About Festival Sight Reading

Festival Sight Reading is a book series written by two musical brothers who are professional performers and educators. Through progressive levels, students will gain confidence with the rhythms, keys, intervals, dynamics and ranges they will encounter while sight reading.

Sight reading should be part of every musician's daily practice.

Levels 1 through 6 are based on New York State’s solo festival sight reading curriculum. Additional levels satisfy other states’ requirements, which make this series the most comprehensive of its kind.

Our complete melodic books contain over 800 examples! Students preparing for solo festival auditions are often most apprehensive about the sight reading. Familiarity leads to comfort. Through a combination of sight reading and diligently practicing the provided examples, students will walk into their festival auditions thoroughly prepared!

About the Authors

Steven Blutman, percussionist, received a graduate degree in music performance from Cleveland Institute of Music, and a bachelors in music education from Hofstra University. A classical and jazz musician, Steve has performed, toured and recorded with some of the country's top symphony orchestras, jazz bands, opera and Broadway show productions. On tour, he has performed in over 50 countries on six continents. Highlights include: The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall and Carnegie Hall, plus eight tours with the orchestra (US and abroad); the Honolulu Symphony and Opera; Kansas City Symphony; and Blue Man Group. He has recorded for Disney,YES, MSG and ESPN television productions, and for numerous jazz, pop and classical composers. As an educator, Steve frequently gives master classes for colleges and school districts. Steve has been an artist-in-residence for multiple school districts including East Meadow, Baldwin, Port Washington, Sewanaka, Hewlett, and many others. He has been the Percussion Artist-In-Residence for Nassau Suffolk Performing Arts since 2000, and is on the Board of Directors for Long Island Youth Orchestra. During 2012-14, Steve was the Co-Chair for Percussion for New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). Along with his brother, Steve is the author of the Festival Sight Reading Series by Pinnacle Music Press, Inc.

Michael Blutman enjoys a diverse career as a trumpeter and music educator. A graduate of The Juilliard School and University of Maryland, his performing and recording credits include: Sting, the National, Baltimore, and American Symphonies, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, David Parsons Dance Company, Jonathan Batiste Jazz Band, Westminster Choir, Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, and many others. Michael's trumpet instructors include: Chris Gekker, Mark Gould, Steven Hendrickson and William Vacchiano.

Also an educator, Michael’s music teaching credits include: East Meadow’s Fusing Culture and Curriculum program (coordinator and teaching artist), Nassau Suffolk Performing Arts (artist in residence), Usdan Center for the Arts (trumpet and chamber music instructor), and the American Symphony Orchestra (former education manager). He is also a clinician for colleges, primary and secondary schools, maintains a private trumpet studio, and is a published music education author (featured articles in NYSSMA’s School Music News, the International Trumpet Guild’s ITG Youth website, and co-author of the Festival Sight Reading series, published by Pinnacle Music Press, Inc.).