News & Views Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Do you have a significant other that makes you smile with your heart?  Their looks may be laughable (and even unphotographable) yet they’re your favorite work of art?  Then you could call them “My Funny Valentine.”

With lyrics close to those written above, the well known song, “My Funny Valentine,” has become a staple for the day set aside to honor your favorite loved one.  Written in 1937 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for their musical, Babes in Arms, it is sung in the show by the female lead, Billie Smith, to her love interest, Valentine “Val” LaMar.  She pokes gentle fun at some of his characteristics, but ultimately tells him not to change, because they are what gives him his charm.  Just about everyone can relate to that set of circumstances.  After all, love reigns supreme – especially on Valentine’s Day!

If you would like to perform this wonderful song, there are many settings from which to choose. There are versions for vocal solo with piano, as well as arrangements for choir, jazz ensemble (with or without vocal solo), jazz combo, concert band and full or string orchestra.  You can find these all on Stanton’s website, or try our Digital Delivery option if there’s no time to lose!

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)
Church Choral Music
School Choral Music
Elementary Classroom 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

BILLING AND ACCOUNTS (ex. 4)

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 (1-800-426-8742). If you’re unsure of which department to choose, we’re always happy to direct you to whoever can best address your needs; press “0″ to have your call directed, or send a general email. At Stanton’s, it is important to us that you receive the most educated answers to your questions and the finest music recommendations.

Christmas time is here, or so the song goes, and now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, a few of the Stanton's staff would like to share some of our favorite Christmas albums with you.  Hopefully you'll find something new and different to add to your holiday playlist.  Feel free to share your favorites in the comments section below - we're always looking for something new to listen to, and Merry Christmas!

Caryn - Pop & Keyboard Dept.
A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Christmas Collection - Michael W. Smith
Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity and Christmas with the Cambridge Singers - The Cambridge Singers; London Sinfonia; John Rutter
O Holy Night - Jackie Evancho
December Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition - George Winston
Indigo Christmas: Retro Jazz Swing – (no specific artist)
Carol - The American Boychoir
And Winter Came - Enya

Jen - Choral Music Specialist
Angels on High - Robert Shaw Singers
Holiday Spirits - Straight No Chaser
Elf Movie Soundtrack
Christmas Together - John Denver and The Muppets

Ken - Band/Instrumental Dept.
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio
Christmas Songs – Diana Krall & the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Jingle All the Way – Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
Christmas Jazz Jam – Wynton Marsalis
Christmas in the Morning: A Celebration in Brass – Canadian Brass; Michael Laird & Philip Jones Brass Ensembles
A Night Before Christmas – Spyro Gyra
Christmas Greetings – The Festival Chorale, conducted by H. Royce Saltzman
White Christmas – Bing Crosby

Just in time for the new school year, renowned band education publisher, C.L. Barnhouse has released a new grade 2 solo collection, Solos for the Rising Band Musician.  Titled in correlation to their Rising Band series of arrangements, this collection features 10 original solos in various concert styles from respected composers James Swearingen, Robert W. Smith, David Shaffer, Ed Huckeby, and Rob Grice. Â 

A piano accompaniment CD is included with each solo book, in addition to a published piano accompaniment for performance purposes. Â Designed with the young musician in mind, a second set of CD tracks and accompaniment book in alternate keys have been created to properly accomodate the comfort levels and ranges of developing oboists and hornists.  These collections are affordable ($12.95/solo book; $14.95 piano accomp.), and are perfect for junior high solo contest, or for private studio teachers looking for new repertoire for their younger students.

Stanton’s wants to remind you of the 17th Annual Jazz and World Music Festival INVITATIONAL on Friday, April 8th, 2011.

Bring your students and enjoy six world class artists this year! Don’t miss: the Capital University Big Band with Bobby Shew and Tom “Bones” Malone AND the Air Force Night Flight Jazz Ensemble beginning at 7pm! Details online and complete the application right there–you will not regret it! Additionally there are exciting activities all month long in celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the jazz studies/music industry program

CALLING ALL ALUMS!
Bring your ax and sit in with the group of your choice on Saturday, April 9th from 4-8pm at RICK’S COACHES in Gahanna, Ohio. Featuring the C.U.R.E. – (ROCK Ensemble), the conFUSION BAND, the Jazz Consort, the Jazz Percussion Ensemble, and the Big Band! Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and the first beer is on us for all alums of the program! Stick around afterward for the

Guest Artist/Faculty Jam from 8-11pm

Visit our website for the entire month’s events!

After a long Winter, when Spring finally arrives and the “sap starts rising,” Stanton’s can always count on adults coming into the store, saying, “I used to play the (fill in an instrument here) back in high school or college and I’d like to get back to it after all these years.”

