Highlights include Blockbuster Longtones and Indie Drama Lip Slurs for Brass, allowing instrumentalists of all levels to warm up and practice fundamentals with engaging accompaniments from movie soundtracks and sweeping, orchestral scores.

Also included are ensemble works composed or arranged by Sally K. Albrecht, Brian Balmages, Andy Beck, Lisa DeSpain, Greg Gilpin, George Shutack, and many more; as well as pop, movie, and video game music from Lizzo, Beyoncé, Black Adam, and Super Mario Bros.!

Click here to view all of this month’s new interactive repertoire as a PDF or one of the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes:

• 36 new choir titles
• 25 new solos
• 11 new concert band titles
• 10 new titles for jazz ensemble
• 7 new titles for string orchestra
• 2 new method books
• 1 new work for small ensemble

SmartMusic 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 SmartMusic October 2022 Repertoire Update appeared first on SmartMusic.

Holiday Pops

Familiar popular songs are always a hit for the holidays, and arrangers continually create fresh settings for these classic tunes. Explore the creative arrangements that make them feel like a brand new piece!

Concert Band Jazz Ensemble Orchestra Choir

Carol Arrangements

Many people enjoy hearing carols at holiday concerts, whether it’s an audience sing-along or an elaborate concert setting. 

Concert Band Jazz Ensemble Orchestra Choir

Hanukkah

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with an original song or an arrangement of traditional Hebrew folk songs.

Concert Band Jazz Ensemble Orchestra Choir

Holiday & Winter Originals

Include some original music on your December performances to balance the familiar holiday tunes. 

Concert Band Orchestra Choir

Novelty

Give your students a chance to show a little personality! Novelty songs can provide a lighthearted moment in contrast to your program’s heavier, more serious parts. 

Concert Band Jazz Ensemble Orchestra Choir

The post Music for the Holidays appeared first on SmartMusic.

Highlights include the new PerformancePlus+ series, an interactive rehearsal and performance series for choir, concert band, and orchestra; Suzuki Violin School, Volumes 4–6 recorded by Augustin Hadelich and Kuang-Hao Huang; The Art IN Sight-reading by David Morrison and Judy Morrison; 20 Trios for Any Instrumentation (Book 1) by Brian Franco; and ensemble works composed or arranged by Tyler Acari, Andy Beck, Kris Berg, Chris M. Bernotas, Susan H. Day, JaRod Hall, Mark Hayes, Soon Hee Newbold, Randall D. Standridge, and many more!

Click here to view all of this month’s new Interactive method books and ensemble pieces as a PDF, or one of the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes:

• 33 new choir titles
• 26 new concert band titles
• 15 new titles for string orchestra
• 7 new titles for jazz ensemble
• 4 new method books
• 2 new titles for full orchestra
• 1 new collection for small ensembles

SmartMusic 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 SmartMusic September 2022 Repertoire Update appeared first on SmartMusic.

1. A Playlist per Prep! 

You probably teach more than one class each day, and probably teach multiple ability levels of students, too! Save your “teacher brain” some energy and create a playlist you can quickly open up for each of your classes. This will save you time searching for the correct titles during class, and will be a great place for you to save music for future lessons! 

2. A “Practice these before…” Playlist!

With the ability to share a Playlist in just a couple of clicks, you can make clever use of them with students. Prepare a playlist of things students should practice BEFORE completing an assignment for you. This gets them doing some guided yet individual practice with things you have hand selected. With a Playlist like this, you can select things from multiple method books, exercises, or selections of music for truly limitless and custom possibilities! Using this kind of Playlist and checking in on your Class Analytics will give you some great insight to your students’ practice habits and help you to guide them appropriately!

