GLEE Update

Here in the choral department at Stanton’s Sheet Music, our phones are ringing off the hook with requests for choral music from the Fox hit show Glee!  So far (seven episodes into the season), the songs from the show available for choirs are: Don’t Stop Believin’ (originally recorded by Journey) and Rehab (by Amy Winehouse – while the message of the song is pretty inappropriate for high school singers, it sure is a catchy tune!).  And coming soon: Can’t Fight This Feeling (sung by Finn in the pilot) and I Say a Little Prayer (the Cheerio’s glee club audition song in episode 2).

Some other songs heard on the show are available in choral arrangements, though these are not the exact arrangements featured.  These include: Mister Cellophane, On My Own, Respect, Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, Where Is Love?, Mercy, Taking Chances, Tonight, Cabaret, Walking on Sunshine, and from last night’s episode, Keep Holding On.

Songs offered for soloists are available from such diverse artists as Beyonce (Single Ladies, Halo), Usher (Confessions Part II), Katy Perry (I Kissed a Girl), Celine Dion (Taking Chances), Kanye West (Gold Digger), Carrie Underwood (Last Name), Salt-n-Pepa (Push It), Rihanna (Take a Bow), Jazmine Sullivan (Bust Your Windows), Heart (Alone), Bon Jovi (It’s My Life), and Queen (Somebody to Love).  In last night’s episode, we also heard No Air (by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown).

While not all of the music featured on the show is available for choirs, we’re hopeful that publishers will continue producing new arrangements (we’re especially hoping for an arrangement of Queen’s Somebody to Love or Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life!).  For more information, check out our previous blog about music from “Glee,” or contact us.

UPDATE (11/3/2009) – Somebody to Love, as performed on “Glee,” is now available for choirs!  Don’t miss it!

Hallowe’en for Piano

Nearly everybody loves Hallowe’en!  For piano teachers who are planning a Hallowe’en recital, or for those wanting to celebrate the season, we have a varied selection of fun pieces and books to suit players of nearly every level of difficulty.

The Halloween Songbook is a book of easy popular songs such as The Addams Family Theme, Monster Mash, and The Munster’s Theme.

 

Happy Halloween is a collection of  spooky originals by Jane Bastien. The difficulty of the pieces ranges from primer to second grade.  This is a long-time favorite. The pieces are clever, represent different musical styles,  and imitate the various spooky sounds of the season.  Titles include Black Cat Boogie, The Ghosts’ Ball Game, and Witches Rock.  

 From Alfred Publishing comes a list of Halloween pieces written by their talented composers of educational piano music. These include Dennis Alexander’s “Broomstick Capers” and Margaret Goldston’s “Beware of Ghosts!”.

For more information concerning these or other products, visit us at stantons.com or email us at keyboard@stantons.com

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.

Singer’s Library of Musical Theatre

If you or your students routinely perform songs from the Broadway repertoire, these books are for you!  Each book in the series of Singer’s Library of Musical Theatre  includes 2 CD’s of recorded piano accompaniment.
There are 2 volumes in each voice range: Soprano, Mezzo/Alto, Tenor, and Bass.
The fun thing about these books is the fact that the songs are in the same keys as in the original Broadway shows. The shows cover a wide time period, from the 1885 “Mikado”, to more recent shows like the Broadway production of  “Disney’s ” Beauty and the Beast”  and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. For more  information concerning these products please check our website at stantons.com.

We Remember: Mary Travers

Until the early 1960s, popular music was almost solely a means of entertainment–then came Peter, Paul, and Mary. This trio from Greenwich Village was able to weave a timely message of peace and justice into the mainstream music scene in a way that reached more people than had ever been done before. The world lost a true pioneer of music and humanity when Mary Travers, the unmistakable raw energy and blonde female third of Peter, Paul, and Mary, died last week at age 72 after a battle with leukemia and the side effects of chemotherapy.

Together with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey, Mary Travers sang America through the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War with such songs as “If I Had a Hammer”, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, and “Puff (the Magic Dragon)”. Continuing in the tradition of Pete Seeger and the Weavers, Peter, Paul, and Mary asked America to sing along at concerts, protests, and rallies, including the 1963 March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Along the way, the trio also helped introduce the world to a host of talented songwriters, including Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Denver, whose “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was one of the their biggest hits. The trio disbanded in 1970, but reunited in 1978 and continued to record and tour until mid-2009, when Travers insisted on performing to carry on her message for the world, despite requiring a wheelchair and oxygen. Unlike many of their contemporaries, whose musical styles and message changed with the times, Peter, Paul, & Mary continued to cling to their causes and folk music, noting the importance of “carry[ing] it on” for future generations. In later years, the trio made several televised concerts for PBS, many of which were targeted toward teaching children the impact music can have on peace in society.