For lack of anything better, in the past we would usually recommend a beginner band or string class book, which, although it is aimed at youngsters, can be used as a getting-back-to-basics and brush-up-your-skills tool for an adult.  When used by an individual at their own pace, band and string class books can move right along so they will quickly get an adult player back in shape after letting his/her instrumental skills languish.  However, they contain lots of repetition (great for kids!) and juvenile songs that don’t appeal to adult tastes.

We mentioned this Springtime phenomenon to our publisher representative at Carl Fischer and he got together with his staff and came up with a great series of books especially for those adults who want to pull their musical instrument out of the closet and polish up their “chops.”  Aiming initially at former flute, trumpet and violin players (with more to come, we hope!) they are called: I USED TO PLAY FLUTE,  I USED TO PLAY TRUMPET and
I USED TO PLAY VIOLIN.

Each book contains useful reviews of the basics of Music Theory and a wealth of exercises to get players back in shape plus over twenty fun pieces to play including classical repertoire, folk music, patriotic and sacred titles with the adult player in mind.  An enclosed CD contains very hip audio MP3 files of rhythm-section accompaniments (piano, bass and drums without the melody) so studying, practicing and performing will be more satisfying.  The CD also contains printable PDF files of the piano accompaniments on the CD for playing the music with a pianist friend, allowing for more performance opportunities.  As a bonus, the CD contains complete performances of the songs that supply a performance standard goal.

So now there is an adult-aimed option for getting back to playing music after being away for a while.  When the urge strikes, know that saying, “I used to play…” can get you on the path to the enjoyment of playing music once again.  Do it for the fun of it!

After our trips to Rochester, Grand Rapids and Cincinnati, Stanton’s has one more stop on our convention circuit – next week we’ll be heading to Louisville for the Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference!

In Louisville, you’ll find us in the exhibition hall under the big, blue Stanton’s balloon. Stop by for all your music needs, or to give us a good restaurant recommendation! Contact us this week if you have any special requests for the music we’ll choose to fill our large booth.

As Black History Month approaches, consider programming or studying the music of these wonderful composers – both classical and jazz. Â  Feel free to use this list as an assignment for mini-biographies from your students too!

David Baker
Harry Burleigh
Duke Ellington
Adolphus Hailstork
W. C. Handy
Fletcher Henderson
Quincy Hilliard
Moses Hogan
Scott Joplin
Quincy Jones
Ulysses Kay
Wynton Marsalis
Thelonious Monk
William Owens
Horace Silver
William Grant Still
Billy Strayhorn
Fats Waller

Contact Stanton’s for more music and resources to celebrate Black History Month.

Stanton's Sheet Music is heading to the Michigan Music Conference today. Stanton’s attended this conference for the first time last year, in 2010, and we’ve been anxious to return! We have been so pleased to help music educators in the state of Michigan, and always enjoy meeting those customers face-to-face. We'll be bringing a full selection of sheet music for Solo & Ensemble, Choral, Elementary Music, Concert Band, Jazz and Orchestra, along with some of the newest publications for music educators and college music majors. You shouldn't have trouble finding us-we'll be under the big blue Stanton's balloon flying in the exhibition hall!

It's now January and here in Ohio thoughts are turning to OMEA Adjudicated Events!  Solo & Ensemble events begin February 5th, and High School Large Group events are in March, followed by Junior High events later in the spring.  While many of you have been planning since August, our biggest sales for contest music are in January.

Stanton's strongly suggests that when you order your music for Adjudicated Events, you order the copies or scores for your judges at the same time.  Solo & Ensemble events have one adjudicator, and Large Group events have three - each adjudicator needs their own copy of each score.  Please do not wait until the week of (or the DAY of) your event to order - every year we get many panicked calls from directors at the last minute!  If we don't have the piece you need in stock it may take as long as two weeks to order it in, and if it is Permanently Out-of-Print, receiving photocopy permission may take even longer.

Still searching for the perfect contest piece.  Our website is up-to-date with this year's Large Group required lists for high school choir, concert band, and orchestra, junior high choir, concert band, and orchestra, and Solo & Ensemble lists for high school choir.

Adjudicated Events can be an exciting and rewarding time for you and your students.  Let Stanton's help you by placing your orders early!

The creativity and complexity of contemporary video games makes them modern works of art.  Equally impressive and essential to the gaming experience are the wonderfully effective musical scores underpinning the action and stunning visuals, and requests for print versions of ”video game music” are not uncommon.  To that end, Alfred Publishing has just released a solo instrumental play-along series of music from the ground-breaking and immensely popular “World of Warcraft” video game series.  Titles include: Lion’s Pride, The Shaping of the World, Slaughtered Lamb, Pig and Whistle, Invincible, A Call to Arms, Wrath of the Lich King, Gates of the Black Temple, Salty Sailor, and Garden of Life.  A fingering chart is also included in each book.

