News & Views Sunday, May 26, 2013

May is the month to celebrate special events–come to Stanton’s Sheet Music to find the ultimate party decorations!

We have just received an assortment of plates, napkins, cups and other decorations with musical designs on them.  They can be used for various celebrations like birthdays, graduations, recitals or just to “party!”

Stanton’s is not just a sheet music retailer…it is THE place to buy musical party items as well as gifts. Call us at 1-800-426-8742 or come and see for yourself!

The Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras are holding auditions for the 2011-2012 season on Saturday, May 21, 2011, at the Clark State Performing Arts Center in Springfield, OH. 

Their youth orchestra program features:

• A Side-by-Side concert, with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO)
• Sectional coaching by members of the SSO.
• Chamber music opportunities with Brass and Woodwind Quintets, String Quartets and a Percussion Ensemble. These small ensembles are featured in numerous performances throughout the school year. Students are chosen by audition.
• Master class opportunities with SSO guest artists.
• Project Protégé, a program in which select SYS string players are invited to perform with the Springfield Symphony during a subscription concert.
• A Concerto Competition for SYS seniors, with performance opportunities for the winner.
• Rehearsals and concerts in the world class Clark State Performing Arts Center.

They are auditioning for all orchestral instruments. Download a brochure with application form by clicking here.

The newest community concert band to Central Ohio, the Concert Band of Dublin, will perform its inaugural concert on Wednesday, May 18 at Radiant Life Church in Dublin.

Under the direction of Jeff Chesser, one of the band directors at Dublin Scioto High School, the Concert Band of Dublin began rehearsals at the end of January adding a concert band to the Dublin Community Bands organization.  Its other groups include the rebirth of the historic Dublin Cornet Band, the Dublin Silver Band (a British-style brass band), and the Emerald City Swing Orchestra.

The inaugural concert will feature a variety of wind band staples (Second Suite in F – Gustav Holst, An Irish Rhapsody – Clare Grundman, Scenes from the Louvre – Norman Dello Joio); a pops tune (Tijuana Brass in Concert), and a standard march (Henry Fillmore‘s Rolling Thunder).  Also highlighting this first concert will be the featured performance of former Dublin High School band director and trombonist Dr. Jeff Keller on a powerful arrangement of Irish Tune from County Derry as well as the third movement of the Philip Sparke Trombone Concerto.

Admission is free, however donations are encouraged.  Follow this link for more information about the Dublin Community Bands, and keep reading this week for a post highlighting the numerous community bands in Central Ohio.

As we inch closer and closer to summer, it’s time to start planning ahead for your community band concerts–and a patriotic theme is always sure to please! Consider one of these new pieces recommended by Stanton’s Sheet Music:

American Salute
Arr. Douglas E. Wagner, Grade 3.5
The monumental Morton Gould variations on “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” has been a staple in the orchestra and concert band literature for more than fifty years. An easily recognizable and energetic work, Douglas Wagner has retained the fervor and made this classic work available to a wider variety of concert bands by rescoring the bassoon trio into the clarinet section. Bravo!

Let Freedom Ring 
Arr. Kenny Bierschenk, Grade 4
Simply calling this a great patriotic medley is like calling The Stars & Stripes a nice march. This extraordinary celebration in sound could easily be the soundtrack for the biggest fireworks show on the 4th, brilliantly blending patriotic standards, classic march strains, and rousing Cohan favorites into an all-out goosebump-inducing extravaganza of national pride. Feel free to plan on a standing ovation!

America: The Spirit Lives On!
Arr. Douglas E. Wagner, Grade 2.5
As a musical testament to the shared beliefs that we as Americans hold dear, this montage of four patriotic standards celebrates our democratic way of life, while also reflecting on the often-times high price that we as a nation must pay in order to maintain these treasured freedoms. Included in this arrangement are The Star-Spangled Banner; America, the Beautiful; America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) ; and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. This sparkling arrangement can be performed with your band alone or with optional choir as a rousing concert finale!

For more great community band suggestions, contact Stanton’s band department!

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!

Give your students what they want this Spring–try one of these new concert band arrangements of Lady Gaga hits from Stanton’s:

LADY GAGA DANCE MIX
Arr. Ted Ricketts, Grade 3
Lady Gaga has taken the pop music world by storm with her distinctive style and well-produced recordings. Featuring her best-known dance hits, each song in this upbeat medley can also be performed individually. Includes: Poker Face, Bad Romance, and Just Dance.

POKER FACE
Arr. Sean O’Loughlin, Grade 2
Featuring a driving rhythmic style and distinctive melodic lines, this megahit from pop icon Lady Gaga works great for young bands. Sean O’Loughlin skillfully retains the sound of the original in this well-scored and effective arrangement.

JUST DANCE
Arr. Paul Murtha, Grade 1.5
Arranged in a driving dance groove and with interesting parts for all players, here is a great-sounding yet easy version of this popular Lady Gaga hit.

For more great recommendations, contact Stanton’s band department!

