News & Views Monday, March 18, 2024

Stanton’s E-Tools: YouTube Channel 31 August, 2018

CaptureThe 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, 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!

If you’ve never attended one of Stanton’s workshops or reading sessions, you really are missing out! We have tons of fun, read new music, and benefit from the advice and experience of internationally-renowned clinicians as well as Stanton’s own knowledgeable staff.

But if you live too far away to attend, or just can’t make it, you’re not out of luck! Our YouTube channel is where we share all of our clinic videos. Here you’ll find recordings of each session with links to our main website, where you can view score PDFs and listen to sample recordings.

Under the “Playlists” tab, you’ll find each reading session on its own playlist – click through just the titles you are interested in, or watch the whole session from beginning to end!

CaptureFor questions about how to use our YouTube channel to support your work in music education or music ministry, please feel free to call us at 1.800.42.MUSIC or drop us an email at greatservice@stantons.com.

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

The Excellence Clinic: Anniversary Celebration 29 August, 2018

IMG_5625On Saturday, August 25, Stanton’s Sheet Music hosted our 25th annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic. The Excellence Clinic was conceived and established by long-time Stanton’s Choral Music Specialist Judy Henry in 1994. Judy invited Jim Gallagher, then Professor of Music and conductor of the renowned Men’s Glee Club at The Ohio State University, to join her in this effort as clinician and presenter for the session. Mr. Gallagher’s background includes not only collegiate-level conducting, but also a long history of success in the public high school choral classroom – experience that is so valuable to our attendees!

IMG_5630We gathered in the James E. Strouse Workshop Hall with Jim and our wonderful accompanist, Joyce Stonebraker, and had a fantastic morning reading through a wide variety of high-quality music for choirs at all levels of difficulty. In honor of this anniversary year, we made a special effort to present not only newly-published repertoire, but also some classic literature with excellent teaching potential – John Ness Beck’s “Canticle of Praise,” “Choose Something Like a Star” by Randall Thompson, and “Sing Unto God” from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, to name a few. Jim’s insight on these “old chestnuts” was valuable for all, especially the young teachers in attendance. We spent a little bit of time socializing and catching up with old friends, and A LOT of time discovering beautiful new music!

Did you miss out on this year’s Clinic? Never fear! Here are just a few of our favorite pieces that were featured:

For middle school choirs: Agnus Dei by Victor C. Johnson
For high school choirs: Lunar Lullaby by Jacob Narverud
For college choirs: Illumina by Patrick Hawes
For community choirs: Ecce Novum by Ola Gjeilo
For holiday concerts: Mary’s Child by Bob Chilcott
For women’s choirs: Das Grosse Halleluja by Franz Schubert/arr. Ben May
For men’s choirs: Fare Ye Well arr. Stacey V. Gibbs

You can still receive the full clinic packet for the registration fee of $20 (while supplies last). This year’s packet includes over 30 octavos, and contains an incredible amount of repertoire variety! Contact us if you are interested!

“Goodnight Moon” by Eric Whitacre – NOW AVAILABLE 28 August, 2018

Goodnight Moon by Eric Whitacre
Originally composed for harp, string orchestra and solo soprano, next adapted for soprano and piano and now finally available for SATB choir and piano. This SATB setting takes a whimsical approach to the text we as parents have read hundreds of times. The harmonic structure is transparent and the choral writing is smart and a joy to sing.

View the entire score below with ScorePlay, and contact us for more information!

Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin 27 August, 2018

00154392-wlrecommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

Dick Sheridan, who plays all the fretted string instruments, has arranged 50 fiddle tunes for the mandolin in the collection Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin. Although he doesn’t play the fiddle, he has an affection for the instrument and the fiddle tunes, and what better instrument to arrange fiddle tunes for but the mandolin? It is tuned the same, and easily lends itself to playing the same repertoire.

This rich treasury brings together many of the tunes acknowledged to be the best from Ireland, the British Isles, Canada, and from the Cajun, Appalachian and rural region traditions of the United States. This collection includes Audio Access and chord grids for mandolin chords. This collection promises to supply hours of fun, especially with the online audio files included.

For more information about this collection or other mandolin music, 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.

Broadway Junior 24 August, 2018

Broadway Junior shows have all the ingredients you need…just add kids! Developed by renowned educators and designed to suit school assemblies as well as the energies and attention spans of younger performers, Broadway Junior musicals are perfect for teachers or directors who are new to musical theatre and seeking to introduce students to the joys of participating in a show.

