Music for the Earth

Caring for our planet is becoming more and more important to our society and our world. According to EarthDay.gov, “Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress; Earth Day is a time to unite around new actions; Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet.” These choral pieces are an ideal way to celebrate our planet and encourage environmental action:

I Will Tread Lightly by Alisa Bair is a lilting and winsome choral that beautifully expresses the ever-growing desire to preserve and protect our cherished planet. Features a jubilantly optimistic message of environmental stewardship.

Treasures by Mark Patterson is a dazzling marriage of language and music perfect for drawing attention to the magnificent and mighty natural resources of this world.

All Things Bright and Beautiful by John Rutter is a long-standing classic in choral literature. It’s sweet, simple melody lingers with you, and the text celebrates all the wonders our world has to offer.

Another John Rutter favorite appropriate for Earth Day is For the Beauty of the Earth, a gentle and joyful setting of the beloved text.

Contact the choral department for more superb repertoire suggestions for your choir. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

2013 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition

The North American Online Competition for Singers

Hal Leonard Corporation, the world’s largest print music publisher, launched the exciting and innovative concept of a serious music competition for voice students comprised entirely of YouTube video entries. We believe this to be the first legitimate music competition for musicians of various ages, children through college, to be held entirely on the Internet.

Two Categories of Competition:
1. ART SONG
2. MUSICAL THEATRE

Four Age Divisions for Each Category:
Children’s Voices, Ages 12 and Under
Early Teen Voices, Ages 13-15
High School Voices, Ages 16-18
College/University Voices (Undergraduates), Ages 18-23

Cash Prizes for First Place Winners, Valuable Gift Certificates for Second and Third Place Winners

2013 Official Rules and Guidelines

Click to see the video entries of the 2012 Prize Winners

New Christmas Music for Community Bands

Add some sparkle and holiday cheer to your community Christmas concert with these festive new titles recommended by Stanton’s band staff.

Designed as a companion, or alternative, to Leroy Anderson’s enduring favorite, A Christmas Festival, Christmas Spectacular features popular carols not found in the Anderson arrangement including The First Noel, Here We Come a-Caroling, O Little Town of Bethlehem, I Saw Three Ships, Once in Royal David’s City, and more gift-wrapped in a variety of styles – march, swing, Latin, and more!

Dynamic and jubilant, From the Realms of Glory! is ideal to ring in the holiday season as an opening fanfare or as a celebratory closer to your holiday concert! Intertwining three well-known carols (Angels from the Realms of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing), Patrick Roszell has crafted an uplifting arrangement that is a worthwhile addition to your Christmas music library!

Originally recorded by David Foster with Natalie Cole, it was the 1992 version by Amy Grant that is largely responsible for Grown-Up Christmas List’s continued popularity. This inspiring ballad will add a special lift to any holiday concert, and Michael Brown’s brilliant arrangement can be performed effectively with or without a vocal soloist.

There are a good many ‘mash-up’ arrangements of Christmas songs, but Holiday Collage is a superb arrangement that is a joy to play as well as listen to!  This cleverly arranged concert centerpiece features Over the River and Through the Woods and Jingle Bells with quotes from Deck the Halls and O Tannenbaum.

Familiar Christmas favorites are always crowd-pleasers.  Why not brighten up your Christmas concert with Paul Lavender’s festive, true-to-the-original rendition of the popular holiday classic Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

With a fanfare emphasis on the brass and percussion section, David Shaffer has woven 4 classic Christmas carols (God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Angels We Have Heard on High; Coventry Carol ; Ding Dong, Merrily on High)  into an energetic medley full of holiday cheer! ‘Twas the Night Before… is perfect as an opening holiday fanfare or dramatic closer, and the optional antiphonal brass will put your performance over-the-top!

Your percussionists will have the chance to shine playing varied styles on the appropriately titled Yuletide Tapestry, an enjoyable medley of five Christmas favorites: Sing We Now of Christmas, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The Holly and the Ivy, and Deck the Halls.

Be sure to watch your mailbox in 2013 for more new recommendations specifically for community bands!  In the meantime, visit the concert band page at Stantons.com – click on Stanton’s Staff Selections, then Community Band.  Find some arrangements you like?  Create a Wish List to keep track of them!  You can organize it any way you want (by concert program, theme/style, performance year, etc).  We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

OSU Fight Song!

“Across the Field” is OSU’s football fight song (Sometimes people call it “Fight the Team”.) It was composed by William Doughtery–a student–who wrote it as a pep song for a pep rally for the 1915 Illinois game.

The sheet for “Across the Field” was in print through Morris Music for many years, but has not been printed as a sheet for a long time. It is now available in print and included in a collection of college fight songs called “34 Hit Parade Extras, College Songs on Parade“. It is also in a book of college fight songs called “College Songs for School Bands” in condensed score form, so it can be played on the piano.