3. Student Created Playlists 

Encouraging students to explore the Music Catalog gives them an opportunity to discover new favorite pieces of music and get excited about practicing. Have them create their own Playlists within some parameters to share with you and their peers. Here are a few ideas: 

• Students create a Playlist of things they want to play at upcoming concerts
• Find every version of Hot Cross Buns (or any other common beginner level title) 
• Superhero or Movie Themes
• “Student Name’s” Greatest Hits (full of their favorite pieces performed over their time in your program) 
• Mood Playlists to share with the class – “Songs to play/sing when you are happy, sad, bored, determined, etc.” 

4. Concert Repertoire Playlist

Creating and sharing a simple Playlist of your upcoming concert or performance music makes it easy for students to find it all in one place! 

5. Warm Ups/Exercises Playlist

Create a playlist of warm ups and/or other exercises that you’d like students to work through on a consistent basis. You can even add things you have uploaded or created in the Compose tool to a Playlist to share! Make sure to show students how to access your Playlists during class time on your projector screen—in no time it will become second nature to them to open them up when they go to practice! 

6. Teacher Playlist of Pieces for Future Use

Use a Playlist (or several) to map out and plan what you are going to do with students in the coming months or even years! Saving titles directly to a Playlist within SmartMusic will allow you super easy access when you are ready to assign them to students or peruse them again to choose what to perform next. You’re sure to find tons of great material in our incredible Music Catalog that includes HUNDREDS of festival appropriate pieces! 

7. Improv or Excerpt Playlist

Your young jazzers can practice their improv skills on loop (and with great professional accompaniment) when you share a playlist of charts with solo sections appropriate for their instrument and ability level. You can also share improv tracks and any custom made exercises in this kind of Playlist. Be sure to demonstrate how to use the Loop tool live in class on your projector to make it easiest for your students to practice specific measures efficiently! This idea would also work well for any other instrument/voice specific etudes or excerpts of any genre!

8. Choose Your Solo Playlist

Help students choose an appropriate solo for themselves by creating some Playlists for them to access. You can truly differentiate your instruction by creating as many Playlists as is appropriate for you to offer each of your unique students some great solo options. Since creating a Playlist is so simple, your time will be efficiently spent! 

9. Sight Reading Playlists

Compile your own custom created Sight Reading Builder exercises into a comprehensive Playlist for students to practice their reading skills with! You can use your creativity to title the Playlists and exercises to clearly define the skills that will be practiced with them, and can always add lines from method books or other exercises to reinforce specific concepts.

10. Themed “for fun” Playlists

Encourage your students to practice during breaks, holidays, or any day by compiling some themed Playlists for them to explore. You could even have them join in by creating their own themed Playlists to share! 

As you can see, Playlists within SmartMusic are flexible enough to fit many needs, are ultra-shareable, and are a best-practice way to stay organized!

The post 10 Ways to Use SmartMusic Playlists in Your Teaching appeared first on SmartMusic.

Fanfare for a New Era

by Pinkzebra

Ensemble type: Concert Band
Difficulty: Medium
Available in standard instrumentation and flexible instrumentation.

What inspires you as a composer? 

I have always been a melody person. The melody is the first thing that grabs me when I listen to a piece of music, so I always try to compose music with melodies that are moving and memorable. I also get inspired by visual imagery which probably comes from my years of writing music for commercials. Show me a cool video, and I will immediately have musical ideas to go with it.

You are well-known for your choral music. What prompted you to write music for concert band?

I love composing vocal music, but in my career I have actually composed more instrumental music than vocal music. I have enjoyed composing for full orchestra, mostly in the genre of commercial and film music as well as trailer music. Composing music for concert band is a different kind of puzzle because the instrumentation poses a unique set of problems. The creative process of finding solutions is satisfying. 

What are some performance tips you would recommend to teachers who are rehearsing this piece?

A performance of “Fanfare for a New Era” should, above all else, feel exciting! Even in the softer sections, the syncopated background textures that fit together like puzzle pieces should have a focused intensity that bubbles with energy. Additionally, all of the melodic phrases should be shaped expressively to bring out the emotion and let the music soar.

What memorable experiences did you have while writing or performing this piece?