Broadway Junior musicals are condensed, author-approved versions of classic musicals, Disney favorites and modern works, custom-tailored to the needs of young people and schools. The music is written in keys that are appropriate for developing voices, and all shows can be expanded to accommodate as many performers as can fit on your stage. Each ShowKit includes everything you need to produce the show: actor’s scripts, piano/vocal scores, director guides, accompaniment CDs, choreography DVDs, and more!

New this year from Broadway Junior:

leon-00239815-fMary Poppins Junior
Based on one of the most popular Disney movies of all time and the Broadway musical that played for over 2,500 performances, Mary Poppins is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect Broadway Junior musical!

The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren’t the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that “Anything can happen if you let it.”

“Mary Poppins Junior” is an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs and breathtaking dance numbers. This show is a perfect opportunity to showcase a strong, iconic female performer, as well as unique special effects and illusions.

leon-00239847-fJunie B. Jones Junior
From Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, the creators who brought you “Dear Edwina Junior,” comes “Junie B. Jones Junior” – a delightful adaptation of four of Barbara Park’s best-selling books, brought to life in a delightful adaptation created specifically for Broadway Junior performers.

Join Junie B. on her first day of first grade, where many changes are in store: Junie’s best friend Lucille has found new best friends – and Junie B. makes friends with Herb, the new kid at school. While in Mr. Scary’s class Junie has trouble reading the blackboard – and she may need glasses. Add in a friendly cafeteria lady, an intense kickball tournament and a “Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal,” and first grade has never been more exciting.

Featuring many lovable characters and fun-filled songs, “Junie B. Jones Junior” will capture your audiences’ and performers’ hearts – just as the books captivated an entire generation of students.

leon-00219924-fChitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior
Take a fantastic musical adventure with an out-of-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas. Based on the record-breaking West End production and the beloved film, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers (“Mary Poppins”), “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior” is one blockbuster that audiences will find “Truly Scrumptious.”

Eccentric inventor, Caractacus Potts, sets about restoring an old race car with the help of his children Jeremy and Jemima. They soon discover the car is magic, and has the ability to float and take flight. When the evil Baron Bomburst desires the magic car for himself, the family joins forces with Truly Scrumptious and Grandpa Potts to outwit the dastardly Baron and Baroness and their villainous henchman, the Child Catcher.

Filled with amazing stage spectacle and unforgettable songs, including the Academy Award nominated title song, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Junior” is a high-flying fun-filled adventure that will dazzle audiences and performers alike.

Find more exciting Broadway Junior productions on our website, or contact us for more information!

Cowboy Songs for Harmonica 22 August, 2018

00242719-wlrecommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

The harmonica is indelibly associated with the popular image of the cowboy, playing his plaintive, warbling melodies to wile away the evening hours and calm the cattle, as music was known to do, after the herd has stopped for the night. With few options for entertainment along the trail other than poetry, dancing and music, it’s no wonder that hundreds of songs emerged from the Old West telling of the cowpuncher’s life, the exploits of famous outlaws, and other aspects of frontier existence.

Cowboy Songs for Harmonica by Glenn Weiser is a fun collection of harmonica songs drawn from the cowboy tradition.  In this book, you will find 27 traditional cowboy ballads arranged for the 10-hole diatonic harmonica. All the songs include music notation, harmonica tablature, guitar chords, lyrics and online audio files with acoustic guitar backing tracks.

For more information about this collection or other music for harmonica, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our newly redesigned website at 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.

Coming THIS SATURDAY: Excellence in Choral Literature 2018 20 August, 2018

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to announce our 25th annual Excellence in Choral Literature Clinic!

EXCELLENCE IN CHORAL LITERATURE
Saturday 8/25/2018, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Stanton’s Sheet Music, James E. Strouse Workshop Hall, 330 S. Fourth Street, Columbus OH 43215
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.

In honor of this session’s 25th anniversary, we will also be presenting selected quality titles from previous years highlighting the great depth of valuable literature found on the Excellence Clinic lists.

Come join us to discover beautiful music and share ideas with colleagues and friends!

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!

