I believe this series solves several problems that ensemble conductors and private teachers struggle with on a daily basis:

• Motivating their students to practice more
• Helping students make more of an immediate connection between the music they are playing in band or orchestra and the world around them
• Achieving more meaningful student engagement during the technique portion of ensemble rehearsals (and for that matter, making technique more fun for students in general!)

Essentially, the Foundations Series is a collection of technical exercises that are set to actual movie soundtracks. These are not “play-along” tracks where kids are just playing the melody (or a watered-down version of the melody). Rather, they are specifically designed to engage students and get them to practice without even knowing they are. Every movie cue includes a “technique builder” objective and practice directive. Wind players focus on everything from long tones to articulation, lip slurs, dynamics, and more. String players may be working on octave string tuning, bow distribution, the D tetrachord, or harmonics. Percussionists tackle various rudiments, roll technique, and more. There are so many kids that go home and try to “figure out” themes from their favorite movies. While we want to encourage that exploration, this still results in a lot of kids developing poor technique in order to do something they haven’t learned yet. With the Foundations Series, kids are able to interact with a ton of movie soundtracks at varying levels while refining their own technique at the same time. This includes students who have literally been playing for only a week!

What sparked the idea to start?

It all began as a whim of an idea in the Fall of 2023. At that time, Meg 2: The Trench was in theaters. The music was incredibly exciting, but not melodically driven. So we asked a question: “Could we write technical exercises that would help kids improve while allowing them to play along with the soundtrack?” Several weeks later, we released Mega Foundations. I was stunned at the thousands of band and string students that engaged with the content, and we knew immediately that this was a fantastic way to motivate students to practice.

How do you envision these exercises being used?

I have heard from a ton of teachers who are using these in ensemble rehearsals. Some use these as part of the warm-up (focusing on articulation, intonation, bowing, etc.) and others use these to reinforce concepts that they are teaching to the students. The soundtracks provide variety from a constant metronome or harmony director, yet function the same way. Some teachers have reported that kids are locking in even more because they are more engaged with the soundtracks. Of course, a lot of teachers are having kids play these at home as well. Since they are technical exercises, students benefit from continuous practice both individually but also in an ensemble. For the ensemble aspect, we made the parts printable within MakeMusic Cloud (without a print add-on subscription!) so groups would be able to take full advantage of these exercises in rehearsal.

Villainous Foundations is brand new: what is unique about it?

While a lot of the Foundations Series have been designed to promote individual technique, I really wanted Villainous Foundations to incorporate ensemble playing as well given that so many groups are getting ready for adjudication. So while these are incredibly fun and useful for individual practice, they also address important elements found on adjudicator sheets such as intonation, tone, articulation, blend, dynamic control, bow mechanics, and more. These can become part of a daily routine in which kids are made hyper aware of matching note length, pitch, tempo, and in the case of strings, thinking about contact point on the bow, how much bow they are using, etc. Of course, there is an entire section for beginning students as well. And for the first time, we are also including printable scores so directors can easily work the entire group at once.

Can you tell us a little about the process of selecting accompaniment tracks to match your exercises? 

It’s actually the other way around! I work with Fred Flowerday, who handles all of the audio production for the series. He typically looks for tracks that would be well suited for the kind of material I want to write, and then we begin the process of vetting and fitting everything together. In some cases, a track is very drone-based, which may lend itself well toward tone production. Others may be more melodically based, which may be better suited as a chromatic/finger-twister type of exercise. The primary element we start with is the theme of the series. So far, we’ve had Mega Foundations, Spooky Foundations, and Festive Foundations. The engagement has grown with each new release—more kids are practicing! 

What’s next?

We have several series in the works, some of which will be driven by movie releases down the road. One series I am particularly excited about is going to be released next fall: Hogwarts Foundations: Year 1. Beginners will get to experience band and orchestra through the music that accompanied Harry in his first year at Hogwarts (yes, starting with a single note!). More advanced players will get an entirely different skill set to work on. I also think this will be a wonderful recruiting tool for teachers—it’s all very exciting, and just the beginning of what’s to come…

Not a subscriber? You can try Foundations for free! 

All of the Foundations Series is available to MakeMusic Cloud subscribers. If you don’t currently have a subscription, now is the perfect time to begin your free 30-day trial and make the most of it. Experience how MakeMusic Cloud can power up your festival prep over the next month and start your trial today! 

Request a Platform Trial to receive trial teacher and student subscriptions, or start an Individual Trial instantly. 

