SKU: SU.94010764
Dedicated to Bryan Young, Principal Bassoon, Baltimore Chamber OrchestraBassoon Duration: 5'3 Composed: 2020 Published by: Subito Music Publishing PROGRAM NOTE: The year 2020 has definitely been a very challenging year with many upheavals. During this time of the COVID-19 health crisis, wearing masks, and high racial tensions, I decided to compose four short solo woodwind works for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, which represent the core woodwind section in an orchestra. I was inspired to compose these short pieces after I first heard Igor Stravinsky's three short pieces for clarinet, which totals a little more than four minutes in duration. I thought that it would be nice to highlight and honor my African-American male colleagues in the orchestral music world. I wanted to celebrate the fact that they are the principal player in the section of their respective orchestras. The short pieces are as follows: Principal Brother No. 1 for flute solo for Demarre McGill, Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 2 for oboe solo for Titus Underwood, Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Principal Brother No. 3 for clarinet solo for Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and Principal Brother No. 4 for bassoon solo for Bryan Young, Principal Bassoon of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. These works all begin with notes that are representative of their name; D for Demarre, B for Titus (ti in solfège starting on C), A for Anthony, and Bb for Bryan. There is also a rhythmic figure in the opening measures of each piece, which represent the utterance of their names. All four of these works are rhapsodic in nature with elements of improvisation. - James Lee III.
SKU: CF.YPS105
ISBN 9780825884870. UPC: 798408084875. 9 x 12 inches. Key: Bb major.
Based on our popular New Bennett Band Book series, we have compiled march-style warm-ups in a separate publication so they may be used by all bands wishing to learn from them. These innovative warm-ups and fundamental drills are the ultimate method of teaching and reinforcing the March style.How To Use the March Warm-upsPlaying in a march style can present difficulties for young students. The most prevalent problem is that students have a tendency to play every note too short. Conversely, accented notes are usually played incorrectly with too much tongue. Do marches contain short notes? Absolutely, but these shortest of notes should be reserved for notes that precede an accent or notes that are specifically marked with a staccato. Think of unmarked notes as being separated, but not short and certainly not clipped or stopped with the tongue. Accented notes should be played with more weight using air and more length, and not just a harder tongue. Accents are given to show emphasis to a note and should be thought of in this manner.The warm-up exercises provided in this collection should give you many opportunities to stress the above-mentioned comments on march performance style. The following gives an explanation on the purpose and use of each of these exercises.No. 1 – Basic Chords and ModulationsOne of the challenges of playing marches with young students is successfully performing the key change at the Trio. This exercise presents the three basic chords (tonic, subdominant and dominant) in each of the three keys in this collection of marches. You can also use this exercise to teach and reinforce the style of accented notes. You may want to have your band play major scales in succession by fourths to reinforce the concept of modulation to the subdominant that occurs at the Trio (i.e. the B≤-major scale, then the E≤-major scale, then the A≤-major scale). I might suggest getting the students to try continuing the pattern all the way around the circle of fourths.No. 2 – March Style in B≤ MajorThis exercise contains many opportunities to teach and reinforce the difference between staccato and accented notes. The melody voices move up and down the B≤-major scale, while other instruments play chords commonly found in the marches in this collection. These include diminished chords, secondary dominant chords (i.e. the V of the V) and other common chromatic chords that Fillmore often used.No. 3 – Cakewalk Rhythm in B≤ MajorThe simple syncopated rhythm in this exercise is common to many marches. This drill gives you the opportunity to teach/ reinforce the standard ar-ticulation and natural accent of this rhythmic pattern. Again, this exercise uses an ascending and descending major-scale pattern as the melodic basis, accompanied by chords commonly found in American- style marches.No. 4 – The March Scale in B≤ MajorI call this exercise “The March Scale,†because often in marches (and especially in these marches) the descending half-step is part of the melodic material. These chromatic figures give the melodies of many marches their charm and flow. Thus, I devised this exercise and others like it in E≤ major and A≤ major to familiarize students with these patterns. I would suggest playing the pattern in a variety of ways different from what is written. Here are some other possibilities:• Tongue one, slur three• Slur two, tongue two• Tongue two, slur two• Tongue one, slur two, tongue oneGradually increase the tempo to the march tempo and the articulation style will fall right into place.Another important consideration is the performance of the bass line and the bass-drum part. Too often, the bass drum and bass instruments play their parts with equal emphasis on both beats in the measure. This is incorrect, and frequently makes the marchNo. 