Autoharpin’

In 1881, Charles Zimmerman invented the Autoharp.  In the 1960′s, Rhythm Band began to import Chromaharps from Japan.  They are much the same instrument.  Both have 36 strings and buttons on bars to press down, each bar pressed down produces a different chord.  Elementary music teachers nearly always have one or the other in the instrument cabinet in the classroom.  Much more can be done with an Autoharp or Chromaharp than simple strumming.  Fancier strums can be employed, and there is a way to do some picking. Folksingers often include an Autoharp in their collection of  instruments they use to accompany themselves. Mother Maybelle Carter is one of the best known autoharp players. It’s a much more versatile instrument than many people realize.  Mel Bay’s Complete Method for Autoharp or Chromaharp has 48 lessons teaching everything from learning to read music and tuning to advanced strumming.  This book of sheet music for Autoharp was written by Meg Peterson, and includes a CD.  For more information about this or other Autoharp music, please call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

“The Educator’s Guide to Grants”

Would you like funding to update your music technology resources? Do you need uniforms or instruments for the marching band? Are you searching for funding for professional development or travel to study abroad? The Educator’s Guide to Grants is designed to help schools and non-profits find funding and create proposals to access funds successfully. Novices just learning to negotiate grant writing and more experienced writers seeking million-dollar awards will find insight and assistance with this guide. A CD-ROM included with the book features a screened list of hundreds of funding sources matched to each grant area.

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First Lessons Dulcimer

Have you recently acquired a lap dulcimer, and now want to know what to do with it?   It’s not too hard to learn: there are a lot of helpful books, DVDs and CDs available!

Joyce Ochs has written a helpful method book for the dulcimer in DAD tuning.  First Lessons Dulcimer  includes a CD that will help you tune your dulcimer and what the songs are supposed to sound like. All the basics are here. Basic chords and strums are taught, and beginning melody picking is introduced.

When you are comfortable with your dulcimer,  Stanton’s has a selection of more dulcimer books to choose from. There are dulcimer hymns and books of folk songs for dulcimer.  For more dulcimer music, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at http://www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

“You’ll Be In My Heart”

You’ll Be In My Heart, the classic ballad from “Tarzan” by Phil Collins is now available in a remarkable setting for more advanced choirs! Opening as a gentle lullaby, the vocal lines build into an expansive concert work with fully voiced choral harmonies and sweeping piano arpeggios. The arrangement builds through several exciting modulations before returning to the gentle strains of the opening. This arrangement is a perfect choice for end-of-year concerts or graduation!

For more repertoire suggestions for closing out your school year, please contact us!  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

Happy Birthday, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky! May 7, 1840

The Seasons, Opus 37b

This collection of twelve pieces, one for each month, came about because of a commission from N. M. Bernard, editor of the St Petersburg music magazine, Nuvellist. Each month  during 1876,   Tchaikovsky wrote a short piano piece portraying subjects  and activities typical of that month, and it was published in that month’s edition of Nuvellis.  The result is this lovely collection of character pieces.  “Troika”, written for the month of November, stands on its own. It is bright and bouncy, like riding in a troika being drawn by fast horses.  It was a favorite encore of Sergei Rachmaninoff.    “Barcarolle“, written for June, is so pretty that it has been arranged for flute, violin, viola, string bass, and orchestra.  Written on an intermediate to advanced level, this entire work is considered standard literature for today’s pianists. For more information about this collection of sheet music or other collections of piano music, please contact us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website at http://www.stantons.com.   Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs.

Deluxe Accordion Method

Not so long ago, a customer remarked to me that the accordion was “coming back” (into favor).  Momentarily, I was puzzled. For me, as a member of the folk music/dance community, the accordion never “went away!”

How do today’s players learn to play? One very helpful resource is Mel Bay’s Deluxe Accordion Method, written by Frank Zucco. How to read music, rhythms,  how to use the bass keys, and how to best control the bellows are all taught in a book that is easy to understand. Although written for children, this instruction book is easily used by adults, also. In addition, there are other books of sheet music for accordion.  There are collections of pop tunes, polkas,  international dance tunes, Irish songs, and other ethnic collections.

If you are dusting off your old accordion, or you are aspiring to become an accordionist, we have a good selection of methods and sheet music books for you! For more information about accordion music, please call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or check out our website at http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs.

Wolfgang’s “Wunderkind” Sonatas

Young Wolfgang A. Mozart was already composing keyboard music by the age of seven.  The Sonatas Vol. 1 (Wunderkind) were published by the end of February 1764 in Salzburg, when Wolfgang was eight years old.  Four sonatas were included: KV 6 and 7,  (called Opus 1 by the publisher) and KV 8 and 9, (called Opus 2 by the publisher).  The Sonatas Vol. 2 contains “The London Sonatas”, KV. 10-15, published as “Opus 3″  in March of 1765.  Sonatas Vol. 3 contains KV 26-31, written while the family was in The Hague, published in April of 1766 as “Opus 4″.  Note: “Wunderkind” means “wonder child”,  apt for a child prodigy!   These collections are on an early intermediate to intermediate level. The early sonatas are delightful to play.  It is interesting to note the progress of young Mozart’s maturity from Sonatas Vol. 1 to Sonatas Vol. 3.  Any one of these collections is a worthy addition to a pianist’s library.  If you would like to know more about these collections or other piano solo music, please contact us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

The Nashville Number System

What is the Nashville Number System?   It is probably the easiest, fastest method to transpose keys for people who play chords.  For session players and jammers, it is the way to change keys instantly.  Duck’s Deluxe explains and illustrates the Nashville Number System with a dial that shows the guitar chords and basic progressions.  If you don’t play guitar, it doesn’t matter.  All you have to do is use the chords for your own instrument and follow the chord progressions.  This dial is indispensable for learning the Nashville number system.  It’s a great time saver for those who work with vocalists, and need to change keys on the spot! For more information about this or other helpful guides for playing guitar, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, write us at keyboard@stantons.com, or check out our website at www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs.

Life of Pi

Canadian composer Mychael Danna  won Best Original Score for Life of Pi, the movie.  The story of a 16 year old boy lost at sea with a Bengal tiger for 227 days was  written by Yann Martel, and adapted for a  movie directed by Ang Lee.  The piece “Pondicherry” is about the town that Pi came from.  By the sound of it, it seems that Pi was happy there.  “First Night, First Day” has plenty of tension in it, pretty, but surreal, with the occasional clash of seconds and sevenths.  If you’ve seen the movie, you know where that tension comes from!  A total of fifteen pieces are in this collection of sheet music.  The final question for this story seems to be, “Which Story Do You Prefer?”, which is the next to last piece in this collection. So, which story do you prefer?  For more information about this collection of movie music or others, call  us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, www.stantons.com  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

20th and 21st Century “Classic” Piano Music

The word “classic” tends to mean an art form that is so good  that it will be enjoyed for generations.  The “British Piano Sampler“  includes 12 “classic” works by 8 composers, all from the “Modern” era.  (20th and 21st  century time period.)  Alec Rowley is represented by his collection, “Old English Worthies”, a set of ten easy pieces by other English composers.  Arthur Benjamin‘s  ”Jamaican Rhumba” simply has to be included.  Karl Jenkins‘  ”Madog”  from 2009 is in this collection. For those who love  modern piano compositions, or for those who wish to sample the modern repertoire, this is a great collection.  For more information, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or look at our website, www.stantons.com.  Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music  needs!