One more special bonus…

While the Foundations Series is already positively impacting thousands of students and teachers, we want to share its benefits with even more musicians. We’ve made one exercise from the new Villainous Foundations free as a YouTube play-along (band available now, strings coming very soon!) AND we are offering free printable parts and a score for you to try out right away with your students.

Lights, camera, practice!

The post Lights, Camera, Practice! An interview with Brian Balmages, creator of the new Foundations Series appeared first on MakeMusic.

Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Carol Brittin Chambers, Tyler S. Grant, and Michael Sweeney; string orchestra works by Seth Bedford, Cooper Ford, and Robert Longfield; jazz charts by Michele Fernandez and Roger Holmes; and choir publications by Pinkzebra.

Also included are classical solos from Mouquet and Satie.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Adele, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Van Halen, and Wonka.

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

21 new solos
16 new concert band titles
12 new choir titles
6 new titles for string orchestra
2 new jazz ensemble charts

	Choir
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Silent Night (SAB)	Franz Gruber; Pinkzebra		Pinkzebra Music
	Hero (2-part)	Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Hero (SSA)	Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Joy to the World (2-Part)	George Frederic Händel; Issac Watts; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Joy to the World (SAB)	George Frederic Händel; Issac Watts; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Joy to the World (SATB)	George Frederic Händel; Issac Watts; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Joy to the World (SSA)	George Frederic Händel; Issac Watts; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Silent Night (2-part)	Franz Gruber; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Silent Night (SATB)	Franz Gruber; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Silent Night (SSA)	Franz Gruber; Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	This Christmas (SAB)	Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	This Christmas (SSA)	Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	Concert Band
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Rhythmania! (Flexible)	Carol Brittin Chambers	Very Easy	Excelcia Music Publishing
	Summit Fanfare	William Owens	Very Easy	FJH Music Company
	At Max Power	Amy Webb	Easy	Alfred Music
	Bell Carol Rock (Band)	Mykola Leontovych; Ryan Fraley	Easy	FJH Music Company
	Faith Eternal	Carol Brittin Chambers	Easy	Hal Leonard
	Gothic (Flexible Ensemble)	Tyler Arcari	Easy	Excelcia Music Publishing
	Autumn Light	Randall D. Standridge	Medium Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Banshee of the Badlands	Tyler S. Grant	Medium Easy	Tyler S. Grant Music Works
	Jovian Farewell	Michael Sweeney	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Sunlight Dancing	Robert Buckley	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Across the Northern Sky	Michael Sweeney	Medium	Hal Leonard
	Paceline	Tyler S. Grant	Medium	Tyler S. Grant Music Works
	Shipyard Trudge	Matthew Manning	Medium	Randall Standridge Music
	Solstice Dance	Jack Wilds	Medium	FJH Music Company
	Spirit of Ostenaco	Jay Bocook	Medium	Hal Leonard
	The Fencing Master	Joseph Benjamin Earp	Medium	Carl Fischer
	String Orchestra
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Playground Games	Cooper Ford	Very Easy	Belwin
	Ancient Scottish Air	Seth Bedford	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	Prairie Sky	Robert Buckley	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Tico Tico	James Kazik; Zequinha de Abreu	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Baba Yetu	Christoper Tin; Robert Longfield	Medium	Hal Leonard
	Easy On Me	Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; Greg Kurstin; Larry Moore	Medium	Hal Leonard
	Jazz Ensemble
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Autumn Leaves	Johnny Mercer; Joseph Kosma; Michele Fernandez	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Puttin’ on the Ritz	Irving Berlin; Roger Holmes	Medium Easy	Hal Leonard
	Solos
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	La flûte de Pan	Jules Mouquet		Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Three Gymnopedies	Erik Satie		Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	A Hatful of Dreams (from Wonka)	Neil Hannon; Paul King; Simon Farnaby	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	A Hatful of Dreams (from Wonka) (Vocal Solo)	Neil Hannon; Paul King; Simon Farnaby	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom)	Rupert Gregson-Williams	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Flying Chocolatiers (from Wonka)	Joby Talbot; Neil Hannon	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Grasshoppers (from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom)	Rupert Gregson Williams	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Jump (Van Halen)	Alex Van Halen; David Lee Roth; Edward Van Halen	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Jump (Van Halen) (Vocal)	Alex Van Halen; David Lee Roth; Edward Van Halen; Van Halen	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Only Child (from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom)	Rupert Gregson Williams; Rupert Gregson-Williams	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Oompa Loompa Doompadee-Doo (from Wonka)	Anthony Newley; Leslie Bricusse	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Oompa Loompa Doompadee-Doo (from Wonka) (Vocal Solo)	Anthony Newley; Leslie Bricusse	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Pure Imagination (from Wonka)	Anthony Newley; Leslie Bricusse	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Pure Imagination (from Wonka) (Vocal Solo)	Anthony Newley; Leslie Bricusse	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Scrub Scrub (from Wonka)	Neil Hannon; Paul King; Simon Farnaby	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Scrub Scrub (from Wonka) (Vocal Solo)	Joby Talbot; Neil Hannon	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	That’s Not How This Works (Charlie Puth feat. Dan and Shay) (Vocal)	Charlie Puth; Dan Smyers; Jordan Reynolds	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	The Letter “A” (from Wonka)	Joby Talbot; Neil Hannon	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	The Next Chapter (from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom)	Rupert Gregson-Williams	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This (Hoverchocs) (from Wonka)	Neil Hannon; Paul King; Simon Farnaby	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This (Hoverchocs) (from Wonka) (Vocal Solo)	Neil Hannon; Paul King; Simon Farnaby	Medium Easy	Alfred Music

