News & Views Friday, April 26, 2024

On Saturday, August 25, Stanton’s Sheet Music hosted our 19th annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic.  Our attendees gathered in the James E. Strouse Workshop Hall with our clinician Jim Gallagher and some of our choral staff (including our wonderful accompanist, Joyce Stonebraker) and had a fantastic morning reading through a wide variety of high-quality music for choirs at all levels of difficulty.  We spent a little bit of time socializing and catching up with old friends, and A LOT of time discovering beautiful new music!

Did you miss out on this year’s Clinic?  Never fear!  Here are just a few of our favorite pieces that were featured:

For middle school choirs: Festival Cantate, by Victor C. Johnson
For high school choirs: Zigeunerleben, by Robert Schumann
For college choirs: Listen to the Lambs, arr. Howard Helvey
For community choirs: Light of a Clear Blue Morning, arr. Craig Hella Johnson
For Christmas concerts: As Lately We Watched, arr. Ian R. Charter
For women’s choirs: I Lift My Eyes, by Bob Chilcott
For men’s choirs: Simple Gifts, arr. Stephen Caracciolo

You can still receive the full clinic packet for the registration fee of $15 (while supplies last).  This year’s packet includes over 35 octavos, and contains an incredible amount of repertoire variety!  Contact us if you are interested!

From the Bowery to the box office to Broadway…… and now Stanton’s!

Vocal selections from Disney’s newest Broadway smash “Newsies,” are off the press and now available from Stanton’s.  In a story almost as unlikely as the real-life events of the 1899 New York newsboys’ strike that inspired it, “Newsies: The Musical” started its life in a brief, less-than-stellar appearance at movie theatres in 1992.  In the years following, however, through the magic of home video, “Newsies” became a quietly growing sensation, especially among young people, who related to its “respect the next generation” attitude, and its dynamic musical score by Academy Award winner Alan Menken and Jack Feldman.

In 1994, “Beauty and the Beast” opened on Broadway and proved that Disney could successfully translate one of its films to the stage.  “Newsies” fans immediately saw the potential, and a movement began to grow that would take almost 20 years.  Music Theatre International, one of the chief theatrical licensing agents for shows, was deluged with constant requests by high schools, colleges, and community theatres to rent a stage version of “Newsies,” but nothing existed.  In fact, composer Alan Menken and the Disney organization experimented with the possibility several times, but couldn’t find a formula they felt would work.  Enter Tony Award winning playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, also a fan of the movie, and confident he could adapt the story for the stage.

In 2011, “Newsies: The Musical” opened at the Papermill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey and was an immediate success.  Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions, admitted that “Newsies” was the first Disney production for which the fans basically demanded that it be staged.  Those fans flocked to see it from all over the country, and the call for “Broadway!” grew even louder, a call which was resoundingly answered on March 15, 2012 when the show opened at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre.

Top that off with over 150 sold-out performances to date, and two Tony Awards, and “Newsies” is truly the “King of New York.” Order the piano/vocal collection today!

As you prepare for your first concert of the school year, Stanton’s Sheet Music suggests that you consider one of these outstanding selections for your high school choir:

I Sing Out by Mark Hayes
From the sensitive opening solo, through the captivating textured polyphony, to the final choral refrain, this contemporary powerhouse teaches an inspiring lesson about the strength of song.  “From the very best part of who I am, I sing out!”

Laudamus Te by Laura Farnell
Here’s an exuberant mixed-meter festival work that is book-ended by a joyful fanfare and features a lovely legato section in the middle. Laura’s highly regarded compositional skill is evident throughout. Combination English/Latin text, appropriate for school or church use.

A Song of Night by Laura Farnell
Your mixed choir will sound wonderful singing this well-crafted accompanied setting by Laura Farnell. Full of beautiful, sonorous chords, Farnell sets the poem by Hildegarde Hawthorne in which most verses begin with the words “Sing to me”.  Sure to be a favorite among your singers and an excellent addition to any concert or festival program.

Soon I Will Be Done arr. Linda Spevacek
A dramatic optional solo frames this creative and unique arrangement of the well-known spiritual. Your singers are sure to enjoy the hip rhythmic, jazzy style, and the optional string bass adds color and texture to this concert and festival winner.

