News & Views Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Great Russian Composers – Sergei Rachmaninoff 29 June, 2016

00-K03819Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in Oneg, Russia, in 1871. His first piano teacher was his mother, who began teaching young Sergei when he was four years old. He began his studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory at the age of ten, later continuing his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1892 he was presented his diploma, his main areas being piano performance and composition.

Because of the Russian Revolution in 1917, he and his family fled to Finland, then Denmark, and finally, to the United States, where they eventually settled in Beverly Hills, California. Rachmaninoff was active as a composer, conductor and concert pianist in the United States. Some of the most popular piano works composed by Rachmaninoff are his Fourteen Preludes, Opus 3, #2, and Opus 32, #1-13, his concertos, “Etudes Tableaux” and “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”

Stanton’s carries many of his piano compositions. For more information, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!


COMING SOON: The Joy of Singing 28 June, 2016

Stanton’s is thrilled to announce the 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of The Joy of Singing – two full days of the best new music from Hal Leonard!

JoyOfSinging_30th_TINYTHE JOY OF SINGING: Young & Developing Choir
Thursday 8/4/2016, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $50 (includes lunch)
New music appropriate for the beginning choral singing level (unison/2-part). Includes choreography and three spotlight sessions on specific areas.

THE JOY OF SINGING: Middle & High School Choir
Friday 8/5/2016, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $50 (includes lunch)
New music appropriate for the middle/high school choral singing level (2-part, 3-part mixed, SAB, and SATB). Includes choreography and three spotlight sessions on specific areas.

REGISTRATION SPECIAL: Attend BOTH days (8/4 and 8/5) for $79!

Our clinicians this year will be John Jacobson, Mac Huff, Cristi Cary Miller, and Roger Emerson. 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.

Visit our previous post for information on how to choose the Stanton’s session that is best for you.

Registration is now open! Contact us at 1-800-426-8742 or choral@stantons.com for more information. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!


How to Write Guitar Tab 27 June, 2016

00-45294recommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

Tablature for fretted string instruments was common in the Renaissance and Baroque eras, and is still in use today. It’s handy because no matter what, the strings are always in the same place, and so are the frets. The strings are numbered from high to low, 1-2-3-4-5-6. The frets are numbered from the nut up the fingerboard.

How to Write Guitar Tab shows how to write the tablature including rhythms, and how to apply modern notation for things like whammy bar, bending, and slides. This is especially helpful when the guitar is in an alternate tuning, such as DADGAD. This is a great resource to help learn how to write sheet music for guitar, and how to read tab as well as write it.

For more information, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

About the Author:
Barb M. has worked in the Keyboard Department at Stanton’s since 1981. An active folk musician in the Columbus area, Barb also works with ensembles at her church and plays in the Columbus State Concert Band. In her spare time, Barb loves working with animals and computer games.


The Stanton’s Difference: For New Teachers 24 June, 2016

tall StantonsWe know you have many choices when it comes to purchasing sheet music. Over the next few weeks, we want to take the opportunity to highlight just a few of the many reasons why Stanton’s is the best place to buy music for your school, church, private studio or personal use!

The staff at Stanton’s understands the stresses and pressures of the first year of teaching. Getting to know your building and district, discipline, lesson plans, common core, evaluations, booster groups, budgets/purchasing, scheduling….oh, yeah, and actually teaching! We’d like to make your life just a little bit easier, and here’s what we can do to help:

Money Matters: Requisitions, purchase orders, board accounts, booster accounts; it can all seem “Greek to you” if you’re not familiar with school purchasing. Visit or call us as soon as you are hired to determine what kind of account(s) your school has and what you have to do to get music. Don’t be shy, ask lots of questions now!

We’re Happy To Meet You: Come on down and visit us in person! Introduce yourself to the staff, let us know what and where you’re teaching. We can give you a short tour of the store and let you know what kinds of products we have that fit your needs. We’ll also be happy to send you home with any current promotional materials or a 21 Day Trial so you can choose literature at your leisure.