Instrumental solo books including CD accompaniments are available for flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, f horn, and trombone with a seperate piano accompaniment book available as well.  String editions of the series are available for violin, viola, and cello and include both the CD and piano accompaniments.  Feel free to order via stantons.com, or give us a call.

 

ATTENTION:  HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL STUDENTS WHO ARE AUDITIONING AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES – ARE YOU PREPARED?

A unique series of books has just become available that will help you prepare for this important event which could determine how the rest of your life and your music career evolve. Protocol: A Guide to the Collegiate Audition Process provides high school students with or without a private teacher with a comprehensive collection of materials that will satisfy the needs of most college/university music auditions.

Many schools have specific requirements that can usually be obtained from their respective websites.  This text includes the most frequently requested audition requirements from online websites at many universities, and if it is the only guide that you purchase, you will be able to present a representative, well balanced audition.  It not only includes instrument specific scales and arpeggios, orchestral excerpts, etudes and solos, it also has suggestions on how to take an audition – what to bring, how to dress and how to present a professional manner.

The editors of this collection have drawn from experiences as college/university professors and from experience supervising entrance auditions for large and small university programs.  This collection will aid students by exposing them to the expectations of the audition process, assisting their preparation for this process, and creating a comfort level that allows students to present themselves in the best light possible.  This book is an indispensable guide for every student considering auditioning for any collegiate music program!

PROTOCOL: A GUIDE TO THE COLLEGIATE AUDITION PROCESS
FLUTE – WF58 – $19.95
CLARINET – WF59 – $19.95
ALTO SAXOPHONE – WF86 – $19.95
TRUMPET – WF60 – $19.95
TROMBONE – WF81 – $19.95
VIOLIN – BF55 – $19.95
VIOLA – BF56 – $19.95
CELLO – BF57 – $19.95
STRING BASS – BF58 – $19.95

Stanton’s Sheet Music woke up in Rochester, NY this morning for the annual NYSSMA Winter Conference. We’ve loaded up our “Sheet Music Specialists,” along with some of the best materials for band, choir, classroom music, orchestra and more, and brought it directly to our many New York devotees.

If you’re at the convention today–please stop by our booth and say “hello.” You’ll find us under the big blue Stanton’s balloon in the exhibit hall!

On October 17th, 2010 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 4850 Haughn Road, Grove City, Ohio there will be a concert in celebration of  local composer John Carter’s 80th birthday. The concert will be at 7:00 p.m. and will celebrate the vastness of his compositions which include choral literature (over 600 anthems) to piano music to trumpet music and more.  The public is invited to join in this celebratory evening which will prove to be very festive indeed!

Here at Stanton’s, we have John Carter’s arrangements and compositions in various forms. One of the best-selling piano books arranged by John is “Today’s Hymns and Songs for Piano;” Caryn, who works in the piano department, loves the arrangements of “On Eagle’s Wings” and “Here I Am, Lord”  which are featured in this collection.  Judy–who is also in the piano department–recommends that people buy “Patriotic Songs for Piano.” For advanced pianists, this book is a winner for the patriotic season!  The newest piano collection that has arrived from John is a compilation of his piano books along with about 20 newly arranged pieces entitled, “The Collected Works of John Carter.” This is perfect for the church pianist and has a spiral bound cover!  For more of John Carter’s piano books, please go to www.sacredpianomusiconly.com.

For those interested in sacred choral anthems arranged/composed by John, one should look at the pieces, “Shall We Gather at the River” and “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.”  Both of these have been great sellers over the years. Â A beautiful secular SSA piece that John has composed, “I Leave You With a Song,” has been on the OMEA contest list.

For those playing trumpet, John Carter has arranged a trumpet/piano accompaniment collection called, “Sound the Trumpet“ which would be great for those trumpet players in churches.

So mark your calendars, Columbus, and come celebrate with John Carter!  Happy 80th birthday John!

Hot off the press! 

The hit Fox TV show Glee has taken the nation by storm breathing new and creative life into pop, rock and Broadway show classics, and creating interest in sheet music for the titles as well.  Single pop sheets, pop vocal collections, choral arrangements, and marching and concert band arrangements are all available for songs performed on the show, and as of today, Hal Leonard is releasing the first instrumental play-along collection from season one of the hit series. 

 Titles include: Alone; And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going; Bust Your Windows; Dancing with Myself; Defying Gravity; Don’t Stop Believin’; Imagine; Keep Holding On; Lean On Me; My Life Would Suck Without You; No Air; Sweet Caroline; Take A Bow; Taking Chances; and True Colors.

Play-along collections are available for flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, f horn, trombone, violin, viola, and cello.  They make great gifts and are a fun way to add variety to students’ school ensemble arrangements and private lesson assignments!  Feel free to order online, or give us a call at 1-800-426-8742.