USE IT OR LOSE IT!

School Teachers – we’re talking your budget allotment here!  In these tough economic times, you will want to make sure that you use what you have been given!  If you have money left on any of your Purchase Orders, we recommend that you get it spent before someone in the office decides to pull it out from under you and buy soccer balls with it!  Plus if you don’t use your allotment, there is a chance you won’t get as much next year because the clerk/treasurer sees that you don’t spend what you’ve been given, so they’ll give you less the next time!

With that in mind, Stanton’s Sheet Music has some great music with which you can finish out the school year.  Whether you want serious literature or something on the lighter side, we have plenty of choral, band and orchestra music that would be perfect for your Spring Concerts, for graduation, for teaching new concepts or practicing sight-reading or just to get a head start on next year. 

Check out the recommendations on our website, or call Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC (1-800-426-8742) and talk to one of our knowledgeable sales people about top notch music to finish out your budget.  The music we recommend is educationally valid, the best sounding and the most highly programmable, so you can count on getting just the right pieces for your groups to get your precious money’s worth.  Contact Stanton’s today!

Mark Your Calendar for “Stanton’s Super Session!”

Stanton’s Sheet Music is pleased to invite you to the 2012 “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

Stanton’s “21-Day Trial” Program

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.)

As you return from Winter break and begin programming the rest of your school or church year, remember that Stanton’s Sheet Music is here to help!

Here We Come A-Wassailing!

Need a last-minute solution for a Holiday Concert? Are you headed out for some Christmas Caroling? Even with limited rehearsal time, you’re sure to find something for your group in one of these collections:

The new SATB collection Sing a Merry Christmas by John Leavitt is perfect for many performance occasions. The tasteful and creative arrangements exemplify Leavitt’s choral expertise. Whether you’re caroling door-to-door or looking for tasteful a cappella arrangements for your concert, this is a sure-fire winner.

The Christmas Caroling Songbook contains 50 well-known carols arranged for any combination of voices. Ideal for holiday sing-alongs, community or family get-togethers, or house-to-house singing, this collection makes it simple to have a successful caroling experience.

For younger groups, the 3-part mixed collection A-Caroling We Go is a perfect choice. Ten carol favorites are arranged in easy-to-sing a cappella settings, each with a special choral introduction and coda. Also available for SSA voices.

Contact us for more choral collections for Christmas!

Famous & Fun Christmas

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.

Music “Just for the Gals!”

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!

Why should I attend a Stanton’s Reading Session?

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 Banjo Method Book 1

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.

Plan Now for Your Fall Programs

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.

You Can Teach Yourself Autoharp

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!