So Much Music, So Little Time: The tens of thousands titles that we have in stock can be a bit overwhelming for anyone. The music educators on our staff can steer you in the right direction, offering suggestions for all types of classes and ensembles at all levels. We spend hundreds of hours each year reviewing new publications, so we show you only the best of what’s out there.

E-Tools: Stanton’s website has several different e-tools to assist you in choosing, purchasing and teaching your music. There’s our Virtual Workshops, Jukebox, Listening Library, Digital Delivery and, of course, the Stanton’s Barcode Scanner App – available for free in The App Store and Google Play.

For more details, questions or to introduce yourself, visit us online at stantons.com, or give us a call at 1-800-42-MUSIC!

Click here for more information on the STANTON’S DIFFERENCE!


The Tale of Guido d’Arezzo 22 June, 2016

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral and Classroom Music Specialist

Looking for a fun and educational way to introduce the history of music notation? Enter Guido d’Arezzo! This interactive storybook provides a creative and engaging look at the development of music notation as we know it – the concepts are easy enough for upper elementary students to grasp, and the presentation is clever enough to engage even a high school music theory class!

The Tale of Guido d’Arezzo by Maritza Sadowsky
Long before the lines and spaces, the flags and beams, music had to be memorized because there was no way to write it down. That is, until clever Guido came along! Learn how this Medieval monk laid the groundwork for the system of music notation that we use today. This true story is told with beautiful illustrations and age-appropriate vocabulary, which can be read from the screen or heard by clicking the listen icon. Embedded audio plays period music, whimsical sound effects, and a professionally-voiced narration. As you scroll through each interactive page, be sure to click highlighted elements to watch the story come to life. Utilizes flash technology that works on individual computers and interactive whiteboards. Recommended for all ages.

About the Author:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.


COMING SOON: Elementary General Music Clinic 21 June, 2016

gm logoElementary General Music Clinic
Wednesday 8/3/2016, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Columbia Heights UMC
REGISTRATION: $20.00
Stanton’s Sheet Music is excited to welcome Cristi Cary Miller as our clinician for the 34th 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!

Registration is now open! Call us at 1.800.42.MUSIC for more information. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!


Hear It, Read It, Write It! 20 June, 2016

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral and Classroom Music Specialist

Teaching dictation in the ensemble classroom can feel like a drag – do I have time for this?!? I’m already teaching sight-reading – isn’t that good enough?!? You DO have time (or you can MAKE the time), and it IS important! Here’s a great resource to help:

Hear It, Read It, Write It! by Dave & Jean Perry
Learning to read music is much like learning a language. There are three basic elements: listening, reading, and writing. This well organized book provides step-by-step sequential lessons for developing these skills. Rhythm, note, and interval concepts are taught in the following way: first, hear and echo a short musical example; second, read and perform a notated exercise; and third, notate musical phrases as demonstrated on the CD. Worksheet-style student pages are included as reproducible PDFs. Ten-minute activities for teaching or assessment, recommended for fourth through ninth grade ensembles or music classes.

About the Author:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.


Songs from “Waitress” 17 June, 2016

00155843We’re happy to now have in-stock “What’s Inside: Songs from “Waitress”!  “Waitress” has been nominated for every Best Musical Award of the season, including the Tony Award. It took off on Broadway when it transferred there in March of 2016, and made Broadway history with four of the top creative spots being filled by women. Songs in this collection from the show include “What’s Inside,” “I Didn’t Plan It,” “Lulu’s Pie Song,” and more. So pull up your “Waitress” playlist, pick up your copy of this collection, and sing along!

For more information about this collection, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

 


First 50 Songs You Should Strum on Guitar 15 June, 2016

00148996recommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

Are you looking for something fun to strum this summer? “First 50 Songs You Should Strum on Guitar” is stuffed full with fifty popular songs, old and new! Songs include “Soul Sister,” “Good Riddance,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Maggie May,” “Mull of Kintyre,” and more. Whether you play for your own pleasure, or you like to play for singalongs, this book will keep you happily occupied for hours.

