Category Archives: Orchestra

Pender’s Picks the Pops for Orchestra

Orchestra Pops

Check out all our hot orchestra titles for spring

Pender’s Music Co. is excited to share this selection of hot new pops for orchestra sheet music titles for 2016! The items are interactive, including audio samples and previews. Purchase now or make a Wish List to get a requisition/purchase order. Don’t forget to order judges’ scores if entered in a contest or festival.

View, listen and place your order for these highly anticipated features:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens for String Orchestra
Star Wars – The Force Awakens (Grade 2-3)
Star Wars – Rey’s Theme (Grade 3)
Star Wars – March of the Resistance (Grade 3-4)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens for Full Orchestra
Star Wars – The Force Awakens (Full Orch Grade 3)
Star Wars – The Force Awakens (Full Orch Grade 5+)

Pan
Minecraft
Jurassic World
007 – Through the Years

Mississippi Contest Music

Mississippi Bandmasters Clinic

Pender’s Music Company will be exhibiting at the 78th Annual Mississippi State Band Clinic. Visit our booth to find music from the Mississippi Sight-Reading Contest list for band, as well as sheet music for instrumental solos and ensembles, jazz band, pop band, warm-ups, gifts, and more.

Plan ahead for the competition season! Our website will guide you to the appropriate music selections for your band. Click here to begin: Mississippi Concert & Sight-reading Contest

Looking for something specific? Let us know before the clinic and we’ll bring it for you! Give us a call at (800) 772-5918 or email band@penders.com. Our knowledgeable staff are well-versed in the performance requirements for state contests and can guide you in selecting the right composition. If you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, we’d be delighted to help you find exactly what you need.

Come See Us at the Mississippi State Band Clinic
Natchez Convention Center
211 Main St. • Natchez, MS

Exhibit Times
Thursday, December 10, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, December 11, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Texas UIL Contest Music

UIL Contest Music for Band, Choir and Orchestra

Get your student musicians ready for Texas UIL!  Find band, choir and orchestra contest music from the complete Texas UIL PML (Prescribed Music List). Begin by choosing a category below, and our website will guide you to the appropriate music selections for your band, choir, or orchestra’s contest.

CHOOSE CATEGORY:
UIL Band Contest and Sightreading Music
UIL Choral Contest and Sightreading Music
UIL Orchestra Contest and Sightreading Music

Our knowledgeable staff are well-versed in the performance requirements for state UIL contests and can guide you in selecting the right composition. If you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, find us in-store or give us a call at 800-772-5918. We’d be delighted to help you find exactly what you need.

TX UIL Solo and Ensemble

Get Ready for TX UIL Solo & Ensemble

Equip your student musicians with solo and ensemble music from the complete Texas UIL PML (Prescribed Music List). Begin by choosing your student’s instrument section and arrangement. From there, our website will guide you to the appropriate music selections for your class.

CHOOSE SECTION AND ARRANGEMENT:
Woodwind Solo
Woodwind Ensemble
Brass Solo
Brass Ensemble
Percussion Solo
Percussion Ensemble
String
Vocal

Our knowledgeable staff are well-versed in the performance requirements for TX UIL solo & ensemble, and can guide you in selecting the right composition. If you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, find us in-store or give us a call at 800-772-5918. We’d be delighted to help you find exactly what you need.

What is MSMISP? -or- Who Wants $1000 of Free Sheet Music?

We had the good fortune to speak with TMEA about the MSMISP grant program more in depth. They were very helpful in providing answers to some of your most frequently asked questions. We thought we would share what they had to say.

 The Middle School Music Instructional Support Program (MSMISP) is a grant program from TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) for 6-8th grade Choir, Orchestra and Band directors in Texas. It will provide $1,000 (yes, a full grand!) for sheet music to programs who are selected in the 2014 – 2015 school year. If you end up going over the grand TMEA will give you then your district will be billed for the difference. Penders is offering free shipping so you can make full use of your thousand without worry.

In order to qualify the director must have current membership with TMEA and teach at a Texas middle school. Applications may be submitted from September 15, 2014 to October 15, 2014. There is a total of $500,000 that will be allocated based on current funding and size of the program. So, if you want a snapshot of your program’s chances of getting this money, simply divide your budget by the number of students you have. If your dollar-per-student is lower than the state average you will have a great shot at getting a grant.

TMEA has told us that as of September 24, 2014there are only 230 applications filed, that means that even if you have a million dollars in the your budget you should still apply. There are currently 2,800 qualified campuses in Texas so odds are most of you haven’t even heard of this program. Even if you teach programs at multiple schools you can apply, the grant money is program specific not director specific. Even private school programs can get this money so you really have no reason not to apply.

Let’s get one thing straight, though, this music may only be used for sheet music designed for a full ensemble so you won’t be able to fund your next few years of solo and ensemble with this money. It also can’t be used for pop pieces such as show tunes or accompaniment CD’s. A limited number of sight-reading pieces will be acceptable in TMEA’s view. Finally, choral applications with less than 10 individual sheets per piece will be asked to bring that number up to an amount that can serve a choir rather than can be used for perusal. TMEA’s explicit goal is to place challenging music in front of every middle school choir, orchestra and band student in Texas.

