12 Folk Songs for Solo Singers

Alfred Publishing has been very successful in producing high-quality solo vocal literature for developing singers.  The newest collection now available is 12 Folk Songs for Solo Singers, featuring fresh settings by well-known Alfred arrangers including Jay Althouse, Andy Beck, Mark Hayes, Douglas E. Wagner, and more.  These 12 varied folk songs from near and far offer lots of opportunities for your young singers to experience a wide variety of music all in one collection!  The accompaniment CD has piano accompaniments that are perfect for lessons, home practice or performances.

Other wonderful vocal collections from Alfred include Folk Songs for Solo Singers, International Folk Songs for Solo Singers, and Spirituals for Solo Singers.  Please contact us for more great repertoire ideas for young singers!

NY or Bust!

Stanton’s is packing up and heading to Rochester for the NYSSMA Conference December 3rd-6th—look for us in the exhibition hall if you’re going to be there too! We’ll be bringing lots of sheet music of all kinds for you to browse and purchase, as well as several of our helpful and educated staff members to answer whatever questions you may have.
If you’re already a Stanton’s customer, stop by and say hello so that we can put faces with names. Or, if you’ve never shopped with us, please come by our booth and allow us to give you the full “Stanton’s experience!”
For more information about all of our planned traveling this winter, check our previous blog.

Online Resources for Public Domain Materials

Are you aware that there are a number of online libraries for sheet music in the public domain? While not an authoritative resource, these sites can be very useful for research, educational exercises and, in some cases, even performance.

The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) is a large archive of free choral music. Anyone may contribute, so selections range from early music to the unpublished work of current composers.

International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) is a WIKI site offering scanned-in public domain scores which can be browsed by composer, time period or instrument.

Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA) contains an EXTENSIVE list of links to other online public domain libraries.

POP goes the sheet music!

Stanton’s receives many calls and emails that begin with “I’ve got a great piece of music here that’s pretty old…” and, sadly, that conversation often ends with “I’m sorry to tell you that piece is permanently out of print.” What does that mean for you, the director/musician when something is permanently out of print (POP)? Read on to find some of the most common questions and their answers:

1) Why do things go POP?
When we inform someone that a certain piece is POP, the most common response we receive is “I can’t believe it—that piece is so good!” While it is true that sometimes a piece is taken out of print due to lack of sales, this is not the only reason. Sometimes there are copyright changes, royalty disputes and other business issues that have nothing to do with sales. Even if a piece is taken out of print due to low sales, that’s not necessarily an indicator of quality. A piece that is “good” may also be very difficult, or extremely contemporary or use an unusual voicing/instrumentation, all of which could lead to low sales despite how “good” it is.

2) Why does Stanton’s show POP titles on their website?
When Stanton’s determines that a piece is no longer in print, we indicate that on our website so that you, the customer, can also have that information. If you were looking for a certain piece and simply didn’t see it listed, you may just conclude that it’s not available from Stanton’s, or that you had typed something incorrectly.
Sometimes a piece that is permanently out of print is not yet listed that way on our website. While we make every effort to keep the information on our website up-to-date, we usually don’t learn that a piece has gone POP until we try to order it and the publisher says “sorry, no.” Please call us if you have questions about the status of a particular piece.

3) How do I determine that something is POP?
As stated above, we encourage you to contact Stanton’s whenever you have questions about a piece of music. If you are interested in doing some research yourself, you can check the website of the publisher to see if they have more information. If the music is from a publisher that is no longer in business, their copyrights, or “imprints,” are probably still owned by another publisher; the same arrangement may still be in print from the “new” owner of that imprint. You can find more details about defunct publishers on the Music Publishers Association’s directory of imprints.

4) Do I have any options for obtaining this music?
Once you have determined that something is POP, you may contact the publisher to request permission to photocopy (Stanton’s can give you their contact information) if you have at least one original copy. Especially in the case of churches and schools, the publishers will often grant this request for little or no cost. The publisher will then send you a letter stating that you have permission to make copies. If you do not have an original copy, you might acquire a copy from someone else’s library by sending out a query on the ChoralNet listserv, or a similar forum. IT IS ILLEGAL TO MAKE PHOTOCOPIES WITHOUT THE PUBLISHER’S PERMISSION, EVEN WHEN SOMETHING IS NO LONGER IN PRINT!

5) This music is still in print, so why is it so hard for me to get it?!
In addition to “in print” and “out of print,” there are a few other ways to designate the status of a piece of music. It may be “temporarily out of print” (TOP) or “on backorder” (OBO), which means that the publisher is sold out of the music in their warehouse and will need to print some more. It also may be designated as “print on demand” (POD) or an “archive edition,” meaning that it is not something that the publisher keeps in stock, but they will print special copies on request. A piece of music might be a “special import” that is not kept in stock in the US, but that a publisher can get from their international partners. ALL of these situations may affect how long it will take to get your music and how much it will cost.

6) Is there any chance that it WILL come back into print?
No. There may be other arrangements of the same composition available, but once something goes POP, it will not come back.

Permanent means permanent.

How may I direct your call?

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)
Choral Music for School & Church
Elementary General 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

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. If you’re unsure of which department to choose, we’re always happy to direct you to whoever can best address your needs. At Stanton’s, it is important to us that you receive the most educated answers to your questions and the finest music recommendations.