While not a principal songwriter or producer for the trio, Travers’ contributions to the group were boundless. Her powerful voice, energetic interpretations, and trademark long blonde hair defined the trio for many, and her intelligence and awareness were often the conscience of the group. In early years, she was directed by their manager to remain elusive onstage by focusing only on the songs and not engaging in stage banter. However, in later years, especially after her own solo career and side projects lecturing on the role of music in society and hosting an interview show for BBC, she began to be the social commentator and frequent comedienne of the group during concerts.

Travers leaves behind a tremendous legacy of strength, hope, and peace through music, and her passing leaves an enormous hole in one of the most successful partnerships—a nearly 50-year association—in music history. In a statement, Yarrow wrote, “I have no idea what it will be like to have no Mary in my world”. Stookey included, “I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers”. However, Travers’ legacy will live on through the music of her surviving partners and all whose lives she impacted. As stated in a very recent letter from President Barack Obama to Travers, “Your passion for music and your ability to stir change has helped define a genre and a generation.”

Special Thanks to Contributer:
Brandon Moss, Cincinnati Ohio
Music Educator and Stanton’s Customer

Feedback Friday: Ellen on American Idol?!

Tori Amos, New album on tour.

Tori Amos’ new album, “Abnormally Attracted to Sin” , is being presented on a world tour. The tour started July 10 in Seattle, and will end in Australia on Nov. 24. There will be stops in Germany, Poland, France and Holland in between.
This album includes songs that make some strong statements.  The song “Ophelia”  is about being with someone who doesn’t respect you.  The syncopation and changing meter keep you a little off  balance, in keeping with the words of the song.  “Strong Black Vine” addresses religious intolerance. Rhythms and dissonance bring out the tension  inherent in conflict.  Check out this new best-seller.

Feedback Friday: Ringo Starr!

September 11, 1962: Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best in a Beatles recording session of “Love Me Do,” and the Beatles go on to reshape the landscape of rock and roll.

Buddy Holly Lives!

Buddy Holly would have turned 73 on September 7th.  Though his life and career was short-lived, he made a profound influence on rock and roll music.  Considered a “pioneer of rock and roll”, the hits “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day” are notable songs amongst other hits.  There is now a beautiful souvenir songbook of 33 songs along with photos and historical background of Buddy Holly.
     Charles Hardin Halley grew up to be Buddy Holly with Buddy being his family name.  The “e” was dropped out of his last name after a mistake was made when he signed a contract to Decca Records.  Buddy started his own band called “The Crickets” and they went on to play the Ed Sullivan show and received much fame.  In the early stages of rock and roll, he was also considered one of the first to write, produce and perform his own music. His own mother influenced him and he learned to play the piano, guitar and fiddle at a young age.  Just imagine if he had lived a longer life; there would definitely have been more songs contributed to this world by him.

Erich Kunzel – 1935-2009

Erich Kunzel, the award-winning conductor who headed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since it was founded three decades ago, died Tuesday at the age of 74.  His distinguished career is personified by his 2006 National Medal of Arts, presented by President and Mrs. Bush in a ceremony in the Oval Office at The White House.  He had led the National Symphony on the Capitol lawn in nationally televised Memorial Day and Independence Day concerts since 1991, most recently this year in a July 4th concert featuring Aretha Franklin.

Born in New York City to German-American immigrant parents, Kunzel was educated at Dartmouth, Harvard and Brown universities, and he studied with the great French conductor Pierre Monteux.  He began his conducting career with the Santa Fe Opera Company, followed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra before his appointment to the newly-formed Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 1977.

Kunzel is possibly best-known for his award-winning recordings.  Beginning in 1977, he recorded over 85 albums on the Telarc label with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.  More than 55 of these albums have appeared on the Top 10 Billboard Charts.  Several Grammy Awards, the distinguished Grand Prix du Disque, and the Sony Tiffany Walkman Award for “visionary recording activities” highlight his fantastic recording career of over 125 albums.  In May 2009 he was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

His career-long support for music education was unwavering.  As Chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Arts and Education Center, he helped the organization to build a new School for the Creative and Performing Arts adjacent to Music Hall, home of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, which will be complete in 2010.

Stanton’s Sheet Music is proud to call Ohio our home, and we salute Erich Kunzel for his inspiring musical career and the way he brought Ohio musicians to the world stage.