Front-Loading Your Choral Rehearsal 17 August, 2018

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist

leon-519271Front-Loading Your Choral Rehearsal by Christine Bass
“Front-Loading Your Choral Rehearsal: Constructing for Success” is a creative rehearsal approach designed to aid conductors of all experience levels. Using the building blocks of musical concepts, style, and delivery, “Front-Loading” offers invaluable tools to help conductors scaffold their singers’ learning toward a collective goal of transformative performances. Concepts come alive in real time through the video clips of working rehearsals embedded in the narrative. Practical in application yet sophisticated in approach, Christine Bass condenses decades of experience into “Front-Loading,” a comprehensive rehearsal technique guide for conductors striving to reach the next level of excellence in their work.

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.

NEW for Fall Concert: Middle School Choir 15 August, 2018

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist

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Top Rock Hits for Drum Play-Along 13 August, 2018

00256655-wlPlay your favorite songs quickly and easily with the Hal Leonard Drum Play-Along Series. A drummer can play drumset along with 9 songs, each from a different band. Standard percussion notation is used, and lyrics to the songs are also included. Playback+, which is exclusive to Hal Leonard, is included as well – this is a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys and pan left or right.

Volume 49 in this exciting series is Top Rock Hits, and includes these great titles: “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd, “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots, “Human” by Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” by Fall Out Boy, “Paradise” by Coldplay, “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors, and “Wish I Knew You” by The Revivalists.

For more information about this collection or others in the Drum Play-Along series, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit us online at stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

Stanton’s E-Tools: Wishlists 10 August, 2018

The 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, 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!

Does this sound like you?Capture
• “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 are 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!”

CaptureAll 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!

Beyond Strumming – Accompaniment Styles for Guitar 08 August, 2018

00277135-wlrecommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

Beyond Strumming is written for guitar players who want to do more than just strum along, and want to expand their repertoire of accompaniment styles. It is the ultimate guide for any guitarist who wants to go beyond playing the same patterns in song after song, and create accompaniment parts that are more dynamic and distinctive. Topics covered include developing bass lines, arranging with a capo, melodic riffs, and more. Different styles of songs are covered, and both standard notation and tablature are used to present the material. Video downloads are included with the purchase of the book – great for expanding your musical toolkit and developing fresh and varied guitar parts to make songs shine!

For more information about this helpful guide, 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.

Sacred Choral Reading Session THIS SATURDAY! 06 August, 2018

Stanton’s is pleased to welcome back Lloyd Larson as our clinician for the August Church Choral Music reading session, and we invite you to join us at Overbrook Presbyterian Church (4131 N. High Street, Columbus OH 43214) on Saturday August 11, 2018.

Lloyd Larson earned a B.A. from Anderson University of Anderson, Indiana in 1976 and a M.C.M. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, Kentucky in 1979. He has done additional graduate work at Southern Baptist Seminary, The Ohio State University, and Northern Baptist Seminary, Chicago, Illinois.

lloyd larsonSince 1982, Lloyd has been an active composer and arranger for several major publishing companies of church and school music. His compositions and arrangements include well over 1,500 published works – including choral anthems, numerous extended Christmas, Easter and non‑seasonal works, keyboard collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental works for solo and ensembles, orchestrations, and handbell settings. The resulting notoriety has placed him in constant demand as a clinician throughout North America. It is Lloyd’s work in his local church that continues to be the catalyst for much of his writing. He currently directs the adult choir in his home church in addition to being involved in worship planning and leadership.

Your registration for the clinic 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 11th for a wonderful morning of singing with one of the nation’s most sought after church music experts.

Sacred Choral Reading Session
Saturday 8/11/2018, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Overbrook Presbyterian Church
4131 N. High Street, Columbus OH 43214
Cost: $25.00 (There is no pre-registration; you may register at the door beginning at 8:30)
email our choral department for more details

Sacred Piano Reading Session
also featuring Lloyd Larson
Saturday 8/11/2018, 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
Stanton’s Sheet Music
330 S. Fourth Street, Columbus OH 43215
Cost: $5.00 (There is no pre-registration; you may register at the door beginning at 1:30)
email our keyboard department for more details

Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

NEW for Fall Concert: High School Choir 03 August, 2018

recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral Music Specialist

Ready to program your fall concert? Start with Stanton’s! Here are just a few of our Five Star Features for High School Choirs this season:

FOR MIXED CHOIRS
alfred-46941-fIn That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’! arr. Greg Gilpin
A grandiose choral introduction travels through several keys to open this polished setting of the traditional spiritual, which soon breaks into a joyously brisk treatment featuring call-and-response between sections, terraced dynamic contrasts, and thick divisi textures. Fantastic a cappella writing for advanced choirs.

