News & Views Thursday, May 17, 2012

Famous & Fun Christmas is a series of books of Christmas carols for piano, levels one through five. Levels two through five include one or two easy arrangements from The Nutcracker. The songs are arranged by Carol Matz, an active composer, author and editor of educational piano materials. These collections are full of favorite Christmas carols: “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Deck the Halls,” “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” and more. To see the table of contents for each book, visit our website, then pick the level you are interested in. You may feel free to call us at 1-800-426-8742 to ask specific questions about this or other products at Stanton’s Sheet Music.

Following the strong affirmation for the reproducible format of Just for the Guys, Heritage Music Press presents Just for the Gals! With eight exceptional titles not previously available for SSA choirs, this high quality concert repertoire is a cost-saving reproducible collection format, complete with an accompaniment CD - all for just $5 per title for your entire choir, no matter the size. Featuring such talented composers as Victor Johnson, Mary Lynn Lightfoot, Linda Spevacek, Becki Slagle Mayo and Brad Printz, these titles provide exceptionally diverse musical styles as well as distinctive repertoire for emerging three-part treble choirs. A great economic value and great choral resource!

Also new this year is Hello Girls by Laura Farnell. This collection of five short songs for treble chorus was specifically created to provide traditional concert literature for beginning and developing ensembles. Careful attention is given to the needs of the young treble voice, along with good part-writing and appealing subject matter. Songs may be sung a cappella or accompanied, making this especially good for contest programming.

For more distinctive repertoire for your treble ensembles, please contact us!

Summer is here (finally!)… You've wrapped up your end-of-the-year concerts and lessons and you’re enjoying some well-earned time off. Here at Stanton's, we're gearing up for our summer workshop series! Yes, it can be hard to think about starting up a new school year, and we hear lots of excuses…ahem, I mean reasons…as to why people want to skip out on attending a summer workshop this year:

“It's summertime! I don't want to think about work.”
We hear ya. Summer sunshine…sandy beaches…grilling out on the patio…spending time with family and friends… These are all worthwhile summertime pursuits. But think about it - spending just one day at a Stanton's workshop this summer can give you repertoire and teaching ideas for your entire school year! By devoting a few hours to work with us in the summer, you could free up evenings and weekends during the year so that you can: A) spend more time with your family and friends, B) work on that novel or symphony you've been meaning to write, or C) regain your sanity from spending all day with those rowdy kids!

“I can find everything I need to know on the internet/in a catalog.”
The internet is a wonderful tool in finding new music for your ensembles and classrooms - it helped you find this blog, right? Stanton's Listening Library contains thousands of recordings to help you find the perfect piece of repertoire, many items on our newly redesigned main website have sample pages you can view, and our Digital Delivery website allows you to find and print music immediately. But…none of those benefits outweighs the value of holding a new piece of music in your hands and experiencing it for the first time as your students do. At Stanton's summer clinics and reading sessions, you can identify music your students will love to sing and find resources and repertoire to teach important musical concepts. NOTHING compares to looking at the entire piece and singing it with a group - THAT'S how you know if it will work for you! No 30-second sample recording or three-sentence catalog write-up can do that.

“I have such a small budget. Why learn about new music that I can't afford?”
You're not alone. Music budgets are shrinking across the country, and our clinicians know that you need to make every penny count. We've got ideas for affordable costuming and set design for your elementary musicals. We've got budget-stretching, reproducible choral collections with lots of repertoire options. And best of all, we've got many other teachers at our clinics so you can meet and share ideas that really, truly work in the classroom with each other! You could meet someone with great ideas for nurturing a successful booster group, or someone with tips for garnering community support and sponsorship, or someone with suggestions for marketing your program to your school board. Colleagues and peers in the education field are one of your greatest resources - join us and take advantage of that!

We also know that many schools won't reimburse teachers for your registration fees, and it's always painful to shell out your hard-earned money. To help with this issue, Stanton's is offering a $25 gift certificate to new attendees who qualify; contact us for more details. And talk to your tax guy - workshop fees for teacher enrichment and continuing education may be tax deductible.

“I live in Pennsylvania/Kentucky/Illinois/Anytown, U.S.A. It's too far for me to drive to Columbus.”
We often have a pair of wonderful music teachers from CANADA who come to our clinics here in Ohio! Make it really worth your while by attending multiple workshops during “School Choral Week 2011.” Bring the family! Workshops each day are completed by 4 p.m., so you have the evening to explore all that Central Ohio has to offer. The Stanton's staff can recommend our favorite local restaurants, movie theaters, and cultural hot-spots for you to visit - the cooler summer evenings are perfect for a trip to the Ohio State Fair (open July 27-August 7, 2011); maybe your spouse can take the kids to COSI or the Columbus Zoo while you're enjoying your workshop during the day; the Columbus Metroparks are great for hiking or sunset picnics; or check out the CAPA Summer Movie Series at the historic Ohio Theatre.

