News & Views Friday, October 31, 2025

After Holy Week is done and you’ve had time to take a breath, make sure you’re ready for the next church season with our August Sacred Choral Reading Session!

Stanton’s is pleased to welcome Larry Shackley as our clinician for the August Church Choral Music reading session! Larry is a full-time composer and music editor from Columbia, SC.  From 1995-2007, he taught and directed the music program at Columbia International University in Columbia, SC. Prior to that, he worked for several years at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, creating original music and producing radio programs for the Moody Broadcasting Network. He also served as staff keyboardist for ten years at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL. Larry’s published music includes over 200 choral pieces, seven cantatas, and 400 keyboard arrangements, as well as vocal and instrumental collections and numerous orchestrations. He has received writing awards from ASCAP every year since 1998, and has fulfilled commissions from schools, churches, and community choirs across America.

Your registration includes a packet of over 35 new choral anthems that are hand-picked from the hundreds published each year. We look forward to seeing you on August 9th for a wonderful morning of singing with one of the nation’s most sought after church music experts.

Sacred Choral Reading Session
Saturday 8/9/2014, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Battelle Fine Arts Center, Otterbein University
195 West Park St., Westerville OH 43081
Cost: $20.00 (There is 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 Larry Shackley
Saturday 8/9/2014, 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

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The Stanton’s Sheet Music band staff is always looking for pieces to recommend that are great for teaching, fun to perform and listen to, and that provide some programming variety.  In this post, we’re going to turn the variety concept on its head.  The majority of the titles mentioned in this post are of a programmatic (read: concert piece) nature, but their style and backgrounds make them wonderful choices for your spring band concert, so why not break up the monotony of pop songs and movie music with one of these great concert selections!  We are particularly fond of Douglas E. Wagner’s treatment of the Carmen Dragon America, the Beautiful, and Brian Balmages’ bluegrass and Irish flavored Blue Ridge Reel which has been very popular.

America, the Beautiful
arr. Carmen Dragon/Douglas E. Wagner
Belwin Young Band
Grade 2
Long-established as THE setting of America, the Beautiful, the majestic beauty and awesome grandeur of Carmen Dragon’s arrangement has been preserved in this gorgeous edition with accommodations made for younger, less experienced groups. This edition is a must-have addition to your library that your students and audience deserve to experience!

Blue Ridge Reel
Brian Balmages
FJH Young Band
Grade 2.5
One listen and you’ll know why you should program this composition! Masters of style, FJH, do it again, this time capturing the spirit and essence of bluegrass music and its Irish heritage for the concert band! Light playing style, lots of 8th note work, and intricate interweaving of rhythms put this one over the top, while washboard and spoons add to the fun!

Codebreaker
Robert Buckley
MusicWorks
Grade 2.5
Spy music is always fun to play, and the colorful sonic palette of this original work by Robert Buckley is no exception. Use of chromatic tones, shifts in tonal and harmonic patterns, and effective percussion set the tone of intrigue and suspense. Perfect for change-of-pace programming, or pops concerts.

Last Full Measure (Gettysburg)
Michael Sweeney
MusicWorks
Grade 2.5
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Michael Sweeney has created an imaginative medley of Civil War tunes well-suited for young bands. The Girl I Left Behind Me (with optional tin whistles), When Johnny Comes Marching Home, and Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier express longing and hope for loved ones away, while Battle Cry of Freedom and Battle Hymn of the Republic inspire feelings of patriotic resolve and courage.

Open Road
Robert Sheldon
Measures of Success
Grade 1.5
Looking for a refreshing concert opener? Fiery and uplifting, this expansive work captures the essence and excitement of traveling the open countryside. Off-beat 8th note syncopation combined with the 3/4 meter create forward-moving lift, the memorable legato response figure provides a light contrast to the overall rhythmic drive, and excellent percussion writing rounds out the complete package!

The Code
Alan Lee Silva
Young Performance Series
Grade 2
Originally published for string orchestra, The Code tells a story that is perfectly suited bands. Your students will enjoy the mysterious style and sophisticated sound created by the tight, 8th note moving patterns, intricate part writing, and syncopated rhythms, and numerous accents, alternating articulations, and subtle dynamic shifts are sure to increase the maturity of your ensemble.