Where Dwells the Soul of My Love by Victor C. Johnson
Create a tranquil concert atmosphere with this tender setting of selected lines from James Thomson’s eloquent nineteenth-century poem entitled Art. Warm choral sonorities, a flowing piano accompaniment, and the dramatic role of the cello all work in harmony to create an elegant and emotional concert piece.

Winter Has Come by Ruth Morris Gray
The poetry of this expressive winter song provides a florid description of the season’s most distinct attributes. Warm choral harmonies are a stark contrast to the icy imagery, and optional flute obbligato floats above.

For more suggestions, check out our video below, click here to view our complete School Choral promotion for Fall 2012, or contact us!

Click here to watch video

Stanton’s understands that not everyone can attend our educational and informative workshops, so to better serve all our customers, we present Stanton’s “Virtual Workshop!”

In our Virtual Workshop area, you’ll find newly published music that has been reviewed and recommended by our expert staff. Stanton’s sheet music specialists are always searching for the best new music that is not only perfect for performance, but is also educationally sound, liturgically appropriate, aurally pleasing and full of teaching and ministry opportunities.

The workshops themselves are designed so you can easily preview Stanton’s top choices as featured on our clinics, workshops and promotions.  You’ll also find the very newest titles that have just come across our desks – great music that we just can’t wait to present to you!

Inside each workshop you’ll preview actual arrangements with audio demonstrations, and often LIVE video footage of our workshops and reading sessions featuring nationally recognized clinicians. We have always welcomed our local customers to visit our store to select music with the in-person assistance of our knowledgeable staff; we’re so pleased to bring you a similar experience online with Stanton’s Virtual Workshop!

Check out Stanton’s “Virtual Workshop” today, and let us know what you think!

Introduce jazz to your elementary students with through the engaging world of “Freddie the Frog!”

In “Freddie the Frog and the Flying Jazz Kitten,” Freddie finds adventure again when some cool jazz cats fly their plane to Treble Clef Island to pick up a new horn. With the help of the Flying Jazz Kitten and a swingin’ beat, Freddie becomes a jazz sensation. The enclosed audio CD includes the dramatized story, sing-along songs and an instrumental blues track to create your own special scat.

Scat singing is the easiest way for kids to begin developing their jazz chops, but singing nonsense syllables as a soloist can be unnerving. The “Scat Singing for Kids” teacher’s guide contains a detailed step-by-step process that creates a “safe zone.” Using this guide, in partnership with the “Scat Words” flash cards, will help you lead even the most insecure student to uninhibited scattin’ fun!

You can separately purchase Freddie’s 5th Adventure “The Flying Jazz Kitten” Book/CD, the “Scat Words” flashcard set, and the “Scat Singing for Kids” teacher’s guide, or buy all three products together in one, cost-saving bundle! All of these products are in stock and ready to ship from Stanton’s.

Even if you missed Stanton’s Sacred Piano Reading Session at the beginning of August, we wouldn’t want you to miss out on these new piano collections:

Contemporary Christian Hits
arr. Melody Bober
Contemporary Christian Hits contains ten arrangements of inspirational worship favorites by top Christian artists. These arrangements can be used effectively during religious services or in a concert setting. Helpful fingering and approximate performance times are included with each arrangement.

Getty and Townend Praise Classics
arr. James Koerts
The collaborative efforts of Keith and Kristyn Getty, along with Stuart Townend, have produced long-lasting modern hymns for the church. These contemporary arrangements of some of their best-loved praise classics have memorable melodies that make these attractive arrangements a delight to learn and to play at an early advanced level.

Reflections for Worship
arr. Mark Hayes
Here are ten settings of popular new hymns and songs from Dan Schutte, Michael Joncas, Sebastian Temple, David Haas, Marty Haugen and others. Based upon liturgical songs from the mass, these beautiful and inspiring songs have transcended denominational lines and made their way into Protestant circles and beyond, blessing countless congregations and parishes around the world.