For more information about this songbook or other sheet music for popular guitar, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

About the Author:
Barb M. has worked in the Keyboard Department at Stanton’s since 1981. An active folk musician in the Columbus area, Barb also works with ensembles at her church and plays in the Columbus State Concert Band. In her spare time, Barb loves working with animals and computer games.


Stanton’s E-Tools: Wishlists 13 June, 2016

wishlistThe amazing staff at Stanton’s knows how valuable your time is. That’s why we try to provide you with as many tools as we can to make choosing music easier,  faster and more enjoyable. In this series of blog posts, we will be profiling our E-tools. Whether you are a local customer here in Columbus, OH or one of our many friends around the world, we hope you will find a way to use our E-tools!

Overheard often at Stanton’s:

  • “I did this piece in high school. I loved it!!! It made my whole year in band/choir/orchestra. I’d love to do it with my kids, but they’re just not ready yet. Sigh. Maybe in a few years.”
  • “There’s so many great new pieces out this year. I can’t do them all this fall, but maybe this spring.”
  • “This would be perfect for a theme concert about ___________. I’ll have to keep it in mind for the future.”
  • “I listened to all those pieces on all those CDs from the publishers, but now I can’t remember what I liked!”

All of the above are great reasons to use the Wish List feature on the Stanton’s website. As musicians, we are always on the lookout for new pieces that will inspire us as well as invigorate and educate our students. The Wish List feature allows you to keep track of pieces you like, and organize them any way you want (by concert program, theme/style, performance year, etc). You can also email your list(s) to friends or colleagues, export it to a Microsoft Excel file for your own records, submit it to your treasurer as a requisition for a purchase order, or send it directly to us at Stanton’s to place your order!

If you have questions about how to use the Stanton’s Wishlist, or if you need further information on any of our e-tools, feel free to call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC or email us at greatservice@stantons.com.

Click here for more in the Stanton’s E-Tools series!


Prayer of the Children 10 June, 2016

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist

Kurt Bestor’s emotional “Prayer of the Children” has become a standard in the choral literature, but started as a wordless melody in response to the civil war in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Eventually discovered and performed by Weston Noble and the Luther College Nordic Choir, it has been used for such special occasions as the annual 9/11 commemoration and a concert in memory of the Oklahoma City bombing. Bestor says, “I’m thankful everyday for the still, small place where this song came from. I go there often and am always soothed.”

We are happy to present this new arrangement by master composer Mark Hayes, which maintains the emotional impact of the original and incorporates a tasteful accompaniment for piano or orchestra – perfect for honor choirs or festivals!

Prayer of the Children arr. Mark Hayes
This moving anthem of hope has been embraced by choirs around the world for years. Lush choral writing and an inspired instrumentation treat the important piece with reverence and respect. At the very end, two measures sung in Croatian remind us that the prayer is intended for the whole world.

For more quality recommendations for your choir, please visit us online or contact us!

About the Author:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.


COMING SOON: Excellence in Choral Literature 07 June, 2016

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to announce our 23rd annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic!

EXCELLENCE IN CHORAL LITERATURE
Saturday 8/27/2016, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
**NEW LOCATION** Christ Lutheran Church, 2314 E Main Street, Bexley OH 43209
REGISTRATION: $20

This session, led by James Gallagher (Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University), is 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. Your registration fee includes a complimentary packet of over 30 titles. Come join us to discover beautiful music and share ideas with colleagues and friends!

Registration is now open! For more information, please contact us by email, or call us at 1.800.426.8742. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!


The New Federation Festivals Bulletin is Ready! 06 June, 2016

00-41281If you are a music teacher who belongs to the Ohio Music Teachers Association, (National Federation of Music Clubs), you will be glad to know that the new bulletin is ready! Just call 317-882-4003 to order yours over the phone from their office in Indiana. Stanton’s is currently in the process of ordering the piano music for the Junior Festival, and over the next several weeks, we should have most of it in stock. Call ahead and reserve your Festival music now!

For answers to any questions you may have, please call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!