Just as I finished a demo recording of “Fanfare for a New Era,” I got to play it for friends on a boat during a fireworks display. We listened to it on repeat, and it was everything I hoped it would be. 

How can SmartMusic enhance the rehearsal process?

It is my goal to write music that students are inspired to play and enjoy performing. I love the SmartMusic interface, the interactivity, and the fun that it can bring to practice. If the music is fun to play and the practice is fun, that’s a great combination that will have students reaching for their instruments at home more often.

What sections or measures need the most attention?

Bars 1–7 really set the tone for this piece, and that section is reprised two more times with a few enhancements, so if the opening is strong then the middle repeat of that section and the ending will also be solid. Giving those bars the right energy and punch will really help propel the rest of the performance. 

Should we expect more concert band pieces from Pinkzebra in the future?

Yes! I have two more that are finished and ready to go that I will release next spring. I am very excited about continuing to expand my portfolio of concert band music.

Open in SmartMusic Add to a playlist

The post Composer Cues – Fanfare for a New Era by Pinkzebra appeared first on SmartMusic.

Method Books

Whether you are teaching with Sound Innovations, Essential Elements, Measures of Success, Standard of Excellence, The Art IN Sight Reading, Suzuki, Sing at First Sight, Habits of a Successful Musician, First Place for Jazz, or any of hundreds of popular method books, you’ll find that each exercise and accompaniment track is available for use with SmartMusic’s innovative assessment tools.

Concert Band

Repertoire from the brightest names in music education publishers can be found in SmartMusic, with actual recordings for your students to model the professional performances. These include Alfred Music, GIA Publications, Neil A. Kjos Music Company, Hal Leonard, C.L. Barnhouse Company, and many more.

Works from composers Robert Sheldon, Carol Brittin Chambers, Randall D. Standridge, Matt Conaway, Jorge L. Vargas, James Swearingen, Brian Balmages, William Owens, Michael Story, Adrian B. Sims, Robert W. Smith, and thousands more are waiting for you to assign to your students for immediate feedback.

Orchestra

Your orchestra program will flourish with works from Alfred Music, C. L. Barnhouse Company, Carl Fischer, Edwin F. Kalmus, The FJH Music Company, G. Schirmer, Grand Mesa Music, Hal Leonard, LudwigMasters, Neil A. Kjos Music Company, Wingert-Jones Publications, and countless more. 

If you’re playing classical transcriptions, pop arrangements, or the newest concert and festival works by Brian Balmages, Chris Bernotas, Larry Clark, Susan H. Day, Carrie Lane Gruselle, Richard Meyer, Deborah Baker Monday, Soon Hee Newbold, William Owens, Bob Phillips, Doug Spata, Michael Story, or other notable composers and arrangers, SmartMusic’s incredible collection will have you covered.

Choir

Choral works from Alfred Music, GIA, BriLee, Carl Fischer, Walton, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Pinkzebra Music, Graphite Publishing, and more are ready to help your students prepare before the first rehearsal.

A rich and varied selection from composers and arrangers Andy Beck, Ola Gjeilo, Pinkzebra, Jocelyn Hagen, Victor C. Johnson, Ruth Morris Gray, Rollo A. Dilworth, Jacob Narverud, Alice Parker, Greg Gilpin, David N. Childs, Heather Sorenson, Robert T. Gibson, Mark Burrows, Laura Farnell, and so many more are available in SmartMusic today.

Jazz Ensemble

Your jazz groups of any size can get into the swing with carefully edited charts and play-along books from Baker’s Jazz and More, C. L. Barnhouse Company, Belwin Jazz, Doug Beach Music, Hal Leonard, Heritage Jazzworks, Jalen Publishing, Kendor Music, Neil A. Kjos Music Company, Smart Chart, and more great publishers of jazz.

Composers and arrangers like Paul Baker, Alan Baylock, Doug Beach, Kris Berg, Denis DiBlasio, Gordon Goodwin, Wycliffe Gordon, Rick Hirsch, Mike Kamuf, Victor López, Ellen Rowe, Mike Story, and Bret Zvacek are among the hundreds of great writers found in SmartMusic.

