Excelcia Music Publishing Releases Better by Sight, A New Sight Reading Method for Band or Orchestra

Lakeland, Florida (January 7, 2025) – A new full-color, comprehensive sight reading method, Better by Sight by popular composer and educator Tyler Arcari, has been released in versions for Concert Band or String Orchestra by Excelcia Music Publishing. Better by Sight is a new method that offers a simple, systematic and intuitive approach to sight reading. The new release focuses on building an internal priority list when reading music so the fundamentals of sight reading become second nature to students. Packed with 165 exercise lines, including many fully harmonized works that are fun to play and reflect music that students regularly perform during the school year, Better by Sight comes with free online content for Directors and students like the play-along “Basic” companion video series.

“With a lot of nostalgia for my days in the classroom, I began work on Better by Sight,” recalls author Tyler Arcari. “When I was in the classroom, my ensembles would sight read all the time, and that practice alone did result in improvement. However, when I started consistently using a priority system, my students started to internalize the skills necessary to read at sight and their skills grew by leaps and bounds. I am excited to share that tried and tested priority system through Better by Sight… and to see how far ensembles can now go!”

Better by Sight utilizes a four-step priority system throughout eight units that explore common keys, rhythmic relationships, dynamics, and style markings. Each unit concludes with four larger mastery etudes to reinforce the skills learned. Unit 8 expands into larger etudes that reinforce Units 1-7. There is also a full, performable work at the end of the book to present a final challenge. For Directors, Better by Sight includes a wealth of color-coded “quality of life” features to help streamline communication with students and save valuable teaching time. The free companion video series covers every unit in the book, and provides a way for students to work through Better by Sight with ease under the supervision of their Director or a substitute. The videos are timed and guided by the author in a step-by-step fashion.

For Concert Band or for String Orchestra,