While we’re in the midst of featuring the latest mid-year pop releases for concert band, the fantastic arrangements that were issued over the summer often get lost in the shuffle.  Luckily, our band staff keeps track of these titles, and thinks you should definitely give them a listen – especially Erik Morales’ America, the Beautiful and the Mambo from West Side Story.  These titles are perfect for your spring concert, and there’s something for everyone!

America, the Beautiful                      
arr. Erik Morales
FJH Concert Band        Grade 3
This thoughtful, yet powerful arrangement brings a distinct patriotic element to your program with a focus on harmonic beauty and ensemble sound. Melodies linger at times then push forward as the music reaches a stunning climax full of polychords and a breathtaking ending.

Soundtrack Highlights from Les Miserables          
arr. Jay Bocook
Symphonic Band           Grade 4
Here is a powerful symphonic setting of music from the award-winning movie based on the Broadway classic. This medley includes the new song Suddenly, composed for the film, in addition to the familiar At the End of the Day, I Dreamed a Dream, Master of the House, Castle on a Cloud, and Do You Hear the People Sing?

Mambo (from West Side Story)                      
arr. Michael Sweeney
Hal Leonard Concert Band        Grade 4
From one of the greatest musicals of all time, Leonard Bernstein’s ever-popular Mambo has been carefully adapted and edited to reduce some of the extreme technical demands of the original (notated in cut time and scored a third lower). However, none of the authenticity or energy has been altered, maintaining its crowd-pleasing stature as a stunning theatrical showcase or encore.

The Rolling Stones on Tour  
arr. Patrick Roszell
Belwin Concert Band    Grade 3
Hot off their 50th anniversary, this full-bodied, straight-ahead medley of legendary Rolling Stones hits combines Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, and the driving I Can’t Get No Satisfaction into a tour-de-force of classic rock.

Elementary General Music Clinic
Wednesday 7/30/2014, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $20.00
Stanton’s Sheet Music is excited to welcome Sharon Burch as our clinician for the 31st edition of our Elementary General Music Clinic. This is one of Stanton’s longest running and most successful clinics, showcasing the best new teacher resources, song collections, games, musicals and more! We are sure that you will find materials that will keep you and your students interested throughout the year. Get your school year started on the right foot!

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For a long time, Stephen Sondheim songbooks have been difficult to get.  Finally, the new series of Sondheim songbooks are off the press!  Sondheim for Singers is a set of song collections arranged by voice range.  The songs are usually in original keys as used in the shows or films.  These collections of Sondheim works cover the time period from 1954 to the present.  Synopses of the different shows are included.  There is one book each of these voice ranges: Soprano,  Belter/Mezzo Soprano, Tenor,  Baritone/Bass, and Duets.  Now we have access to Sondheim’s wonderful songs  again. The duet collection is particularly nice, including “Agony” from Into the Woods,  “Rain on the Roof” from Follies, “Pretty Women” from Sweeney Todd, plus 26 more.  For more information about these or other Broadway collections, call 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or check out our website at http://www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

Testimony is a breathtaking and emotional new work composed by Stephen Schwartz for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, conducted by Timothy Seelig. Inspired by the heartfelt words of the It Gets Better Project, “Testimony” speaks to anyone who has ever felt out of place. A powerful work of affirmation and inclusion!

For more moving selections for your choir, please contact Stanton’s Sheet Music.

Movie music can be familiar and fun to play, and is the only exposure to symphonic music for most of the general public, including your students.  Besides sounding awesome, it is a great way to vary your programming with some style and texture, and since many arrangements are in medley or suite form, work with your band on style, tempo, meter, and key changes.

This year features several great new arrangements and well-known themes from some very popular movies.  Alan Silvestri and Hans Zimmer are two of today’s most prolific film composers, and have scored some of the biggest blockbusters over the past few decades, including The Avengers, The Polar Express, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, Forrest Gump, and Back to the Future.  The work of each of these composers’ is featured is medley-style arrangements that are sure to be hits with both your students, and especially, your audience.  Alan Silvestri: A Night at the Movies is probably the best composer specific movie arrangement since Michael Brown’s Music for a Darkened Theatre featuring the music of Danny Elfman!