String Orchestra Spring Concert time is right around the corner, and what better way to “entertain the troops” (your audience) than to “honor the troops” (our armed forces) that are protecting our country. Here are some outstanding patriotic selections at all levels for your string groups:

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS arr. Chris Donze, Grade 2
Get creative finding a school board member, administrator, local dignitary etc. to provide the narration for this effective musical setting for strings and percussion of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  With strains of “Old One Hundred,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Amazing Grace” as well as recitation by the students in response to the narration, your group will give honor to all who gave their “last full measure of devotion.”
 
FREEDOM OVERTURE arr. John Caponegro, Grade 2+
A very tastefully arranged medley of “America The Beautiful,” “Marine’s Hymn,” “The Caissons Go Rolling Along,” “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee),” “Anchors Aweigh,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  Optional snare and bass drum will add a patriotic touch and an optional piano part can help reinforce the strings.  At about 4 minutes in length, it will be the perfect finale for a young string orchestra concert.

AMERICAN HEARTLAND arr. Larry Moore, Grade 2-3
Stir the emotions of your audience with this heartfelt medley of “America the Beautiful,” “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” There are piano, snare drum and suspended cymbal parts for just the right ambiance and guitar friendly chords are included that will make especially “This Land is your Land” that much more effective.  Effective for junior high/middle school or easy to work up for high school.

AN ARMED FORCES TRIBUTE arr. Andrew H. Dabczynski, Grade 3
Honor American men and women in uniform with this patriotic tribute featuring the signature marches of all five service branches. Stirring melodies, strong rhythmic accompaniments and clever counter-melodies are presented in an up-beat and lively presentation. A heart-warming winner for your audience, it offers a chance to recognize current personnel as well as veterans and their families.

POINT LOOKOUT (A Fantasy on Civil War Songs) arr. Brian Balmages, Grade 4.5
Utilizing special effects such as snap pizzicato, col legno, harmonics and slow quarter tone wobbles, this challenging but amazingly effective fantasy captures all the emotions of America’s sometimes volatile history. Weaving together “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “America the Beautiful” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” an outstanding Spring concert selection is here for you to present.

All of these selections are in stock at Stanton’s and ready for immediate delivery. Order yours today, or contact our orchestra department for more information.

Few things are as inspirational at a Concert Band Spring Concert as a well-written and well-played patriotic piece at any grade level, especially since our country has so many men and women in combat around the world.  Bring tears to your audience’s eyes and pride to their hearts as they rise to their feet with:

AMERCIA: THE SPIRIT LIVES ON arr. Doulas Wagner, Grade 2.5
Includes: Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) and Battle Hymn of the Republic. Perfect as a young band concert opener or rousing finale, you can do it with your choir for an even more powerful statement.

ARMED FORCES: THE PRIDE OF AMERICA arr. Larry Clark and Greg Gilpin, Grade 3
All five armed forces songs are featured, introduced by narration, and the inspiring finale combines audience recitation of “The Pledge of Allegiance” with The Star-Spangled Banner for a truly moving experience. String parts included and optional choral parts available.

AMERICAN SALUTE Morton Gould/Douglas Wagner, Grade 3.5
A cornerstone of American patriotic band literature, expertly adapted for increased accessibility while preserving all the character and bravura of the original. Morton Gould’s brilliant fantasy on When Johnny Comes Marching Home should be part of every student’s band experience.

All of these wonderful pieces are in stock at Stanton’s and are ready for immediate delivery. Contact our band department today to get your copy! (check our previous blog for more recommendations)

Are you planning an upcoming choral festival, honor choir, or massed choir event? Let Stanton's help! Throughout the year, we provide music for many choral events across the country, from all-state choirs with hundreds of singers to smaller district events. Whether you're planning an event for your school district, community, church or professional convention, Stanton's is prepared to assist you! Here's where we can fit in to your planning:

First, choose your repertoire. Second, call Stanton's! We'll double-check your repertoire list to make sure all the titles are currently in print and readily available, and we'll give you a price quote for each item. We'll also gather some information about your event, including the date and location and your expected number of singers. By contacting us before you distribute your repertoire list to your participants, you'll ensure that we have a sufficient quantity on-hand to fulfill your orders in a timely way - we know how important that is for your event! Also, should there be a title that will take a longer-than-average period of time to arrive from the publisher, we can alert you to that situation so you can plan accordingly.

Once we have confirmed your repertoire list, we'll order your music from the publishers and prepare to fill your order. You can ask your participants to order from us directly, or place one order through your organization and provide us with shipping address for all your participants, or have us ship all your music to one address and distribute it yourself. We're also able to accommodate more specific special requests - contact us for details. And remember - our 10% discount on most printed sheet music will help you get the most “bang for your buck!”

ATTENTION:  COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA DIRECTORS! Are you a member of the College Orchestra Directors Association – CODA? If so, you are certainly aware of the 2011 Regional Conference being held in February in Ohio. If not, check their website for information about the conference as well as membership opportunities in the organization. The 2011 Regional Conference is being held at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from February 18 – 20, 2011.