5 – March Style in E≤ MajorThis is a similar to exercise No. 2, but with a different rhythmic pattern. Emphasize the difference between accented and unaccented notes. Also, play the exercise with line direction moving the musical line forward. Experiment and play the exercise with different dynamic choices and with hairpins up and down in different ways.No. 6 – More March Style in E≤ MajorExercise No. 6 comprises more rhythmic patterns and harmonic materials in E≤ major to teach and reinforce the march style. This exercise em-phasizes the sixteenth-note rhythm, as notated in the third measure of the exercise. Young stu- dents have a tendency to “crush†the sixteenths; consequently, they lack clarity. It would be a good idea to work this rhythmic figure on a scale pattern with all of the instruments in the band as an additional warm-up exercise.No. 7 – The March Scale in E≤ MajorSee the information for No. 4 and apply it to this exercise. Use all of the various articulations described above as well.No. 8 – March Style in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 2 and apply it to this exercise.No. 9 – Cakewalk Rhythm in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 3 and apply it to this exercise.No. 10 – The March Scale in A≤ MajorSee the information for No. 4 and apply it to this exercise.Other Ideas for March PerformanceA rehearsal practice that has worked very well for me is to start out by having the band play the march very slowly at about Œ = 60 in a chorale/legato style. The slow tempo is a fine opportunity to work on clarity of harmonic move- ment and to work on the balance and blend of the tutti band sound. This will pay great dividends toward improving the sound of your band. Gradually increase the tempo to the march tempo and the articulation style will fall right into place.Another important consideration is the performance of the bass line and the bass-drum part. Too often, the bass drum and bass instruments play their parts with equal emphasis on both beats in the measure. This is incorrect, and frequently makes the march.
SKU: GI.G-10008
Help your students Level Up! their sight-reading skills using their minds and ears, as well their voices! Level Up! is a sequential, interactive, and comprehensive resource built from the authors’ decades of research and experience teaching students of all levels and ages. Using the concept of target skills (isolated pitch and rhythm patterns), Level Up! guides students to carefully understand and analyze every new skill by difficulty. Authors Michele L. Henry and Keitha Lucas Hamann then reinforce each skill by asking students to sight-read specially sequenced practice melodies. Each of the five volumes—Foundation al, Emerging, Minor, Developing, and Advanced—is designed as an interactive workbook for students to mark up, and is available in both treble clef and bass clef editions. The companion Teacher Manuals include clear instructions for how to best use the Level Up! system, outline the approach and sequencing, and provide assessments. Level Up! supports the artistic literacy goals of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) and many state music education standards. The companion website, giamusic.com/levelup, provides even more reinforcement. The goal of Level Up! is simple: to help students become independent and confident musicians, with benefits to last a lifetime! Michele L. Henry, Ph.D. is Professor of Choral Music Education at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. Keitha Lucas Hamann, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  Level Up! is the most sequential approach to the teaching of sight-reading that I’ve ever seen! Designed for use with singers at the middle school through high school levels, the methodology aligns with National Standards, UIL, and TEKS, and is range related for developing voices. Within each lesson, specific skills are targeted and the interactive approach further encourages the mastery of skills. Individual assessment is provided both for long-term and short-term goals, thus creating a complete and accessible methodology which can be used in any choral or general music classroom. —Lynne Gackle, Director of Choral Activities, Baylor University This book fills a unique niche in the field. I love that it takes the needs of developing/changing voice singers into account and that students can write in the books like a workbook as they are learning the tools for sight singing. Teachers will definitely appreciate the opportunities for assessment built into the series. —Jessica Nápoles, Associate Professor of Choral Music Education, University of North Texas As a teacher, I really do love this resource. It’s broken down in a way that makes it very easy to incorporate into my lessons, and the fact that it’s sequential and very clear about the concepts introduced at each level is extremely helpful. I can see my students (beginners especially) getting better and more confident with their sight-reading. I look forward to using this resource as our primary sight-reading resource! —Courtney Neva, Choir Director, Dripping Springs High School.
SKU: HL.365043
ISBN 9781705135273. UPC: 840126960648. 8.5x11.0x0.362 inches.