Hans Zimmer’s powerful score to Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, Man of Steel, is featured in accessible arrangements for both middle school and high school.  If you’re programming the suite (grade 3.5), better get your hornists ready, and rounding out the mix is a medley of some of the most popular James Bond themes, including the recent hit Skyfall, by Adele.

Keep following the Stanton’s Sheet Music blog for more new pop arrangements for concert band including Top 40 Hits, new Disney arrangements (including Frozen!), music from Broadway and television, and classic pop/rock hits.

Alan Silvestri: A Night at the Movies
arr. Michael Brown
Grade 3
Film composer Alan Silvestri has penned some of the most distinctive and memorable moments in recent cinema history. Sure to be a favorite year after year, this impressive setting includes music in a wide variety of styles with familiar themes from The Avengers, The Polar Express, Night at the Museum, Forrest Gump, and Back to the Future.

At the Movies with Hans Zimmer
arr. Justin Williams
Grade 3
Hans Zimmer’s film scores are bold and intense, and are notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements. This collection is less a medley of tunes, and more a portrait of his styles and moods. Incorporating selections from Man of Steel, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises, this arrangement is a tour-de-force of dramatic and emotional cinematic textures.

Bond…James Bond
arr. Stephen Bulla
Grade 4
Over the past five decades music from the James Bond film franchise has become a part of our musical culture. This powerful setting of familiar film themes will appeal to all audiences. Includes: James Bond Theme, Skyfall, Nobody Does It Better, Goldfinger, and Live and Let Die.

Selections from Man of Steel
arr. Michael Story
Grade 2
Recreating the excitement from the blockbuster Hans Zimmer film score, this medley from Man of Steel includes Look to the Stars, If You Love These People, Goodbye My Son, Oil Rig, and What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?.

Suite from Man of Steel
arr. Ralph Ford
Grade 3.5
Capturing the vastness, beauty, conflict, and emotion of Man of Steel, Ralph Ford’s suite arrangement from Hans Zimmer’s powerful score includes Look to the Stars, DNA, Goodbye My Son, Launch, Krypton’s Last, If You Love These People, Flight, and What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?.

Stanton’s Super Session
Saturday 8/2/2014, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
at Stanton’s Sheet Music, 330 S. Fourth St, 43215
REGISTRATION: $55.00 (includes lunch)

Do you need to put a little “spark” in your choral program? Is there just too much new music out there for you to review? Join us for a fun, enriching day of music education with Andy Beck, Greg Gilpin, and Stanton’s own Jen Sper featuring music from Alfred Publications, Shawnee Press and many other choral publishers. Nowhere else will you find such a variety of new choral selections and teaching resources to inspire and motivate you and your students as you begin the school year.

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Hal Leonard’s Banjo Method Book 1 is a great first book for a beginning banjo player.  There are chords and strums, tablature and picking, and neat tricks to playing, like slides and rolls.  This book will get a beginner off to a great start! After a good start with the Banjo Method book, there is another book of banjo solos called “More Easy Banjo Solos“.  It has sixteen oldtime and Bluegrass banjo solos, including “Old Homeplace”,  “Abilene”, and  “Blue Moon of Kentucky”.  Get started with one or both of these helpful, fun books of banjo sheet music!  For more information about these, or other music books for banjo, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at http://www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs.

The beautifully illustrated children’s book Sleep is the latest result of a collaboration between poet Charles Anthony Silvestri and composer Eric Whitacre. In Whitacre’s own words: “The book you are holding is the latest chapter in a story that began in 2000 when I wrote a choral work using as its text Robert Frost‘s beloved poem, ‘Stopping By Woods.’  The piece was a success, but I could not secure the legal rights to use the Frost text for publication.