I’ve been teaching for 10/20/30 years. I know what I'm doing and I don't need help.”
It's true - experience can breed wisdom. But we find that the wisest teachers know that in order to keep students engaged they need to refresh, renew and revamp their teaching every single year! Keep your teaching style fresh and innovative by getting new ideas from our nationally-known, experienced, expert clinicians. Yes, there are probably great resources already in your library that work as well today as they did 30 years ago - but we'd venture a guess that there are just as many things that now seem dated and over-used. Mixing in new titles with the old standards keeps your lessons and concerts interesting for your students and - just as importantly - for YOU!

“I'm a first-year teacher. I have no idea WHAT I need yet!”
Stanton's workshops are perfect for you! The first thing a beginning teacher needs is a strong support system around them - start building that support system by joining the dedicated community of teachers who know the benefits of attending our workshops. You may not have heard your choirs or met your classes yet, but by arming yourself with information and repertoire ideas you're ready to face whatever challenges await you. PLANNING is your best defense against the dreaded feeling of being overwhelmed by all the “newness” of starting your teaching career. Also, by developing a relationship with Stanton's, you'll have US on your side! We're staffed with veteran teachers and college-trained musicians, so we've got your back!

So stop making excuses! Check out our previous posts on School Choral Week 2011, Stanton’s Elementary General Music Clinic, the Joy of Singing, the John Jacobson Workshop, and Stanton's Super Session, and register today for Stanton's summer workshops! We also have sessions available for instrumental teachers, church musicians, pianists and college and community choir directors; contact us for more info.

Hal Leonard has a new banjo method! There are plenty of tunes to help you learn how to play the chords, read tablature, learn to “roll,” “hammer-on,” and other banjo techniques. There is a CD included to help tune your banjo and to play examples of the strums, chords, etc.
The tunes include “Rye Whiskey,” “Cripple Creek,” “Hard, Ain’t it Hard” and more–all songs good for a jam session!

Call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC to inquire, email us or visit our website to have a closer look.

Celebrate falling leaves, marching bands, harvest, patriotism and the message of Veterans Day with Fall Festival, a creative program  resource from Hal Leonard Publications! Perfect to perform in late October or November. This program package has it all: piano/vocal arrangements, reproducible vocal lines and connecting narration,costuming and staging tips.

 Another  good resource for fall programing is Programs A-Plenty .  This book has a customizable script with song suggestions for each of 12 major holidays marked on the school calandar, such as Grandparent’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day and more.  These are not your typical holiday planners. 

Check out these two great resources for the Fall of 2011!   For more information please call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us or visit our website.

At first, the Autoharp was generically called a “chorded zither.”  “Autoharp” and “Chromaharp” are actually trademark names for the Schmidt and Rhythm Band chorded zithers, respectively.  Most have 15 chords in 2 rows, some have 21 chords in 3 rows.

So what do you do with this box that has 36 strings stretched across it.  “You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp” from Mel Bay Publications, explains how to tune it, how to hold it and how to strum it.  Playing this delightful folk instrument is made easy with 48 folk tunes.  About 20 styles of strumming are taught so you can liven up the songs you play.  Have a look at this book and other Autoharp books online, or call Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC  for more information about music for this fun Appalachian folk instrument!

Stanton's Sheet Music is pleased to invite you to the 2011 “Stanton's Super Session,” a day-long choral reading session of new music from a variety of publishers!  Pre-registration is now open – register online, or call us at 1.800.426.8742.  Check out our video below for a “sneak peek” at what we have in store!

 Click here to watch video

This is the ultimate sourcebook for the traditional fiddler!  It includes chord names for those who want to play along on banjo, guitar or autoharp.  There are nearly 500 tunes in this book including  jigs, reels, hornpipes, oldtime breakdowns and rags, marches and strathspeys, New England contra dance and more. 

Tips are given for how to play the different styles–if you are a fiddler and want to jam, this will keep you happily busy.  If you want to play so your folk dancing/contra dancing friends can have the treat of dancing to live music, there are plenty of tunes: “La Bastringue,”  “Black Nag,”  Childgrove,”  “Drowsy Maggie”  and more.

Two tunes give a nod to Columbus, Ohio.  “Big Scioty”  is a fiddle tune named for the Scioto River which flows right through downtown Columbus where Stanton’s  is located. “Camp Chase” is a fiddle tune named for the old Civil War prisoner-of-war camp which was located on the West side of  Columbus, Ohio.

There  are nearly five hundred tunes in the book, which only costs $24.95–that means you get 2 tunes for a penny!  Give us a call at 1-800-42-music, email us or check out our website.