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post January 2024 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.

To get started, simply create a MakeMusic Cloud account (completely free, no credit card required), or login to your account if you already have one. Once you login, you will be able to access Sight Reading Studio by selecting the corresponding icon from the sidebar.

Get Started Today

If you are unfamiliar with Sight Reading Studio, this application makes it easy to generate unlimited music for sight reading practice. There is also built-in assessment that provides feedback as you play along to your piece.

Please note that this only applies to individual Sight Reading Studio subscriptions. This means that while you will have access to the core features of the application, you will not be able to assign music or create a Sight Reading Studio class.

If you are interested in learning more about these features, we encourage you to request a platform trial:

Request a Platform Trial

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will Sight Reading Studio be free?

All individual Sight Reading Studio access will be free until June 30th. To access Sight Reading Studio, you simply need to create a free MakeMusic Cloud account (or login to your existing account) and navigate to Sight Reading Studio from the sidebar.

Will I be charged afterwards?

No. We do not collect credit card information and you will never be charged unless you choose to purchase a subscription at the conclusion of the promotion.

Am I getting the full Sight Reading Studio application, or a demo version with limited features?

You will have access to the full version of Sight Reading Studio for individuals. The only features you will not have access to are those typically included with the MakeMusic Cloud subscription, such as the ability to create classes in the application and assign Sight Reading Studio exercises to students. If you are interested in these features, please request a platform trial or begin a MakeMusic Cloud subscription.

The post Sight Reading Studio Is Free for a Limited Time appeared first on MakeMusic.

Over the course of three days, delegates received a series of briefings from national arts leaders and peer-to-peer mentoring that helped formulate the delegates’ enthusiastic and authentic pleas to state policymakers. Training sessions were presented on emerging policy issues and hot topics relevant to music education.

Music is a sustaining and empowering activity for people of all ages and abilities. As volumes of ongoing research demonstrate:

• music contributes to the academic achievement and social and emotional well-being of children
• music and the creative industries are viable career choices for a workforce seeking employees able to combine flexible thinking, resilience, creativity, and technological skills
• music learning leads to creative expression, problem solving skills and the ability to work independently or with others

“This year we could really see the momentum building in our efforts to get the Every Student Succeeds Act fully funded! It was great showing up in Congressional offices and being greeted with “My favorite meeting of the year” by our friends in Congress. Music is so important for our schools. It unites the school and brings everyone together in a profound way. We are fighting to ensure that every child who has the desire to learn and participate has access to a quality music education.” – Ron Manus

The MakeMusic and Alfred Music team hit Capital Hill and met with the offices of:

• Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA)
• Congressman Joe Neguse (CO)
• Congressman Ken Calvert (CA)
• Congressman Adam Schiff (CA)
• Congresswoman Bonnie Coleman (NJ)
• Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN)
• Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (MD)
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY)
• Senator Tina Smith (MN)
• Senator Michael Bennet (CO)
• Senator John Hickenlooper (CO)
• Senator Alex Padilla (CA)

Collectively the NAMM contingency met with over 140 offices that day. 