Wild Mountain Thyme arr. Patti Drennan
“And we’ll all go together, to pick wild mountain thyme all around the bloomin’ heather.” Your audience will be sure to recognize this popular Irish folk song that’s been recorded by The Chieftains, The Clancy Brothers, and The Irish Tenors. Resplendent with Highland harmonies and musical nuances as-is, or add the optional tin whistle (or flute) for extra Celtic flair!

chorgd-cge278-fThe Wind Gives Voice to the Trees by Greg Gilpin
Exuding mystery and modal nuances, this concert/festival showpiece features the composer’s own original text. It is filled with word painting and rich imagery about how trees stand silently, and it is only until the wind blows or when “nature breathes” that they make a sound with their rustling leaves and branches. There is also an underlying important message about how all of nature works together. Rich harmonies and haunting melodies are supported by the interesting accompaniment which weaves a wind-like pattern.

Rain Music by Victor C. Johnson
“On the dusty earthdrum beats the falling rain. Now a whispered murmur, now a louder strain.” This forward-moving, rhythmically-driven music enhances the dramatic, image-laden text of Kentucky-born poet and playwright Joseph S. Cotter, Jr. Effective unison, two-, three-, and four-part writing throughout and optional parts for rain stick and djembes heighten the musical effect.

FOR TREBLE CHOIRS
Dies Irae (from Requiem) by W.A. Mozart/arr. Patrick M. Liebergen
Introduce your choir to one of Mozart’s most enduring masterworks! Arranger Patrick Liebergen has sensibly adapted the original material into multiple voicings that stay true to the original, while also offering a compelling piano reduction of the original orchestral score. Exciting and dramatic classical rep!

allian-amp1067-fLift Your Voice In Singing by Laura Farnell
This piece should be sung exuberantly throughout! A contrasting B-section demonstrates a hushed sense of wonder, then builds dynamically in excitement and intensity as each voice part enters. The text “Let your song be love” reminds all who sing and hear this piece that life is too short and precious to allow anything but love to direct our hearts.

The Slender Moon by Greg Gilpin
With gently soothing harmonic colors, Greg Gilpin captures the mystery of the slender moon in this wonderful setting. Inspired by the descriptive text found in poet Joseph S. Cotter, Jr’s. poem Night Winds, The Slender Moon will wow audiences and choirs alike.

FOR TENOR/BASS CHOIRS
Jubilate, Exsultate! by Victor C. Johnson
Contemporary choral harmonies and a driving piano accompaniment are the hallmarks of this exuberant setting of the traditional Latin text. A legato English language section in the middle provides contrast before an energetic return to the original material. Highly recommended for concert or contest!

cfn-bl1014-fPoor Wayfaring Stranger arr. Christi Jones
With ostinato-like phrases throughout, Jones’ rhythmic and interesting arrangement of this beloved spiritual will suit the needs of developing tenor-bass choirs of all sizes. Performed with piano accompaniment or a cappella, “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” is sure to please in any concert.

I Will Lift My Eyes by Jonny Priano
“I will lift my eyes to the mountains; from where comes my help?” These words from Psalm 121 have inspired countless composers and they have been sung by choirs of every kind. Here they are beautifully set for high school women or men.

Find more Five Star Features at stantons.com/SchoolChoralFall2018, or contact us for personalized recommendations. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

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.

Ragtime Fingerstyle Ukulele 01 August, 2018

00214510-wlrecommended by Barb M., Keyboard and Folk Music Specialist

New collection Ragtime Fingerstyle Uke includes 15 classic rags arranged for fingerstyle solo ukulele. Fingerstyle – what’s that? In fingerstyle playing, the player plucks the strings with the fingertips as opposed to strumming or flat picking. Audio Access is included with the collection, so you can download or stream to hear how to style these ragtime gems. Standard tunes in this collection include “Dill Pickles” by Charles Johnson, “Pegasus” by James Scott, “Slippery Elm Rag” by Clarence Woods, and several pieces by Scott Joplin. The music is written out in tablature as well as standard music notation. An added point of interest is the inclusion of the original artwork from the sheet music covers of each tune! Learning these rags will expand your ukulele horizons and provide hours of musical fun – great for the intermediate to advanced player.

For more information about this collection or others like it, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our newly redesigned website at 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.