Just press the buttons on the ChordBuddy ukulele device and play! This songbook features 60 favorites in vocal melody, lyrics and chord diagram arrangements for standard G-C-E-A tuning. The chords in the book are color-coded to match your ChordBuddy ukulele device. Songs include: Blowin' in the Wind • Down on the Corner • Free Fallin' • Hound Dog • Margaritaville • Old Time Rock & Roll • Twist and Shout • Walk of Life • and more. (Note: the ChordBuddy device is sold separately).
SKU: HL.50605317
ISBN 9781705177570. UPC: 196288102694. 9.0x12.0 inches.
Pieces of Light was commissioned by the Flautadors for their 20th Anniversary. When the group approached me about writing a piece, I had just finished reading Pieces of Light; The New Science of Memory by Charles Fernyhough, and it struck me that a work inspired by memories and how they are created in our brains would be very appropriate for a group of musicians celebrating such a wonderful milestone. A quote by Nabokov in particular provided ideas for both the rapid, rhythmic music that starts and ends the piece and the slow, 'light-filled' chords of the middle section: [In Nabokov's autobiography, Speak, Memory, he sees] 'the awakening of consciousness as a series of spaced flashes, with the intervals between them gradually diminishing until bright blocks of perception are formed, affording memory a slippery hold.' In addition, this work has really been shaped by the recorders themselves: before writing, I spent several hours with Ian Wilson (a member of the group) learning about the myriad different types of instrument I could write for. The renaissance instruments particularly appealed due to their fabulous timbre, despite the fact that, due to their open hole design, diatonic music works much better than anything chromatic. I became rather obsessed with the idea of writing chromatic music for diatonic instruments, and so in this piece I use recorders at both modern (A440) and baroque (A415, a semi-tone lower) pitch. This allowed me to write a piece that uses all twelve semitones of the scale throughout, whilst never writing a note for any individual recorder that falls outside its particular diatonic major scale: a compositional device that pleased me greatly!-Cheryl Frances-Hoad, 2019.
SKU: ST.B945
ISBN 9790220224393.
Roun ds and Canons from Thomas Ravenscroft's Collections Sacred and secular rounds and canons in Latin and in English from the collections of the 17th-century editor and theorist Thomas Ravenscroft, on a variety of subjects such as drinking, hunting and street cries: thirty-five pieces for three to eleven voices. CONTENTS For Three Voices Follow me quickly Hey ho! To the greenwood now let us go I am a-thirst, what should I say? I pray you, good mother New oysters Now God be with old Simeon Now kiss the cup, cousin, with courtesy O praise the Lord, ye that fear Him Pietas omnium virtutum The merry nightingale Well fare the nightingale For Four Voices Ascendit Christus in coelum Blow thy horn, thou jolly hunter Descendit Christus de coelo Fa, mi, fa, re, la, mi Farewell, mine own sweet heart Hey, down a down Miserere mei Deus To Portsmouth it is a gallant town For Five Voices Keep well your ray, my lads Sing you now after me Universa transeunt Verbum Domini manet in aeternum Vias tuas Domine demonstra mihi White wine and sugar is good drink for me For Six Voices Benedic, Domine, nobis his donis tuis Domine Fili Dei vivi miserere nostri Joy in the gates of Jerusalem Laudate nomen Domini (I) Now thanked be the great god Pan For Seven Voices Laudate nomen Domini (II) For Eight Voices Let's have a peal for John Cook's soul For Nine Voices Delicta quis intelligit? Hey ho, what shall I say? For Ten or Eleven Voices Sing we now merrily.
SKU: HL.49045305
ISBN 9781495082405. UPC: 888680656539. 9.0x12.0x0.256 inches.
Following the premiere of my opera An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera, the President of the Manhattan School of Music, Robert Sirota, called me and told me that the American String Quartet had asked him to commission me as part of the school's 90th anniversary celebration. I was very excited because this meant that the first new music I would compose after my largest piece ever would be a string quartet for my alma mater. I embraced the chance to return to chamber music with gusto because I saw this not only as an opportunity to incorporate everything I'd learned writing four grand operas into an intimate yet profound genre but also as the starting point of a new direction in my compositional thinking. 20 years separate my first and second quartet and it is not difficult to hear the evolution between the two. Tobias Picker.