Our ask was straightforward and specific:

1. Fully fund Title IV Part A to the authorized amount of $1.65 Billion (ESEA Grants)
2. Fully Fund Title I (Funding for our nation’s most vulnerable children)
3. Fully Fund Title II (Teacher Professional Development Funding)
4. Fully Fund the National Endowment for the Arts

“This was the first year I’ve had the opportunity to attend the NAMM Fly-In in Washington D.C. It was incredibly inspiring to have leaders from across the music industry come together collectively to advocate for a common cause. While we are all individually passionate about music education, it was so fulfilling to be proactive with our nation’s policymakers. Whether at the local, state, or national level, each of us has the ability to advocate on the behalf of our students and communities to help make music education accessible for all.”  – Tom Gierke

Alfred Music and MakeMusic are strong supporters of advocating for access to music education for all children and truly believes that music education should not be a luxury—music education should be a core requirement. Alfred Music shares NAMM’s vision for the world: “We envision a world in which the joy of making music is a precious element of daily living for everyone; a world in which every child has a deep desire to learn music and a recognized right to be taught; and in which every adult is a passionate champion and defender of the right.”

To learn more about the work that NAMM and NAfME, along with fellow organizations and associations are doing to advocate for music education on the local, state and national levels and how you can get involved visit NAfME’s Advocacy site and the NAMM Foundation. 

The post A Week in Washington, Advocating for Music Education appeared first on MakeMusic.

MakeMusic Cloud’s Weekly Highlights Emails feature opens a new line of communication about a child’s musical progress to their supporting parent or guardian. 

Supporting adults who enroll to receive their child’s Weekly Highlights Email will receive a few helpful messages about encouraging their child musically, tips on how to assist their child with MakeMusic Cloud, and will be reminded of how important their presence is in their child’s musical journey. Additionally, each week they will receive a personalized Highlights Email to give them insights into the music their child is playing, how much they are practicing, what assignments are upcoming, and more! 

These Weekly Highlights emails are intended to be conversation starters for parents and guardians to use in supporting their child’s music education. We hope to empower parents and guardians to play a bigger role in their child’s musical journey which will, in turn, support busy music educators.

It’s easy to invite parents and guardians to receive helpful weekly highlights emails! 

To get started, teachers can invite parents and guardians to receive weekly highlights for their child. On the new Manage Parent Emails page, teachers will be prompted to add a parent or guardian email address for each student enrolled in their MakeMusic Cloud class. In this first version, email addresses will need to be input manually (more streamlined options will come soon!)

Teachers can begin the invitation process from their Class Details page (the same place you would visit to add students to your class):

Once a parent/guardian has been invited, teachers can see their invitation status and even resend the invitation if needed. Parents/guardians must accept the invitation to be enrolled in their child’s personalized Weekly Highlights Email. 

TIP: To get a better parent/guardian “subscribe” rate, we recommend personally notifying the parents/guardians in your class before you send the invites. Giving the parents/guardians this notice that you’ll be sending them an invite to subscribe to their child’s weekly progress reports will make it more likely that they see and open the invite email.

After entering the parent/guardian email addresses into MakeMusic Cloud, teachers can gain a little time back and let us automate weekly progress updates for you!

We’re excited to connect music educators, students, and now supporting adults with this new feature! 

Learn more details about how this feature works in this knowledge base article.

Try out all of the benefits of using MakeMusic Cloud free with a 30-day Platform Trial. Perfect for teachers who want to experience the power of MakeMusic Cloud alongside their students, Platform Trials include both trial student and teacher accounts.

Request a Platform Trial

The post Weekly Highlights Emails: Strengthen the Connection Between Home and the Music Classroom appeared first on MakeMusic.

Your passion for music fuels us. The following feature updates from 2023 were requested by users like you. Thank you for the input to help MakeMusic Cloud continue growing and improving into a product that helps fuel your passions.

2023 User Requested Updates 

🎵 Assigner Improvements – the assignment process received a MAJOR upgrade 💪

🎵 Assignment Notification Emails now alert students to newly assigned/reassigned content 

🎵 Ungraded Assignments – rubrics are now optional 

🎵 Music Catalog Search Improvements: 🔎 preview before you open music, and choose from multiple sorting options when viewing search results

🎵 Content Manager improvements: now you can edit and delete content that is used as an assignment

🎵 Video Recording in Assignments – 🎥 the option to include video recording in assignments allows teachers and students to gain more performance insights than ever before 

🎵 Low Frequency and Percussive Assessment Improvements

🎵 Now there is a direct Join URL instead of “copy class code” on the Class Details page

🎵 Instrument names are now displayed next to student names on the roster when assigning

🎵 The grading calendar now defaults to the current grading period

🎵 Assignment names now freeze to the top in the Gradebook  

🎵 Octave agnostic assessment is an available option again 

🎵 BONUS 13th user requested update just released this week: Save a Take! This feature allows users to save for later or submit a take.

