Brand New Spring Release for Beginning String Orchestra! Monday, March 19, 2012
Stanton’s is pleased to present “Ragtime in Our Time,” a brand new Spring release from Frank Rodgers for your elementary to middle school string orchestra!
The stand-out hit at Stanton’s String Orchestra Reading Session at the Ohio Music Educators Association Convention in February, this one contains all the rhythmic pizzazz of Scott Joplin, but at a level at which second year players can have success after just a few rehearsals – especially when you use Mr. Rodgers’s suggested Word Associations for selected rhythm patterns. Using “hip” phrases such as “I like to surf the net” and “My friend just tweeted me” he helps you teach the rhythms found in the piece, much like he has done with his past successes such as String Explosion, El Macho Nacho, Rumba-Bumba and Mozart and Beethoven are Haydn in my Music.
Ragtime in Our Time is playable using the notes of a one octave D major scale, with a few altered notes to lend authenticity to the ragtime harmony. Violins get Bb and C natural, Violas get Eb, Cellos get F and C natural and Basses get F and C natural as well as top line Ab. Rodger’s includes an optional, supportive piano part and lots of teaching tips to help you make the most of this delightful new work. So it is not only fun, it is educationally sound!
Frank Rodgers is a retired string teacher from the Norfolk,Virginia area and “tries out” his pieces with his former fellow string teachers, so you can rest assured that they are all student tested and teacher approved. Plus with his quirky sense of humor, you know that the students and audiences will enjoy anything that his imagination can create. Don’t miss this ragtime romp!