Pop Solos

Don’t stop there! Practice can be fun when students begin exploring their favorite hits from movies, games, and TV. Keep them playing with music from Hamilton, Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, The Weeknd, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, and more—with new titles added every month!

The SmartMusic practice app is the perfect companion for your instrumental or choral ensemble of any level. Students can engage and improve between rehearsals using the innovative assessment and recording tools. No matter your music selections, you will find the pieces you know and love in SmartMusic’s unrivaled repertoire library. Get started by generating a quote.

The post SmartMusic’s Unrivaled Repertoire Library appeared first on SmartMusic.

SmartMusic is your partner in and out of the classroom with our standard included features of Assignment Creation, Gradebook, Sight Reading Builder, and Compose Tool. Upgraded plans even have the option to print from thousands of our titles in the content library. Make sure to review and bookmark the free (and recently updated!) Educator Toolkit and Academy which are both full of helpful content to support music education and the use of our tools. 

Browse Subscription Plans

New Navigation to Simplify Workflow

Have you seen our new, intuitive, navigation? We made a few changes based on your feedback and have moved the navigation to the left-hand side so that you can quickly move throughout the platform. You’ll still see all of the tools that are important to you like Compose, Sight Reading Builder, and My Library as well as SmartMusic. 

Clever Tips for Teaching with SmartMusic

A Music Catalog that Sets the Industry Standard

Our Music Catalog is both expansive and extremely relevant for education settings. Hundreds of our titles appear on state adjudication lists, and thousands of them are of festival quality. We have over 200 method books, a wide range of solos, and a robust selection of pop music. It’s a no-brainer—we have a content library to fit every need and are constantly making updates! Make sure to check out our new PerformancePlus+ series which features additional, supportive teaching tools! Access to our full Music Catalog is available with a SmartMusic subscription. 

Explore our Expansive Music Catalog

Play with the Pros (more than just MIDI!) 

Our accompaniment allows you and your students to have more lifelike practice experiences alongside our professional recordings. Performers can really hear their part within the ensemble and better prepare for rehearsals and performances! 

SMART Practice and Assessment ALWAYS Included

Our Practice tool is unlike any other. This in-house built system features an algorithm that gives instant feedback to performers on note, pitch, rhythm, and duration. With just a few clicks, performers can adjust the metronome, check a fingering, or use the built in tuner…all inside our web app! Assessment in the Practice tool is a standard feature available on ALL of our interactive titles at no additional cost! 

Start a Free Trial

SmartMusic for Free?!

Did you know that you can create a free SmartMusic account that never expires? Our Music Catalog has over 70 FREE titles which includes the entire bestselling Sound Innovations Book 1 for band and orchestra! Both teachers and students can create free accounts and gain access to classes, assignments, the Compose tool, along with the free titles from our Music Catalog. As with any other level of account, you can also ALWAYS upload your own music to use and share on the platform. 

Create a Free Account

Always Improving and Adding Features

Check out our new Single Sign-On feature available now for Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology. This new feature will really help you to streamline your beginning of the year SmartMusic classroom set up! Eager for additional LMS integrations? Stay tuned for more announcements very soon! 

We are excited to help Power Your School Year with MakeMusic’s incredible music education tools! We hope you enjoy this back to school message from Composer, and Director of MakeMusic Publications and Digital Education for Alfred/MakeMusic, Brian Balmages:

The post Power Your School Year with SmartMusic appeared first on SmartMusic.

Click here to view all of this month’s new Interactive solos and ensemble pieces as a PDF, or one of the shareable playlists below.

New repertoire this month includes:

• 20 new solo titles
• 14 new concert band titles
• 5 new titles for string orchestra
• 2 new titles for jazz ensemble
• 1 new title for full orchestra
• 1 new choir title

You’ll find music composed or arranged by Brian Balmages, Carol Brittin Chambers, Greg Gilpin, Richard Meyer, Patrick Roszell, Randall D. Standridge, Bret Zvacek, and more; and music from Lizzo, DC League of Super-Pets, Ghostbusters, and more!