Other MakeMusic Cloud Updates

Our team’s also stayed busy working on a variety of additional projects and initiatives this year. Below you’ll find a few of the highlights. 

🎵 Sight Reading Studio, our newest tool that generates unlimited music for sight reading, was released! 

🎵 Power Up! Returns for season 2 with a focus on individual instrument tone and includes special guest, Tyler S. Grant 

🎵 New Foundations series (Brian Balmages and Fred Flowerday) releases put the fun in fundamentals: Mega Foundations, Spooky Foundations, Festive Foundations

🎵 Rostering updates: rostering is available with Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, and CSV upload. Additionally, users now have the ability to roster from multiple LMS classrooms. 

🎵 Fons, the automated scheduling and payment platform for appointment-based business joined the MakeMusic Family!

🎵 Multi-Year Subscription Discounts

🎵 MakeMusic Connect and events around the country allowed us to interact with YOU! Join us at an upcoming event 📆

The list of publishing partners exclusive to MakeMusic Cloud continues to grow—we’re thrilled to include their titles as part of our comprehensive Music Catalog! 

Our Repertoire Development team has added over 1 million 🤯 measures to MakeMusic Cloud this year! This detail-oriented team values quality and accuracy so that the titles you rely upon are input correctly and sound amazing with the professional accompaniments you love! 

Let us know what you’d like to see in the expansive MakeMusic Cloud Music Catalog by filling out this quick Repertoire Request form. 

Wishing you a happy holiday season—we look forward to making music together in 2024!

The post MakeMusic Cloud’s 2023: Wrapped appeared first on MakeMusic.

You may notice that our My Takes menu options have changed slightly, but you can still delete, download (previously “save”), and submit. The new Save button will save the take that you select to the Gradebook without submitting so that you can come back to it later. 

Here’s what happens when you select the new Save button:

When you return to the piece to practice later, you’ll see a reminder at the top of your saved take score to reference:

Selecting the icon next to the Currently Saved score will take you to the Gradebook where you can listen to your previously saved take. When more takes are recorded, saving a new take will override the previously saved one.

It’s important to note that a saved take is not a submitted assignment and that teachers cannot see what students have saved, only what they have submitted.

This exciting new feature will encourage students to continue to practice in the days leading up to assignment due dates—they can continue to work on beating their highest score!

Read more about the technical details of this user-requested feature in this Save a Take knowledge base article.

The post Feature Update – Save a Take appeared first on MakeMusic.

Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Tyler S. Grant, Robert W. Smith, and Randall D. Standridge; string orchestra works by Brian Balmages, Carrie Lane Gruselle, and Chris Thomas; jazz charts by Rick Hirsch; and choir publications by Robert T. Gibson and PinkZebra.

Also included are classical solos from Bach, Saint-Saëns, Schubert, and many more.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Kelly Clarkson, Elf, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, George Michael, Panic! at the Disco, The Polar Express, and Taylor Swift.

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

33 new solos
31 new concert band titles
10 new titles for string orchestra
5 new publications for small ensembles
3 new choir titles
1 new jazz ensemble chart