Composers and arrangers, take heed!

Do you get called upon to make arrangements for instrumental and/or vocal solos or groups?  Do you know all the ranges, technical considerations and the idiosyncrasies of each instrument and voice?  A string quartet or SATB chorus may not be a problem, but how about if it’s for a quintet consisting of Lyric Baritone, Oboe D’Amore, Alto Trombone, Troubadour Harp and Slide Whistle?  Or maybe you’re wondering what special effects for violins you could incorporate into your writing or the best way to notate specific percussion parts.  Now there is a concise source for all this information and more -  Alfred’s Essentials of Orchestration – A Practical Dictionary by Dave Black and Tom Gerou.

This is not a book on how to write orchestrations, it is a quick reference book that presents complete and practical ranges of all voices and instruments, both well known and obscure, as well as all applicable instrumental transpositions.  There is also general information on each voice and instrument, and the unique characteristics of each, as well as description of the dynamic and tonal qualities of every register.  Helpful tips on scoring for vocal and instrumental groups are also included.  In addition, it has sections on specific string techniques, guitar and percussion notation and brass mutes and articulations. This practical book also describes a plethora of percussion instruments, pitched and unpitched.  An alphabetical index will lead you to the exact instrument or voice that you are seeking.

It’s intriguing just to look through and find such obscure instruments as slide trumpet and reco-reco or discover the difference between “staccato volante” and “saltando” bowing for strings (now you’ll have to get the book to see what these all mean!) but on the utilitarian side, Alfred’s Essentials of Orchestration – A Practical Dictionary is a very handy guide for quick reference on details you will need when doing any kind of orchestration.  It should be on the bookshelf of every composer and arranger from amateur to professional.

Request Your “21 Day Trial” TODAY!

Did you know that you can preview music from Stanton’s before you decide to buy? We know that it’s difficult to tell if a particular piece of music will fit your needs without actually reading it through, so similar to checking things out from a library, you can “borrow” resources from our store using the “21 Day Trial” program!

Each of Stanton’s departments has slightly different guidelines about what/how many items can be sent on “21 Day Trial,” but in general we can send printed sheet music that is currently in stock. You can request items for trial by phone, email, fax, online or in person—any of the ways that you can place a regular order—but make sure that you specify “21 Day Trial.” You can list the music you’d like to peruse, or you can give us some specifications (like “Christmas piano solos,” “SSA choral music on the theme of friendship,” or “new publications for 8th grade jazz band”) and Stanton’s knowledgeable staff will find some suggestions for you!

We require account or credit card information so that if you choose to keep the music we can charge you accordingly, or return the music within 21 days of your invoice date and you’ll never be charged! (You’ll just have to pay return shipping to get the music back to us.)

Contact us NOW in July when we have more time to spend considering your unique trial request. When all the other teachers are dragging themselves into the store first thing in the morning on a Saturday in August or September, you’ll continue to sleep soundly knowing that you’ve already received a package of music, specifically chosen for you, that will be waiting whenever you choose to wake up and read through it…

Feedback Friday: It’s your patriotic duty!

Everybody’s popular music for guitar, Books 1 and 2

Have you ever had trouble finding easy pop music for guitar for yourself or a student?  The FJH Music Company has produced 2 new books of pop songs for guitar that fill that niche.   Book 1 of Everybody’s Popular Music for Guitar has a blend of pop, folk,  and classical songs on an early level.  You or your student can play the melody, or strum along with the chords.  This book will fit in nicely with any  level one method book  for guitar.  It includes This Land is Your Land, The House of the Rising Sun, Can You Feel the Love, Tonight, and more. 

Book 2 of Everybody’s Popular Music for Guitar includes pop, rock, classical,  and blues songs.  There are duets for teacher and student, or 2 students. Chords are fuller and a little more complicated that in Book 1. New strumming patterns are introduced.  Songs include Nights in White Satin, Misty, What a Wonderful World, Saint Louis Blues, and She Loves You.

 For more information about this product or others from Stanton’s Sheet Music, please contact us.

FREE Summertime Fun in Central Ohio

So many of us here at Stanton’s are looking for ways to spend less on summer entertainment this year. Did you know that most of the Columbus, OH suburbs offer FREE summer concert series?! You can spend an afternoon or evening outdoors enjoying great music and mingling with your neighbors—you could even pack a picnic. Below are some links to online information about concerts in various Central Ohio communities, but if you don’t see your city listed, contact your local visitor’s bureau or department of parks and recreation to see what they have to offer!

Dublin:
Sundays at Scioto Concert Series

Gahanna:
Concerts on the Creek

Grandview:
Concerts on the Library Lawn

Grove City:
Summer Sizzle Concert Series

Hilliard: Arts Council Summer Concert Series

Pickerington: Giant Eagle Summer Concert Series

Upper Arlington: Cultural Arts Division “Music in the Parks”

Westerville: Sounds of Summer Concert Series

Worthington: Concerts on the Green

If you know of more free concert series, please let Stanton’s know (so we can attend them too). Also, be sure to check out the Experience Columbus events calendar for more great, FREE ideas for summer!