Featuring important challenges college orchestra directors face in the current economic and technological environment, presentations will focus on real, practical problems rather than musicological presentations. Sessions will include, among others, “Preparing Historically Informed Performances Using Modern Instruments,” “Enriching the Repertoire That Makes College Orchestras Unique,” “Addressing Practical Problems with Wind Instruments,” and “A Retrospective on Conductor Max Rudolf.” Many special guest speakers will be featured as well as a Gala Concert by the Miami University Symphony Orchestra. The conference is FREE and open to all members of CODA.

OHIO STRING TEACHERS! If you are going to the OMEA Convention in Cincinnati at the end of January, we want to make sure that you know that the String Orchestra Reading Session will be at a slightly different time this year.

STRING ORCHESTRA READING SESSION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011
5:15 pm to 6:15 pm (NEW TIME!)

We will be reading fresh, new arrangements for use on Spring concerts…Grade 1 to Grade 4, from Samuel Scheidt to Franz Schubert and The Beatles to Lady Gaga and more. Don’t be late – it’s only for an hour!

This will not conflict with the Cincinnati Symphony concert Thursday night. Come and read some new music, have dinner, then go to the concert! After the concert, come back to the Atrium for the Stanton’s/JECO Big Band reading session and hear some great big band jazz played by your fellow Ohio music educators!

The string teachers business meeting will be the following morning, Friday, January 28, 2011 at 8:00 am. If you like this schedule better (or not!) please let the “powers that be” know your opinion.  We may adopt it for future conventions. Contact Dan in Stanton’s orchestra department if you need more information.

The 24th annual Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association (OPCICA) Band Festival will be held January 22 and 23 at Ashland University in Ashland, OH. The concert featuring the OPCICA Honors Concert Band, the OPCICA Honors Jazz Ensemble, and the Ashland University Concert Band will be Sunday, January 23 at 1:30 pm in the Hugo Young Theatre, located in the Center for the Arts.

Beginning in 1988, OPCICA has sponsored an annual honors festival featuring an Honors Concert Band and an Honors Jazz Ensemble, each comprised of students from the participating schools. Festivals have been held every year since with the location rotating between the various member schools.  These festivals have enriched the lives of hundreds of college instrumentalists as well as the conductors from many of the state’s private institutions.

The OPCICA concert band portion of the program will include the following selections, all of which are available from Stanton’s:
Semper Fidelis
As Wind From the North
Festive Overture
An American Elegy
Four Scottish Dances

This past Saturday, Stanton’s Sheet Music was honored to host “The Obobo Trio,” which provided some wonderful holiday music for our staff and customers!

The trio is comprised of Jennifer Day-Haeger, oboe, Vicky Capper, violin and Dan Clark, cello. The musicians played for about an hour amid the bustle of our regular holiday shoppers; everyone enjoyed the quality of their performance as well as the festive feeling it brought to our store.

If you know of a group that would like to perform at Stanton’s this holiday season (or even next year), contact Judy in our keyboard department. Join us this Saturday for some caroling in the store beginning at 1 pm!

The annual “Holiday Pops” concerts presented by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Chorus has become a December tradition for many families.

In addition to a wide variety of holiday music, there will be dancers from BalletMet, a dramatic interpretation of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” an audience sing-along of favorite carols, and even a visit from Santa.

Tickets are still available, so join the CSO this weekend and make some cherished Christmas memories with your family!

Stanton’s Sheet Music will be featuring some small ensembles performing in our store during the holiday season to add to the atmosphere for our customers.

Are you a soloist or part of a small vocal or instrumental group that could volunteer your talents to provide some seasonal music on a Saturday in December? Use this as an opportunity to advertise your group to our musical clientele, or to refine your set before performing in your school or community concert!

Contact Judy in our keyboard department to find out about getting added to our line-up!

Although only the first portion of Handel's oratorio focuses on the birth of Christ, it seems that performances of Messiah are most common around the holidays. Here in Central Ohio, fans of the work have at least two options for enjoying this powerful music:

Handel's Messiah
Columbus Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Chorus
The CSO is proud to present this masterwork in its entireity. Handel's best-loved work and a pillar of the choral and orchestral repertoire, Messiah will usher in the holiday season with two performances held at the Ohio Theatre on November 20 and 21. This audience favorite will be conducted by Ron Jenkins, and features soloists Heidi Grant Murphy, Jay Carter, C. Andrew Blosser, Andrew Foster-Williams and Jacob Stuckert.

Messiah Sing-Along
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
ProMusica invites the Columbus community to the Southern Theatre to enjoy favorite holiday classics including selections from Handel's Messiah. Orchestra students and music directors from partner high schools join ProMusica musicians onstage for an evening filled with holiday cheer. Bring friends, families and church choirs to join us at the Southern and raise your voice in song.

If you are planning to sing Messiah yourself this season, Stanton's can help you prepare. We always have plenty of copies of the G. Shirmer and Watkins Shaw editions in stock, as well as several other less-used versions. You can practice your part on your own with the Do-It-Yourself Messiah or Learn Handel's Messiah CDs. There are also several of the choruses from Messiah available as single choral octovos for your church or school choir. Please contact us with any questions you may have about Messiah publications!