“Rather than abandon the piece, I asked my friend, poet Charles Anthony Silvestri, to create a new alternative text to replace the Frost poem, one which mimicked the structure and rhyme scheme of the Frost, matched its tonal qualities, and which would seem, in all ways, to be the original text for the music I had created.  His poem was a beautiful meditation on the idea of sleep, and it fit my music perfectly.  ‘Sleep’ has become one of my most successful choral works, and was the basis for the enormously popular Virtual Choir 2.0 Internet phenomenon, uniting choristers from all over the world.

“I am so proud to introduce to you an entirely new way to enjoy and share this wonderful poem, now part of a new collaboration with illustrator Anne Horjus.  Enjoy this book, explore the music which inspired it, and see the connections between words and art and music which are everywhere.”

For more information on this exciting book and Eric Whitacre’s work, please contact Stanton’s choral department.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to announce our 21st annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic on Saturday August 23, 2014! 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.

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The oldest type of keyboard instrument is the pipe organ.  It dates to the third century B.C. There are many types of organs.  Over time, there have been many keyboard instruments, and plenty of music to go along with them.   One of the earliest collections of music for a keyboard instrument was the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, which is a collection of compositions by many composers.  There are other collections for virginal, but the Fitzwilliam collection is probably the best known.  There is so much music written for keyboard instruments that we may never run out.  There is music from at least 1562  to the present, from John Bull and John Dowland to Lowell Lieberman and Diane G. Rahbee.  The most common keyboard instrument nowadays is the piano, of course.  Parents who can afford it make sure their children have an opportunity to explore the piano for at least a few years.  All kinds of courses of instruction exist for learning to play the piano.  There are lots of sheets and books of keyboard music for classical, popular, jazz, rock, blues…..well, everything.  If you play a keyboard instrument, you should never get bored. If this article gets you interested in the endless variety of keyboard music, feel free to ask questions at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or check out our website at http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

From the creative mind of composer Bob Chilcott, the vibrant collection Jazz Songs of Innocence presents five jazzy settings of poems from William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence.” Chilcott challenges the expectation of the listener by setting each classic text in a different jazz-inspired style-from the laid-back swing of ‘The Echoing Green’ and ballad-like setting of ‘The Lamb’ to a lilting jazz waltz, ‘The Little Boy Lost/The Little Boy Found’. The voices are underpinned by a stylistic piano part, which may be played as written or serve as a guide, and a part for bass and drum kit is available separately for jazz trio accompaniment. Ideal for performance individually or as a suite, these innovative songs will make a colorful addition to any concert program.

For more jazz compositions from Bob Chilcott, be sure to explore his Little Jazz Mass, a wonderful setting of the traditional mass texts.  Please contact us for more information, and shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

How many kinds of drums are there in the world?   Does anyone really know?  The good news is that at least some of them have method books, and Stanton’s has or can get those method books.  The cajon is a box with some snares set against the inside of one wall of it. The player sits on the cajon, and plays it bare-handed, slapping and tapping. “Getting Started on Cajon“  can get a beginner going.  This is a package that includes a book and a DVD.  Often, a picture is worth a thousand words.  “First Lessons Conga“  includes a CD.  Pictures of the various playing techniques are in the book, and the CD lets the player hear the rhythms as they should be played.  Instructions for playing the claves are included because there are pieces in this book of sheet music for conga that both instruments can play together.  “First Lessons Bongo” includes a CD that helps the the bongo player with the rhythms presented, and pictures to help learn the drumming techniques for this “drum” that is two drums of different  sizes.  For more information about these drum books or others, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@atantons.com, or visit our website, http://www.stantons.com.Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

Stanton’s is pleased to invite you to our 2014 “John Jacobson Workshop” on July 31st and “Joy of Singing” on August 1st – two full days of the best new music from Hal Leonard!

