the drums book, though each Level has two to four pages of music.

Visually Simplified – The Book of Band is void of extra visual stimuli like distracting graphics & colors. This keeps the focus on learning, instruction, & music.

Percussion Layout – the mallet percussion & the drums are combined into one book. And, more importantly, the mallet pages & the drum pages are right next to each other. Students don’t have to flip back and forth between the mallet & drum books. If you’ve taught beginning percussionists, you know this is important. Also, the percussion books are formatted in such a way that students never have to turn a page, or even look at the next page, while playing a song. Each song fits on one page.

Flexibility – whether you use 1-te 2-te or 1 + 2+ or ta-ka-di-mi, your system will work seamlessly with The Book of Band. For example, definitions for new concepts are provided, but there’s room on the page for adding your own systems & definitions.

The Book of Band has space for note-taking – the layout & design intentionally provide space for students to take notes, particularly on the Skill & Concept pages. Why is this important? Because studies have shown that people are 7X more likely to remember something if they write it down.

Improvisation – teaching students to improvise music is a core academic standard in most states. The Book of Band includes improvisation – and students love doing it!

By Directors, For Directors – The Book of Band was started because of a desire to have something better for students – a book that was easy to use & was more aligned with the concert music being rehearsed & performed. The first 3 years of development & refinement took place in one middle school band room. The Book of Band was working well when other directors from nearby schools started asking about it. They were allowed to pilot the book with their students and, behold, it worked exceptionally well for them & their students, too! After 3 years of initial development, a year of multiple schools piloting the book, and refinements based on educator & student feedback, I humbly present you with The Book of Band. Thanks for looking!

Don Neptun – Band Director, Composer, Arranger, & Creator of The Book of Band

What others are saying about The Book of Band:

“Mr. Neptun has poured countless hours into creating The Book of Band. What began as a personal commitment to help his own students succeed has grown into a resource that empowers band students everywhere. His passion for music education is evident on every page, creating a thoughtfully designed guide that supports musicians at every stage of their journey.

In our band room, The Book of Band, affectionately known as “The BOB”, has become a staple. It’s a resource we use every day to reinforce fundamental concepts, build consistency, and encourage continuous growth. Whether students are learning independently or working together as an ensemble, The BOB provides a clear path for both individual improvement and collective success. It has become an essential part of our daily instruction, and I can’t imagine our program without it. “

– Andy Thrush, Band Director, Mountain View Middle School

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“The Book of Band is a comprehensive method book that clearly, effectively, and consistently reinforces concepts and techniques that are necessary to all young band students. Each chapter provides a small number of concepts and numerous opportunities to practice them, the sequencing is easy to follow and adaptable to your personal teaching style, and it allows for the teacher and students to go at their own pace, without all the extra clutter on the pages.

As a teacher in my first few years, having a chapter-to-chapter sequenced curriculum was a life saver. I never had to jump around chapter to chapter unless I specially planned for that. In my FIRST year teaching, my beginning students were sight reading chapters by our 4th month of school. The Book of Band book will fit any Band Director looking for a clean, well-designed curriculum, no matter if you’re in your 4th or 40th year teaching.”

– Lucas Webster, Band Director, Lakeridge Middle School

Printing & Planning Ahead

The score is large (several hundred pages) and, when printed double-sided, fits into 2″ binder.

The woodwind & brass books each have about 70 pages. With double-sided printing, a 3/4″ or 1″ binder is recommended.

The percussion book is about 130 pages. With double-sided printing, a 1″ or 1.5″ binder is recommended.

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