CONCERT BAND
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Apollo Fanfare	Robert W. Smith	Alfred Music	Beginning
	Attack Of The Garden Gnomes	Timothy Loest	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Conquest	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Creatures In The Attic	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Diary Of A Grumpy Elf	Timothy Loest	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Creepy Crawlies	Michael Story	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Dark Adventure	Ralph Ford	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Downtown Strut	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Very Easy
	High Hopes	Panic! at the Disco; Doug Adams	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	It’s Raining Tacos	Parry Gripp; Patrick Roszell	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Shadow Fire	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Very Easy
	Tadpoles	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Very Easy
	Walk Like a Spartan	William Palange	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	…music speaks	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Extremis	Randall D. Standridge	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Last Christmas	Chris Bernotas; George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	River Valley Overture	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Sleigh Ride	Leroy Anderson; Michael Story	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Apex Predator	Michael Oare	Hal Leonard	Easy
	Fanfare for the Gold	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Easy
	Fragile	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	Magic Sevens	Richard Saucedo	Hal Leonard	Easy
	Now & Forever (March)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Easy
	Santa the Barbarian and the Pirates of the North Pole	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	The First Day of Summer	Jorge L. Vargas	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	A Carmen Christmas	Georges Bizet; Randall D. Standridge	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Choose Joy	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium
	Forever Joyful!	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Into The Arctic	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Celtic Carol	Robert W. Smith	Alfred Music	Medium Advanced
	Concert Suite from The Polar Express	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard; Jerry Brubaker	Alfred Music	Medium Advanced
STRING ORCHESTRA
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Festive Foundations (String Orchestra)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Impulse	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Downtown Strut (Orchestra Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Very Easy
	Gap Of Dunloe	Chris Thomas	FJH Music Company	Very Easy
	Creatures	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Last Christmas	Chris Bernotas; George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Storm	Soon Hee Newbold	FJH Music Company	Easy
	Mambo	Leonard Bernstein; Robert Longfield	Hal Leonard	Medium
	Themes From The Nutcracker	Carrie Lane Gruselle; Piotr Tchaikovsky	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Panoramic Landscapes (Orchestra Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Clambake	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
SMALL ENSEMBLE
	God Rest Ye Merry, Hepcats	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Motherless Child	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Swing Low, Sweet Chariot	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Let My People Go	Afro-Semitic Traditional; Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
	Wade in the Water	Afro-American Spiritual; Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
CHOIR
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Winter Lullaby (SATB)	Pinkzebra	Pinkzebra Music, LLC	Medium Easy
	Thixo Onothando	Michael Barrett; Traditional isiXhosa	GIA Publications Inc
	We Shall Overcome	Robert T. Gibson	GIA Publications Inc
SOLOS
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Bad Liar (Imagine Dragons)	Aja Volkman; Benjamin McKee; Daniel Reynolds; Daniel Platzman; Jorgen Odegard; Wayne Sermon	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Bad Liar (Imagine Dragons) (Vocal)	Aja Volkman; Benjamin McKee; Daniel Reynolds; Daniel Platzman; Jorgen Odegard; Wayne Sermon	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Buddy at Work (from Elf)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Morning (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)	John Williams	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Vacation (from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Mavis Staples)	Barry Mann; Cynthia Weil	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Vacation (from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Mavis Staples) (Vocal)	Barry Mann; Cynthia Weil	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Elf (Main Title)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Elf Dancing (from Elf)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Faith (George Michael)	George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Faith (George Michael) (Vocal)	George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Hagrid’s Christmas Tree (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)	John Williams	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry)	Gene Autry; Oakley Haldeman	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry) (Vocal)	Gene Autry; Oakley Haldeman	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Main Title (from The Polar Express)	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	My Grown-Up Christmas List (Kelly Clarkson)	David Foster; Linda Thompson Jenner	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	My Grown-Up Christmas List (Kelly Clarkson) (Vocal)	David Foster; Linda Thompson Jenner	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) (from The Vault) (1989)	Diane Warren; Taylor Swift	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) (from The Vault) (1989) (Vocal)	Diane Warren; Taylor Swift	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	The Polar Express (from The Polar Express)	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	We Are Family (Sister Sledge)	Bernard Edwards; Nile Rodgers	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	We Are Family (Sister Sledge) (Vocal)	Bernard Edwards; Nile Rodgers	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Chamber Concerto for Viola and Strings	Antonio Vivaldi; Lynne Latham	Southern Music Company	Medium
	Air Varie in G major op. 23 no. 3 part I – IV	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Clarinet Sonata	Camille Saint-Saëns	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Concertino in A minor Op. 46 No. 3, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	Concertino in D major Part I – III	J.B. Breval	Rubato
	Concerto in B flat major, Part I – III	L. Boccherini	Rubato
	Fantasy Pieces	Robert Schumann	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata in G minor, Part I – IV	Henry Eccles	Rubato
	Sonata No. 3 in G major, Part I – III	L. Boccherini	Rubato
	Suite	Henry Purcell	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Suite No. 2 BWV 1067 in B minor Part IV – VII	Johann Sebastian Bach	Rubato
	Swan Song – Serenade (no.4)	Schubert	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post December 2023 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.

1. Assign New Music

Assign new solo and/or ensemble music for the kids to look at and listen to during break. Try to pick the pieces that will generate the most student excitement. Consider making practice time part of a contest, available for extra credit, or making these ungraded assignments so kids who travel are not “punished.” Either way, you can hit the ground running when students return.

Another option is to pick a few potential spring concert or festival pieces for students to select from. Assign them in MakeMusic Cloud, and set up a digital survey that allows students to indicate which piece or pieces they would most like to play. Giving students the power to choose can really impact their level of commitment and help motivate their practice. You can easily find music from your state’s required contest list using our State Lists tool.