John Jacobson Workshop
Thursday 7/31/2014, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $60.00 teacher/$40.00 student, Both fees include lunch
Wear your comfy clothes and tennis shoes because you’re gonna get a workout! Recharge your battery, renew your enthusiasm and review the best new titles for show choir with the master of choreography, John Jacobson and special guest, Audrey Snyder. You will receive all the music and choreography notes for at least 20 complete routines. (Students attending this session will not receive a music packet)

Joy of Singing
Friday 8/1/2014, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $50.00 (includes lunch)
Stanton’s has hosted this session for almost 30 years! Music for all levels of choral ensembles – elementary through adult – will be presented by clinicians Roger Emerson, Mac Huff, John Jacobson and Audrey Snyder. Each director will receive a packet of complimentary booklets containing complete editions of arrangements suitable for both school and community choirs. You’ll have ample time to browse Stanton’s on-site store and chat with the clinicians throughout the day.

Register now online, or contact us at 1-800-426-8742 or choral@stantons.com for more information.

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Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up, and  instrumentalists can get in on the fun, too!  Hal Leonard has a book of Irish fiddle tunes called “Celtic” that comes with a CD.  There is a set of demo tracks, and a set of play-along tracks for these Irish fiddle tunes, which include “Harvest Home” and “Haste to the Wedding”, plus six more fiddle tunes.  There are chords printed above the staff for guitarists or mandolin players to strum along.   A ukulele player could strum along with the fiddler using the chords, too. A book of Irish tunes for harp, “50 Irish Melodies for all Harps“, arranged by Sylvia Woods,  includes  each tune arranged for a beginning harpist followed by the same tune arranged for an advanced player.  This book includes chord names printed above the staff, perfect for strum-along friends.  Lyrics are included in this book of sheet music for either lever harp or pedal harp.  For more information about these books of Irish sheet music or others, call 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at http://www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

If there is anything that your students are clamoring to play this year, it’s music from Disney’s Oscar Award winning animated film, Frozen.

In an age when movies are bumped from the big screen in a matter of weeks, and some going to Blu-Ray/DVD so soon that they may as well be “direct-to-video”, Frozen continues its domination of the box office 3 MONTHS after its release (11/22/13)!  In addition to 2 Oscar Awards for Best Song and Best Animated Film, as well as numerous other film awards, the soundtrack is #1 on the Billboard 200 for the third straight week.  It’s been over a decade since the soundtrack to a theatrically released movie has had 3 weeks at #1, and the only other animated film soundtrack to achieve that was The Lion King.  To date the soundtrack has sold 750,000 copies, with Idina Menzel’s single Let It Go reaching #21 on the Hot 100, and in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs.  On top of all that, the piano/vocal/guitar collection published by Hal Leonard has gone back to press for a 3^rd printing!

With all this excitement and popularity, our band staff is thrilled to share the new band arrangements featuring music from Frozen.  Highlights from Frozen is a grade 3 medley perfect for high school bands arranged by one of our favorite writers, Sean O’Loughlin; the Oscar winner for Best Song, Let It Go, performed by Broadway superstar Idina Menzel, is a great choice for young bands in the grade 2 Discovery Plus series; and bands with incomplete or mixed instrumentation should consider the Music from Frozen medley published in the Hal Leonard Flex-Band series.

Spring concert programming couldn’t be easier with these titles filling one of the slots.  They are sure to be a hit with your students and audience!

Highlights from Frozen*
arr. Sean O’Loughlin
Hal Leonard Concert Band
Grade 3
Disney’s first Oscar Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, Frozen has quickly established itself as a classic with a heartwarming story, stunning visuals and magnificent songs. This wonderful concert medley from Sean O’Loughlin features Vuelie, Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, For the First Time in Forever, and the Academy Award winning Best Song, Let It Go.
        *Soon to be off the press – Available for pre-order!

Let It Go
arr. James Kazik
Discovery Plus
Grade 2
Performed by Broadway superstar Idina Menzel, this popular, Oscar Award winner for Best Song is available in a terrific setting for young players.  Both Let It Go and Frozen (winner: Best Animated Feature) are quickly becoming Disney classics.

Music from Frozen
arr. Johnnie Vinson
Flex-Band
Grade 2
From Disney’s Oscar Award winner for Best Animated Feature, Frozen, comes this medley of fantastic songs arranged for flexible instrumentation including Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, For the First Time in Forever, and Academy Award winning Best Song, Let It Go.