As a curiosity, an image of another Dougherty football song, from 1929, has been included. It was published by The Ohio State University Association. The song never caught on; it is not as melodic as “Across the Field”, and the words are not as appealing.

Picnic With the Pops moves to the Downtown Commons!

At Stanton’s Sheet Music there is always something to talk about, and one of our favorite topics is our beloved Columbus Symphony Orchestra.  Every summer, the CSO runs a series of pops concerts called “Picnic with the Pops.” This popular series  brings thousands of people to see the symphony in an outdoor setting: to hear music under the stars and enjoy their own personal picnic basket.

This 28-year favorite of Columbus residents has been held on the front lawn of Chemical Abstracts, just North of the OSU campus, along the banks of the Olentangy River. However, this year it was moved to the new downtown Columbus green space, the Columbus Commons.  The Downtown Development Corporation torn down the vacant eyesore that was previously the City Center mall, and replaced it with a downtown park. Developers and donors got involved to raise $5 million dollars to put up a permanent band shell and and a state of the art sound system so that Columbus Commons can regularly host a variety of concerts and performances.

So how did it go this year?  One of the biggest concerns was that people would not like fighting traffic into the heart of downtown having to pay $5.00 for parking (parking at Chemical Abstracts was free).  There were also the difficulty of transitioning from a 54-acre lawn down to a 9-acre urban park. Would there be enough space for the sponsored tables and everyone else to sit in the grass? There was also an increase in ticket prices from $20 in 2011 to $25 in 2012.

Despite all these changes, “Picnic with the Pops” concert attendance was up 20% this year; clearly CSO audiences are responding positively to this new venue!

Songs and Games from Kenya

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to present Moja, Mbili, Tatu: Songs and Games from Kenya, an inspiring new resource by Mark Burrows.

“We would hear stories of orphans, disease, and third-world poverty. But there were always stories of hope, too, and of how people could make a difference. Every time I would hear those stories, I would shake my head and think,‘I ought to go and do something!’ Well, I couldn’t cure diseases or eradicate hunger or poverty…I know music, and I know kids. That was the first spark of what would later become the Music Academy, Miathene Synod.”

Explore the songs, rhythms, and instruments of the Kenyan culture all while teaching your students that, even though our lives are very different, music is something that we all have in common. Join composer and educator Mark Burrows in this heartwarming collection of songs, activities, and lessons from his journeys to Miathene Synod, Kenya. A CD is included with authentic pronunciation tracks for all of the songs. Refresh your teaching with his vivid accounts of working with the children and teachers at the music academy that he helped to establish.

More than just a classroom resource, this publication will leave you with a renewed hope that the world will be a better place for future generations, and give you the satisfaction of knowing that proceeds from your purchase will help to fund the academy’s continued operations.

Musical Activities for Summer!

Are you out of ideas for your music program or a camp this summer?  Stanton’s recommends these resources to provide engaging music activities for the wiggliest of kids from 1 to 92!

Beethoven’s Wig
Within this imaginative collection are zany, stick-in-your-head lyrics set to some of the greatest masterpieces of classical music, opening a door to serious music in a way that’s fun!

Get America Singing Again
Use singing to bring people together in your neighborhood, home, church, camp, school, club or activity with this collection containing over 40 songs representing America’s vast music heritage. Add guitar, piano, autoharp or any other instruments you can lay your hands on!

Make and Play
With step-by-step pictorial guides to making simple, inexpensive instruments, each unit features a play based on an indigenous folktale. Combine these elements to showcase the instruments created by the students, creating a final, performance-ready product!

Stomp Boom Blast
Based on the hit show Stomp, these clever pieces feature items like rulers, staplers, wastebaskets, pencil sharpeners and other common “stuff” to create unique rhythmic performances. A perfect change of pace for any concert, these are guaranteed to be audience favorites!

Double Dream Hands
Follow John Jacobson as he leads you through dance routines in a variety of styles from rock to samba, Hollywood to Bollywood, and  more. Recreate these routines at family gatherings, parties, school classrooms or anywhere else people want to have fun!

Let’s All Sing Novelty Songs
Here’s a must-have for your music library! This  collection of singable melodies and entertaining lyrics is perfect for the young AND the young-at-heart. You’re never too old for a little “Monster Mash” and “Yakety Yak”!

Pop Partners
This tremendous collection features well-known songs that will never go out of style – like “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” and “Splish, Splash” – in simple partner song format with reproducible song sheets, and easy-to teach staging suggestions.

Totally Tubular Whactive
Great for building group harmony, this collection of indoor and outdoor activities using Boomwhackers Tubes and commonly available items is suitable for General Music, Physical Education or any group that likes to get moving!

For more great suggestions for summertime fun, contact us!

New March Arrangements for Community Band

Marches are a staple of summer band concerts, and there are quality new arrangements released every year.  The band staff at Stanton’s would like to recommend the following titles to add to your band library, and your summer concerts this year.