2. Make Holiday Music Performance Opportunities Possible

Distribute music or assign a few holiday solos or tunes in MakeMusic Cloud so students can play for loved ones over the break. If performing for others is a required assignment, or an option for extra credit, use the video assignments feature to document their performances. You might also consider holiday-themed performance opportunities around the school, or even elsewhere in the community.

3. Send Instruments to the Shop

If you have school instruments that are in need of repair, send them to the shop. This means less time out of students hands when you come back to school in January.

4. Complete Grading

Get as much grading and paperwork completed as you can before you leave. The very hectic nature of December makes difficult to do, but having nothing over your head during the break will help you to unwind, relax, and regenerate. For the same reasons, if possible, complete the first-week-back lesson plans, too.

5. Calendar/Schedule Work

Have all spring schedules (rehearsals, workshops, performances, etc.) passed out, listed on your website, on Schoology, and posted on school calendars. Even if you distribute a calendar at the beginning of the year, it’s a good idea to do it again – especially if there have been changes.

You might also plan the schedule of before/after school rehearsals prior to leaving for break, and plan your assignment schedule for the next quarter.

6. Student Social Event

Have a social event with students before they leave for winter break.

7. Study Scores

Study scores for the return to school and prep for the concerts and performances that will be on your mind the minute you return.

8. Clean Up

Clean up – and have kids help. Pick up the rehearsal hall, storage rooms, your desk, behind percussion cabinet, inside the percussion cabinet, etc. It will feel so much better starting fresh in January. While you’re at it, collect and file all the music from your winter or holiday concert, too.

9. Review Fall Teacher Evaluations

Go over your fall teacher evaluations. If necessary, have a game plan for improvement, even if that means a sit-down with administrators. The break will give you a relaxed time to reflect.

10. Thank People!

Do something nice for your colleagues. Even a small gesture goes a long way in letting people know you appreciate their help. Consider teachers from all parts of the building and anyone else who helps make your life easier.

Most importantly, acknowledge your custodial staff. These are the people who are always with you on Friday nights after the football game as you sweep the hallway for uniform parts. They’re the folks who help you set up and tear down for every concert, and do so much more. Consider getting them a gift card as a small token of appreciation for all their help throughout the year.

Special thanks to Giovanna Cruz, Michael Gibson, Stephen Goss, Leigh Kallestad, Kevin Mead, Ted Scalzo, Laura Vaughan for contribution ideas for this post.

The post Music Educators: Don’t Leave on Break Before Doing These Things appeared first on MakeMusic.

Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Tyler S. Grant, Michael Kamuf, and Randall D. Standridge; string orchestra works by Brian Balmages and Soon Hee Newbold; and choir publications by Robert T. Gibson and Pinkzebra.

Small ensembles and duets of any kind can celebrate with Christmas with Canadian Brass – Flex for Two.

Also included are classical solos from Bach, Clementi, Fauré, Handel, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Telemann, Vivaldi, and many more.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Dan+Shay, Selena Gomez, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Led Zeppelin, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Bill Withers, and Wham!

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

59 new solos
24 new concert band titles
2 new titles for string orchestra
2 new choir titles
1 new jazz ensemble chart
1 new publication for small ensembles