The Stanton’s Difference: 21 Day Trial 03 June, 2016

At Stanton’s, we know you have many choices when it comes to purchasing sheet music. Over the next few weeks, we want to take the opportunity to highlight just a few of the many reasons why Stanton’s is the best place to buy music for your school, church, private studio or personal use!

Stanton’s is one of the largest sheet music retailers in the country, with tens of thousands of titles in stock. We understand that many of our customers can’t make it to our Columbus, Ohio location to peruse music, so we offer a 21 Day Trial service.

How It Works: Music can be secured with either a Stanton’s account or a credit card. We send you the in-stock materials you request, and you pay nothing but the shipping and handling costs. As long as the music is returned to us in NEW condition within 21 days, you are never charged. If you have specific titles you’d like to see, we will happily send those to you, or you can ask one of our knowledgeable staff members to select pieces for you based on concert theme, performance venue, type of group, etc.

What You Can Take On Trial (by department):

Choral, Handbell, Classroom General Music & Solo VocalYou may take up to 20 single copies of octavos and/or up to 5 musicals, collections, or director’s scores.

Band, Orchestra and InstrumentalYou may take up to six items on trial, including full arrangements, solos and chamber ensembles (only scores will be sent for titles appearing on the OMEA High School Large Group Contest List).

Piano/KeyboardUp to five collections and/or 10 teaching pieces, one copy each. Popular sheet music is not available for 21 Day Trial. 75% (by dollar amount) of the piano music on trial must be purchased.

For more details about our 21 Day Trial, visit us online at www.stantons.com, or give us a call at 1-800-42-MUSIC!

Click here for more information on the STANTON’S DIFFERENCE!


Why Does Copyright Law Matter? 01 June, 2016

copyrightrespectfully offered by Dan C., Orchestra Music Specialist

If you are reading this, you are probably a musician or associate with musicians. When you are a musician or hang with musicians, you begin to think that everyone is probably involved in music in one way or another. But, we musicians are really a fairly finite group of people.

It has been speculated that if you were to gather all people in the United States who make their living in the music industry (whether creating it, performing it, recording it, writing it, teaching it, publishing it, selling it, making and repairing instruments that play it etc), you would end up with about the same amount of people as are employed by the Kellogg’s Company – you know, the cereal and snack food folks. Yeah – a pretty finite group!

It seems unlikely that anyone involved in this tight-knit music community would intentionally keep their fellow musicians from trying to make a living. And yet, that’s what you do when you copy sheet music without permission. Sheet music is property – like a trumpet, violin or a microphone – but it’s intellectual property, which can be a bit nebulous. Basically, only the Copyright Holder has the “right” to “copy” their work. When you copy music without permission from the copyright holder, you are actually stealing it.

When you copy music without a second thought, that means the music is not being sold. Consequently, the music retailer and all their employees lose income, the music publisher and all their employees lose income, and, perhaps most tragically, the composer loses income. Your fellow musicians are being deprived of their ability to make a living.

So not only are you breaking the law by copying music, you are keeping your brothers and sisters in this finite musical community from doing what they love to do: be a musician. If they can’t make a living at it, they may have to leave and do something else. And the musical world becomes an even smaller place.

So don’t copy music without permission – it’s not only illegal, it’s immoral. Let’s make sure the livelihood of our music community is secure so we can all continue to make music – that thing we love to do!

For more information on what you can and cannot do when it comes to copyright, check out these books on the subject:
Copyright Basics by Joel Leach
The Teacher’s Guide to Music, Media, and Copyright Law by James Frankel
Music Copyright Law by Moser & Slay
Music Publishing: The Complete Guide by Steve Winogradsky

About the Author:
Dan C. has worked at Stanton’s since 1979, primarily with orchestra music and print promotions. A “working” musician, he’s a classical cellist, a rock & jazz bassist and a folk & country guitarist/singer. His free time is spent with family or reading, gardening, cycling and working puzzles. His series of musical puzzles (RP3 Rebus Puzzle Picture People) can be found on the Stanton’s Facebook page each Sunday. He also has a reputation as a pretty good joke teller. Seriously.