Karl King had a true gift for crafting flawless marches for bands of all levels. Aces of the Air is a splendid, straight-ahead march.  The scoring is solid, clean & uncluttered, with just the right amount of technical decoration, and marvelous low brass countermelodies that just make it sing.

Americans We may be one of the most popular marches of the hundreds that were written by Henry Fillmore. Robert Foster has clarified some inconsistencies in the original quick-step size edition and provided extensive program notes on performing this standard march.

Made famous for generations to “children of all ages”, march masterpiece Entrance of the Gladiators is at last available in this concert edition arranged by Andrew Glover. This delightful, entertaining, and familiar work will be a hit at any concert performance.

Fans and march enthusiasts will be delighted with John Philip Sousa’s wonderfully stylish, rediscovered Esprit du Corps.  At the time it was written, Sousa was living in Philadelphia and had not yet begun his Marine Band career; however, it was not published for band until after he left the Marine Band and formed his professional band.

Count on Karl King to define the timelessness of a great march—The Viking is 100 years old! Composed in 1911 when King was playing in his first circus band at the tender age of 20, it rose to prominence almost immediately when Indiana University borrowed its heroic, singable trio for their school fight song. This is incomparable King at his best.

More great march titles can be found on our concert band webpage, and other suggestions are listed under the Community Band tab. Feel free to place your order online, give us a call, or add them to your wish list.

HOT OFF THE PRESS for Community Choirs

Ready to start planning for your community choir for next season?  Stanton’s Sheet Music suggests these outstanding choices to bring out the best in your ensemble!

Agnus Dei, the stirring final movement from John Leavitt’s “Missa Festiva,” features a stunning chamber orchestration to enhance the music texture and color of this captivating modal work.  Round out your concert with other movements from the work – Kyrie, Gloria, and the exciting Festival Sanctus.

As performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of Homeward Bound is a heartfelt piece full of warmth and sincerity.  Utilize the magnificent orchestration, or feature two outstanding accompanists on the four-hand piano reduction.

“Because of your great sacrifice, your country joins to sing.”  Patriotism and gratitude prevail in Thank You Soldiers, a moving tribute to the men and women of our armed forces.  As a special touch, project animated images from the VideoTrax DVD on a large screen during your performance.

Celebrate the Great White Way with an exciting Broadway medley!  Present the classic music of George and Ira Gershwin with Porgy and Bess: Choral Highlights, a dramatic choral treatment of the fine musical score, or Who Could Ask for Anything More, an 8 ½ minute medley featuring some of their best-known songs arranged with flair and style.

Bring the house down with an encore of Give Me a Choral Medley!  Those with a keen sense of humor and a modest knowledge of the choral repertoire will appreciate this tongue-in-cheek send-up of a common programming cliche.  With plenty of punch lines, a few familiar favorites, and a showbiz kick line, this is a riot on the risers!

For more suggestions for your community choir, please contact us!

New Independence Day Suggestions for Community Band

Preparations for the summer concert season are upon us, and no community band performance is more important, or well-attended, than Independence Day.  Community bands have plenty of tried and true patriotic standards in their libraries, but the Stanton’s band staff keeps its ears open each year for enjoyable new arrangements that would make great additions to your library, and provide something fresh for both your band and audience.  Several new arrangements caught our attention this year, and we’re pleased to suggest the following titles:

American Jubilee by Charles Booker is a short, vibrant concert overture that resonates with the spirit of the American landscape.  Consisting primarily of original material, there are brief hints and echoes of the Star-Spangled Banner that add to the character and noble quality of the work.  This wonderfully exhilarating addition to the concert band repertoire is a perfect concert or patriotic performance selection.

There’s always a spot in your library for a finely crafted montage of everybody’s favorite patriotic flag-wavers.  An American Spectacular is a “fantasy medley” that interweaves the many hearts of American music from the earliest days of Chester, to folk standards like Shenandoah, wartime spirit-boosters like Over There, and timeless classics like America, the Beautiful in a truly spectacular tribute to the red, white and blue.

Elegy for the U.S.S. Arizona is a tribute to the lasting legacy of the members of the U.S.S. Arizona Band, entombed with over 1,100 other sailors in the sunken wreckage of the Arizona.  A solemn snare drum begins and ends the piece, and the familiar strains of Eternal Father Strong to Save are used to create a moving tribute to all veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Based on My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, James Curnow’s Let Freedom Ring is a brilliant concert setting of this patriotic standard.  Bold, majestic, and full of contemporary harmonies, yet classic in form and style, Let Freedom Ring is a powerful salute to our nation, our armed forces, and is perfect as a rousing closer sure to bring your audience to its feet!

You can preview each of these works by clicking on the highlighted titles above, and add those you like to your shopping cart or wish list.  If you prefer to go ‘old-school’, just give us a call, 1-800-426-8742, and check out the Community Band tab on our concert band webpage for more suggestions.