SMALL ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Christmas with Canadian Brass – Flex for Two	Johann Pachelbel; Mark F. Adler	Brassworks Music, LTD
CONCERT BAND
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	All Purpose Performance Collection (Flexible)	Larry Clark	Excelcia Music Publishing
	March Phantasma	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	Starfire March	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	(not) Alone	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Conquering the Nemesis	Michael Kamuf	Belwin	Medium Easy
	Flexcel Chorale Collection (Flexible)	Ed Kiefer; Traditional	Excelcia Music Publishing	Medium Easy
	Immortal! Invisible!	Ralph Hultgren	Neil A. Kjos Music Co.	Medium Easy
	Palette	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Miles in the Sky	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium
	One Common Journey	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium
	Banner of the Sky	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Pacific Grooves	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Panoramic Landscapes (Band Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Solace in the Equinox	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Road Song	Alan Baylock; Wes Montgomery	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium
STRING ORCHESTRA
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Medieval Wars	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Warrior Legacy	Soon Hee Newbold	FJH Music Company	Medium Advanced
CHOIR
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Amazing Grace TTBB	John Newton; Robert T. Gibson	GIA Publications Inc
	United (SATB Acapella)	Pinkzebra	Pinkzebra Music, LLC	Easy
SOLOS
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	3 Romances	Robert Schumann	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Adagio e Tarantella in F minor Part I & II	Ernesto Cavallini	Rubato
	Air varie in G major op. 10 part 1 – 5	Pierre Rode	Rubato
	By The Light Of The Moon	Jean Baptiste Lully	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Concertino in D major Op. 25, Part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concertino in G major Op. 24, Part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concerto in A minor Op. 14 No. 1, Part I – III	Georg Eduard Goltermann	Rubato
	Concerto in D major Op. 36, part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concerto in G major, Part I – IV	Georg Philipp Telemann	Rubato
	Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Part I – III	Johann Sebastian Bach	Rubato
	Fantasia	Gabriel Faure	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Flute Sonata no.5	George Frideric Handel	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	He is Born the Divine Child	Traditional	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Jingle Bells	James Pierpont	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Kol Nidrei	M. Bruch	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Silent Night	Franz Gruber	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Solo De Concours	Jules Mouquet	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata	Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata II in F major Part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi	Rubato
	Sonata III in A minor part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi	Rubato
	Sonata in A major Op. 5 No. 9, Part I – IV	Arcangelo Corelli	Rubato
	Sonata in A minor Op. 2 No. 10 Part I – V (flute)	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in C major Op. 2 No. 9 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in C major, Part I – IV	Pietro Gaetano Boni	Rubato
	Sonata in D minor Op. 2 No. 8 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in D minor, Part I – IV	Andrea Caporale	Rubato
	Sonata in E flat major No. 1 Part I – III	James Hook	Rubato
	Sonata in E minor Op. 38 No. 4 Part 1 – 3 (cello)	Bernhard Romberg	Rubato
	Sonata in E minor Op. 5 No. 8 Part I – IV	Arcangelo Corelli	Rubato
	Sonata in F major No. 2, Part I & II	James Hook	Rubato
	Sonata in F Major, Part I – III	Georg Philipp Telemann	Rubato
	Sonata in G major Op. 2 No. 5 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in G major, Part 1 – 3	Jan Křtitel Vaňhal	Rubato
	Sonata in G minor Op. 2 No. 11 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata No. 2 in D minor Part I – IV	Robert Valentine	Rubato
	Sonata No. 6 in G major Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonatina in A minor Op. 47 No. 2, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	Sonatina in C major Op. 65 No. 1, Part I – III	Otto Muller	Rubato
	Sonatina in G major Op. 36 No. 5, Part I – III	Muzio Clementi	Rubato
	Sonatina in G major Op. 47 No. 3, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	The Swan	Camille Saint-Saëns	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Black Dog (Led Zeppelin)	Jimmy Page; John Paul Jones; Robert Plant	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Black Dog (Led Zeppelin) (Vocal)	Jimmy Page; John Paul Jones; Robert Plant	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Human (Rag’n’Bone Man)	Jamie Hartman; Nick Monson; Rory Graham	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Human (Rag’n’Bone Man) (Vocal)	Jamie Hartman; Nick Monson; Rory Graham	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lose You to Love Me (Selena Gomez)	Julia Michaels; Justin Tranter; Mattias Larsson; Robin Fredriksson; Selena Gomez	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lose You to Love Me (Selena Gomez) (Vocal)	Julia Michaels; Justin Tranter; Mattias Larsson; Robin Fredriksson; Selena Gomez	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lovely Day (Bill Withers)	Bill Withers; Skip Scarborough	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lovely Day (Bill Withers) (Vocal)	Bill Withers; Skip Scarborough	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Pet Sematary (The Ramones)	DANIEL RABINOWITZ; Douglas Colvin	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Pet Sematary (The Ramones) (Vocal)	DANIEL RABINOWITZ; Douglas Colvin	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)	Chris Frantz; David Byrne; Tina Weymouth	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) (Vocal)	Chris Frantz; David Byrne; Tina Weymouth	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Speechless (Dan + Shay)	Dan Smyers; Jordan Reynolds; Laura Veltz; Shay Mooney	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Speechless (Dan + Shay) (Vocal)	Dan Smyers; Jordan Reynolds; Laura Veltz; Shay Mooney	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)	Cyndi Lauper; Rob Hyman	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) (Vocal)	Cyndi Lauper; Rob Hyman	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham!) (Vocal)	George Michael	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Thriller (MakeMusic Soloist)	Erik Morales; Rod Temperton	MakeMusic Inc.	Medium

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post November 2023 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.