So what’s new in the world of Violin music? Well…how about G. Schirmer reproducing all 3 volumes of Mazas' “Seventy-five Melodious and Progressive Studies, op 36” in one volume! Each volume challenges students to develop new techniques.  In the first volume, students will practice trill techniques, exercises in crescendo and decrescendo, crossing strings, short staccato strokes, pizzicato with the left hand and much more. Volume two helps develop a student's sense of legato, arpeggios, various bowing techniques, melody on the G-string, finger exercises and many other valuable lessons. The third volume introduces tremolo bowing technique, arpeggio exercises and many adagio, andante, allegro, legato exercises. All of these volumes are now available in one collection for one low price at Stanton’s Sheet Music.

So who was Mazas? Mazas was a brilliant pupil of Pierre Baillot at the Paris Conservatoire, from which he received the first prize in 1805. In 1808, he played a violin concerto dedicated to him by Auber. He then performed widely across Europe. In 1831, he accepted the post of first violin at the Theatre du Palais-Royal. A short time later, he was appointed directeur des concerts in Orleans, where he directed that city’s Opéra Comique theater. From 1837 to 1841, he was director of the conservatoire in Cambrai.  His compositions for violin are, for the most part, studies and duets for young string players of all abilities that constitute methods for both violin and viola.

Are you a violinist with Bluegrass leanings? Maybe you yearn to play the old-timey style of fiddling. Perhaps other styles catch your attention, like Irish, Scottish or French Canadian. Do you need a little guidance to break the classical mold? This book from Mel Bay Publications, The Violinist’s Guide to Fiddling, by Mark Weeg, is the ticket to breaking that mold. Â Â 
Mark Weeg breaks each style down and gives examples and tunes to help introduce violinists to learn new styles  in addition to the classical style of playing. From “Amazing Grace” to “Up Jumped the Devil”, this book introduces 9 styles of fiddling and tunes to go with them!  For any of your fiddle needs, call Stanton’s Sheet Music at  614-224-4257 or check out our website.

As school decisionmakers are faced with difficult choices regarding time in the school day, allocating budget dollars, and addressing testing priorities, choir programs are losing ground! And all of us who sing or work with choruses know that most adult singers started singing in school, which is why Chorus America just published “Making the Case for Your School Choir: An Advocacy Guide.”
 
“Making the Case” includes a case statement, with facts and figures supporting the importance of choral music education. In addition, “Making the Case” provides advice on how to build a network of choir supporters, an action plan matrix to mobilize them, a parents' advocacy guide, a PowerPoint presentation, and many other practical tools. Moreover, the linked and annotated bibliography includes every single study referenced in the data, as well as dozens of other advocacy tools.

Arm yourself with the best possible means to garner support and funding for your music program!

Probably many people that you, as a musician, associate with are also musicians.  We musicians get lulled into the idea that we make up a huge part of the population.  However, it has been said that if all the people professionally involved in music were gathered together – teachers, performers of  classical, pop, rock, country, jazz, sacred and other music and their peripheral entourages, composers and arrangers, music publishers, musical instrument and music accessory manufacturers, sheet music and instrument retailers, recording personnel and anyone else who makes a living in the music industry – their numbers would total roughly the same as the employees of Kellogg’s Cereal Company.

We are a finite group – a relatively small family of people of “like mind” all trying to make a living doing what we love to do – make music.  Keep that in mind when you casually consider copying a piece of copyrighted music; you are keeping many of your musical brothers and sisters from making a living. Publishers can only continue supporting composers in their endeavors to create innovative music if they are able to rely on sales of previously published pieces. When you photocopy, you are preventing new composers and their music from emerging. We are all in this together, so let’s help each other out in any way we can.  Copying sheet music is not only illegal, it’s immoral.

It's been a long time since those reading sessions at the end of last summer… Stanton's Sheet Music invites you to refresh your memory (and your ears!) with our recommended choral music for finishing out the school year!

*FREE*
Spring Choral Reading Session
Saturday, March 5th 2011 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.

James E. Strouse Workshop Hall
Stanton's Sheet Music
330 South Fourth Street
Columbus, OH 43215

We will be reading selected titles for SATB, men's and women's ensembles appropriate for high school spring concerts and graduation. Because we will be reading music directly from our large inventory and sharing the expertise of the Stanton's school choral staff, we are able to offer this reading session at no cost to you!

For more information, please contact us at 1.800.426.8742, ext. 1 or choral@stantons.com.

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!”

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.

It's been a long time since those reading sessions at the end of last summer…  Stanton's Sheet Music invites you to refresh your memory (and your ears!) with our recommended choral music for finishing out the school year!

*FREE*
Spring Choral Reading Session
Saturday, March 5th 2011 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.

James E. Strouse Workshop Hall
Stanton's Sheet Music
330 South Fourth Street
Columbus, OH 43215

We will be reading selected titles for SATB, men's and women's ensembles appropriate for high school spring concerts and graduation.  Because we will be reading music directly from our large inventory and sharing the expertise of the Stanton's school choral staff, we are able to offer this reading session at no cost to you!

For more information, please contact us at 1.800.426.8742, ext. 1 or choral@stantons.com.