Shout To The Lord
arr. Larry Shackley
For two decades, the musicians at Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia have provided churches around the world with worship songs that speak to the Christian’s heart. Larry Shackley has selected ten Hillsong favorites and asked ten of favorite writers to arrange them as piano solos. There is a wide range of styles and moods in this collection to fit almost every need in contemporary or blended services.

Sunday Morning Blend, Volume 5
arr. Carol Tornquist
Well-known traditional hymns are blended with many of today’s popular contemporary praise and worship songs in this fifth edition of the series. These books are the perfect choice for any church that wants to seamlessly blend traditional and contemporary worship styles.

For more great recommendations, contact Stanton’s keyboard department at 1-800-426-8742, ex. 3.

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to announce our 19th annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic on Saturday, August 25, 2012! This session was designed to help you select concert and contest literature from some of choral music’s most distinguished composers, featuring the best in new music for mixed, treble, and men’s choirs at all levels of difficulty. Registration fee includes a complimentary packet of over 30 titles. Come join us to discover beautiful music and share ideas with colleagues and friends! For more information, please check out our video below, contact us by email, or call us at 1.800.426.8742.

Click here to watch video

“Across the Field” is OSU’s football fight song (Sometimes people call it “Fight the Team”.) It was composed by William Doughtery–a student–who wrote it as a pep song for a pep rally for the 1915 Illinois game.

The sheet for “Across the Field” was in print through Morris Music for many years, but has not been printed as a sheet for a long time. It is now available in print and included in a collection of college fight songs called “34 Hit Parade Extras, College Songs on Parade“. It is also in a book of college fight songs called “College Songs for School Bands” in condensed score form, so it can be played on the piano.

As a curiosity, an image of another Dougherty football song, from 1929, has been included. It was published by The Ohio State University Association. The song never caught on; it is not as melodic as “Across the Field”, and the words are not as appealing.

At our recent Elementary General Music Clinic, we asked our attendees to name their favorite “tried-and-true” classroom resource. Both of these great resources came up more than once:

Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!
by Artie Almeida
What could be better than a resource that will have your students begging to listen to more classical music? In “Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves, Oh My!” Artie Almeida shares some of her most-beloved listening and movement-based lessons. The included CD features outstanding orchestral tracks from the NAXOS recording label and reproducible visuals and teaching aids. Best of all, videos of Artie’s students performing the activities are also provided on the disc, so pull out your favorite movement props and let the learning—and listening—begin!

Rockin’ Rhythm Raps
by Cheryl Lavender
Here’s a fun collection that makes rhythm reading a snap, tap and a clap! This motivational classroom resource consists of over 60 rhythm drills and song rhythms, beginning with the simplest patterns and progressing sequentially to more complex patterns. Included are 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 patterns with quarter, eighth, half and whole notes/rests. Syncopated rhythms, tied notes, sixteenth notes and dotted rhythms are also included for extra challenge in building skills. The rhythm drills are reproducible for classroom use, so your students can keep them in their folders for daily use or you can make posters or overhead transparencies for whole-group practice. The book comes complete with teaching ideas, extension suggestions and assessment strategies.

Stay tuned for more “peer recommended” products, or contact us for more details on all Stanton’s favorite new elementary music resources!

On Friday morning, August 10, local piano teachers congregated at Stanton’s for a clinic led by Jennifer Linn from Hal Leonard.  She presented her newly released Journey Through the Classics series.

This is a set of four books arranged by level of difficulty to be used to present original piano literature to students.  These pieces were written by piano composers/teachers  for their own students.  They span a range of time from Pachelbel’s  “Sarabande”, to Jennifer Linn’s own “Classic Minuet”.   A lot of careful thought has gone into this series of delightful books, and they can be easily used alongside the student’s piano method to introduce the classics from the easiest compositions to the intermediate masterworks, such as “Fur Elise”  and  “Spinning Song”.

Please join us for a Stanton’s Sheet Music sponsored Sacred Organ Reading Clinic! Brian Johnson, organist at Broad Street United Methodist Church, will be our featured clinician, and will be presenting music at various difficulty levels from some of the most popular publishers. Spend the morning listening to new selection for Advent and Christmas along with many other recommendations for your church services.