SmartMusic 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 SmartMusic August 2022 Repertoire Update appeared first on SmartMusic.

Google Classroom
Canvas
Schoology

What does this mean for SmartMusic teachers and students?

This will be a huge time saver with account management for all of your students and this is just the beginning. Very soon, we will launch rostering so you can easily mass create student accounts and import them into your SmartMusic Classroom with a few clicks! 

How does it work?

Follow the links below to the LMS you are using:

Google Classroom
Canvas
Schoology

If your LMS is not yet included, please fill out this form to let us know what you are using with your students. 

These exciting features will come at no additional cost to users. SmartMusic is fully FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR compliant, so you and your school never have to worry that student data is unprotected.

Click here for Single Sign-On FAQs

The post Single Sign-On Is Here! appeared first on SmartMusic.

When you access PerformancePlus+ titles through SmartMusic, that’s when the “plus” really kicks in! Directors and students will get the best of Alfred Music’s carefully edited repertoire, the composer’s educational resources, and SmartMusic’s powerful assignment and assessment tools. 

What’s the “Plus”?

In addition to the standard SmartMusic assignment, recording, and assessment tools, PerformancePlus+ titles include these extras—all accessible from within the app:

Concert Band

• Piece-specific exercises focused on skills and techniques
• Printable sheet music with a standard SmartMusic subscription (Print add-on not required)
• Videos featuring educational tips and suggestions from the composer
• Rights to perform in a live or virtual setting

Access the PerformancePlus+ Concert Band playlist > 

Orchestra

• Piece-specific exercises to focus on the skills needed to learn the piece
• Printable sheet music with a standard SmartMusic subscription (Print add-on not required)
• Videos featuring educational tips and suggestions from the composer
• Rights to perform in a live or virtual setting

Access the PerformancePlus+ Orchestra playlist > 

Choral

• Part-predominant and accompaniment tracks
• Printable sheet music with a standard SmartMusic Subscription (Print add-on not required)
• Correlated rehearsal guides and performance notes
• Rights to perform in a live or virtual setting

Access the PerformancePlus+ Choral playlist > 

How do I get it?

With a truly digital-first approach, this series of music is not available in a traditional print format. All titles can be accessed with a SmartMusic subscription. Just click on any of the titles on these links (Concert Band, Orchestra, Choral) or search the titles in the app. No need to order music in advance, it’s all available to print from within SmartMusic. Not a SmartMusic subscriber yet? Wait no more—click here to get a quote!

Click on an ensemble type to see the PerformancePlus+ titles now available.

Concert Band (includes Alfred Band and Belwin Concert Band)

Contributors: Chris M. Bernotas, Vince Gassi, Michael Kamuf, Victor López, Patrick Roszell, Robert Sheldon, Adrian B. Sims, Todd Stalter, Michael Story, Kirk Vogel, Douglas E. Wagner, and Scott Watson.

Orchestra (includes Highland-Etling and Belwin Orchestra)

Contributors: Chris M. Bernotas, Katie O’Hara LaBrie, Richard Meyer, Deborah Baker Monday, Yukiko Nishimura, Jim Palmer, Bob Phillips, and Doug Spata.

Choral

Contributors: Sally K. Albrecht, Jay Althouse, Andy Beck, Alan Billingsley, Mark Burrows, Greg Gilpin, Ruth Morris Gray, Mark Hayes, Victor C. Johnson, Kirby Shaw, and Douglas E. Wagner.

PerformancePlus+ titles are also available to purchase and print-on-demand from totalsheetmusic.com, but you won’t have access to all the “pluses” that you get in SmartMusic (rehearsal guides, videos, educational tips, assignment/assessment/recording tools, and more.)

Get started today with SmartMusic!

The post Introducing PerformancePlus+ appeared first on SmartMusic.