Stanton’s Sacred Organ Reading Clinic, Saturday September 15th, 2012
Broad Street United Methodist Church
501 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Registration begins at 8:30 am
Clinic is 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Cost: $10.00

For additional information, please contact the Stanton’s keyboard staff at 614-224-4257 ext. 3.

We’re always talking about our knowledgeable staff—you’ll find that very phrase on much of our printed advertising, as well as on our website. Stanton’s sales staff is separated into departments to ensure that each staff member is well informed about a specific area of the wide variety of music that we carry. So when you call and ask about music for trumpet, you’ll be speaking with someone who has first-hand knowledge of repertoire, not just a phone operator with no musical experience. Here’s what you’ll find in each department:

CHORAL DEPARTMENT (ex. 1)
Choral Music for School & Church
Elementary General Music
Classical Solo Vocal
Handbell

BAND DEPARTMENT (ex. 2)
Concert Band
Marching Band
Jazz Ensemble
Orchestra
Solos for all concert instruments
Instrumental Method Books
Music Software/Technology

POP/KEYBOARD (ex. 3)
Sacred & Secular Piano
Organ
Piano Method Books
Popular/Broadway Solo Vocal
Contemporary Christian Vocal
Guitar Solos and Methods
Music for Folk Instruments

You can direct emails to the exact department you need by clicking the links above, or press the appropriate extension when you call 1-800-42-MUSIC. If you’re unsure of which department to choose, we’re always happy to direct you to whoever can best address your needs. At Stanton’s, it is important to us that you receive the most educated answers to your questions and the finest music recommendations.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE CLASSICS with Jennifer Linn

Friday, August 10, 2012
9 am – 12:30 pm (registration at 8:30)

Once students have progressed beyond their first few method books, how do you weave classical music into their journey? This workshop will introduce you to “Journey Through the Classics,” the new 4-volume piano repertoire series edited by Jennifer Linn, designed to lead students effortlessly from the easiest classics to the intermediate masterworks. Also featuring new releases from the G. Schirmer Performance editions, Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, Eugenie Rocherolle Series and more!

Come and meet the clinician, Jennifer Linn.  She is a multi-talented pianist, teacher, composer, arranger and clinician. She is the Manager for Educational Piano for Hal Leonard Corporation as well as an editor and recording artist for the G. Schirmer Performance Editions. She has much experience in teaching private as well as group piano students and is an active member of MTNA. Come and enjoy this morning in which you can meet other piano teachers and learn new techniques and materials to improve your piano studio.

Stanton’s Sheet Music
330 South 4th St
Columbus, OH 43123

For more details, please email the keyboard department, or call 1-800-426-8742, ex. 3.

There are literally hundreds of pieces written and published for flute that could be considered standard repertoire, but in order to keep this article at a reasonable length, we will begin by featuring only a few pieces.

As young Clarinet students mature in their abilities to handle more and more difficult music, many may have played through standard pieces such as Brahms “Sonata # 2 in E-flat Major“, Vanhal “Sonata in B-flat major,” Schumann “Phantasiestucke,” and of course Debussy “Premier Rhapsodie.” All of these pieces have a substantial place on the list of “standard repertoire,” but there are other pieces that bring a certain difficulty level found in more modern composition: Bernstein “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,” Paul JeanJean “Arabesques,” Andre Messager “Solo de Concours,” Alec Wilder “Sonata,” and Rossini “Introduction, Theme and Variations.”

Mastering standard repertoire pieces helps young students to build knowledge of the literature itself. Each piece aids students in developing style, expression, phrasing, tone and technique as they study and gain more abilities on their instrument.  Other pieces such as Saint-Saens “Sonata opus 167,” Poulenc “Sonata for Clarinet,” and Hindemith’s “Sonata in B-flat” add to a student’s ability to perform with a sense of period-appropriate style.

As high school students prepare for college auditions and continue on as music majors, they will likely have a chance to prepare many of these pieces. Encouraging your students to become familiar with these standards as soon as they are able will give them a “head-start” in their musical career!

Stanton’s is pleased to welcome back Lloyd Larson as our clinician for the August Church Choral Music reading session THIS SATURDAY!

Click here to watch video

Sacred Choral Reading Session
Saturday 8/11/2012, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Battelle Fine Arts Center, Otterbein University, 195 West Park St., Westerville OH 43081
Cost: $20.00 (No pre-registration; you may register the day of the clinic beginning at 8:30.)
email our choral department for more details

Sacred Piano Reading Session
- Also featuring Lloyd Larson
Saturday 8/11/2012, 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
Stanton’s Sheet Music, 330 South 4th St., Columbus OH 43215
Cost: Free!
email our keyboard department for more details

If you missed our Elementary General Music Clinic this week, you can check out our online clinic flyer. Coming next week, you’ll also be able to explore these titles online using Stanton’s new “Virtual Workshop.” Check out these great new interactive resources which were featured on the clinic:

Interactive Folksongs
Folksongs are powerful teaching tools. Their repetitive rhythms and melodies provide a better understanding of music concepts, while teaching us about our multicultural heritage. The more interactivity you bring to your classroom, the more engaged your students will be in their learning. Master educator Cristi Cary Miller combines these tools in an exciting multimedia approach that teaches folksong melodies accompanied by simple Orff instrument ostinatos. Step-by-step lesson plans are printed in the Teacher Book. They coordinate with projectable music lessons on the enclosed interactive CD-ROM. Recorded melodies (without lyrics) and separate Orff instrument pitches are embedded in the projected lessons for more interactive learning and assessment. Lessons are teacher-paced with a click-through format that does not require any special interactive software. Just insert the CD-ROM into your computer and click away! This collection for grades 2-5 features songs for younger students and songs for older students.

Interactive NOW!, Vol 6
The “Interactive Now” team of Debbie Anderson and Phyllis Thomas is on a roll! Their innovative approach to integrating technology continues to expand and is now available as Flash-based software that can be used with any interactive whiteboard or computer. As always, you will find ten outstanding units of study for exploration by students in grades K-5. Your students will have fun with the twelve-bar blues, match treble-clef pitches, review rhythmic values in a fast-paced game, respond through movement to multiple styles and tempi, and a whole lot more. Each unit includes “Objectives” and “Quick Tips,” along with printable, reproducible worksheets and assessments. Check out volumes 1-5 as well!

For more Elementary music resources, contact us today!

So whats happening around Stanton’s these days?  Construction.

As ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) prepares to tear apart the I-70/I71 split going through downtown Columbus, they are also preparing the side streets for their eventual changes.  If you’ve ever been through the middle of downtown Columbus during peak driving times, you understand the congestion.  However, there is soon to be a relief…ok, maybe not SOON, but construction is underway after a 5-year study/planning by the City officials and ODOT. The result will be new ways to enter the downtown area off the freeways (see details… http://tinyurl.com/cpsovwp), and it will effect the traffic pattern around Stanton’s block.

At this point in time they are busily tearing up the freeway itself and digging out electrical infrastructure under the streets now.  The electric company has been outside our driveway entry way this past week, digging up the street laying updated power lines for its newly engineered downtown grid system.  They’ve put up the orange barrels with gap between them, just big enough that you can still turn into Stanton’s parking lot.  However, we think this is temporary, until the real construction to make Mound Street one way west-bound begins sometime in 2013 or 2014.  Stay tuned…

So a little jazz combo with a female vocalist were performing at a big city nightclub one night, when a wealthy patron strolled up with a fifty dollar tip and a request for “When Sunny Gets Blue.”  For that kind of money from that kind of customer, the band leader was willing to do anything, so he said, “Sure, we’ll be happy to do that one for you!”

As the generous tipper walked back to his table, the singer confessed to the band leader that she wasn’t sure she knew all the lyrics.  He told her, “Don’t worry, we’ve all done this tune for years – one of us can feed you the next line if you draw a blank.”

They kicked off the tune, and the singer crooned, “When Sunny Gets Blue…” and her brain froze – she couldn’t think of the next line.  All the horn players had their instruments in their mouth so she looked at the bass player beseechingly to give her a cue.

He looked back at her with a quizzical expression and said, “B flat minor seven!”