Your application will need to be submitted with a quote from a qualified vendor that includes shipping (again, Penders has free shipping on all MSMISP quotes). TMEA will review each piece and let you know if something doesn’t work for the use of the money. If you get the grant the quote will then be sent back to the vendor who will fill your order will be paid directly from TMEA. They are considering allowing refunds and exchanges in extreme scenarios only but will be subject to an approval process at TMEA before they can be completed.

On their site TMEA has outlined some criteria to help you select music appropriate for this program.

Quickly they are:

  • Works that offer insight into significant composers.
  • Works that have cultural, historical relevance as defined by the TEKS.
  • Works that extend the technical demands and musical limitations normally associated with middle school repertoire.
  • Works that can be related to other artistic genre such as dance, visual arts and literature

If you were confused by some of these points don’t worry, so were we.

First, we asked what their definition of a significant composer was. They told us it is going to be anyone of historical or musical significance to include contemporary composers (think Tichelli, Whitacre and the like) and those doing Hollywood music (John Williams, Danny Elfman, Howard Shore and others). But again, NO POP.

In regards to the last point about relating to other genres, they said a piece would qualify under this condition if it could be related to another academic subject and specifically quoted ‘Of Sailors and Whales’ by Francis McBeth to relate to literature, ‘Solitary Dancer’ by Warren Benson to relate to dance and any piece with multiple time signatures or difficult rhythms to relate to math. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list so be creative when applying this one.

While these may seem restricting, TMEA has told us that anything on the UIL list that is appropriate for the average 6 – 8th grade ensemble will be fair game but they stressed that pieces grade 3 and above are their preference. This list is primarily meant to guide your selection of music outside the UIL list.

TMEA wants to work with you to provide your students with the best music education available. They will be reviewing each application personally and will do line by line acceptance of pieces rather than whole application rejection or acceptance. If something you selected is outside their expectations they will contact you. But feel free to contact TMEA or Penders with any questions or concerns you may have.

 TMEA wants to give you $1000 in music and my barber always told me to never reject money more than once.

 Get your application in now! Penders can help you do it. If you have any more questions then please email or call us (our information is below). You can also send us your list of music and we will return your proposal within one business day so you can get your application in quickly.

 Pender’s Music Co

 band@penders.com choir@penders.com orchestra@penders.com

1 (800) 772-5918

Keepin’ it Real: Music [Education] in the Social and Digital Age

Companies large and small go in and out of business all the time, much like the ebb and flow of the tides each day. There is no sector of business immune to it, and sometimes there seems no rhyme or reason for it either. The business of sheet music is no different. Sheet music stores and sheet music publishers rise and fall, rise and fall, akin to a lilting melody in a song.

Some make it and some don’t. Take Carl Fischer sheet music, a tried-and-true music publisher that is celebrating 140 years of service this year to 1,400 sheet music retailers worldwide, Pender’s Music Co. being one of them. Consider this: when the founder of Carl Fischer first opened up for business, he didn’t sell sheet music at all. Carl Fischer, the business, was a musical instrument repair shop, and there is really little in common when comparing band instrument repair with the writing, designing, printing, publishing and distributing of a piece of sheet music.

But what about Southern Music Company, a business that was both a sheet music retailer and a music publisher, too? In February of this year, after 75 years of retailing and publishing, the San Antonio mainstay for music educators, performers and students everywhere closed its doors for good. Of course, it must be noted here that Lauren Keiser Music Publishing eventually took over the publishing division in June, but still, it’s the sign of the times —  rise and fall, rise and fall.

Like Carl Fischer, Pender’s Music Co. is also celebrating an anniversary, albeit only 45 years and counting. And somewhat similar to them, our primary focus in the beginning wasn’t sheet music either. Think soda fountain, art supplies, school supplies and more (a little bit of music), sold right on campus to college students. But even more similar? The acceptance of change, and the willingness to adapt to it, with a little bit of risk-taking for good measure.

That’s what small business is best at. That’s what a family-owned business is best at: the germ of the idea, the drive to make it happen, the willingness to cut your losses when necessary, the stick-to-it-ive-ness to ride the rise and fall, the dare to dream big all over again.

And what does all of this have to do with music education, social media, and the digital age? Quite a lot. Over the past few days, we’ve seen the viral video of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” as arranged and performed by the 3Penny Chorus and Orchestra. The 3Penny Chorus and Orchestra is a volunteer pickup ensemble conducted by Arianne Abela, a choral music conductor and educator who graduated from Yale’s School of Music Masters Program in choral conducting in 2010. And Colin Britt, who arranged the music for the group, was one of her classmates. He is now on the faculty at the Hartt School of Music.

We’ve also seen Korean singer’s Psy “Gangnum Style” as performed by the Ohio University Marching Band. These classically trained musicians, educators and students have put their own spin on popular music of today and shared it via social media to millions of people. Brilliant! It’s certainly a positive spotlight on choir, orchestra, and marching band.

As music educators, music makers, and the companies that supply needed goods and services to them move forward, it will be important for everyone to try and adapt to the changes of how media and information is transmitted nowadays. Embracing technology and its power of connecting people to people and products and services to people will be vital to staying strong both in education and in business. Sheet music, just as recorded music and published books before it, is rapidly transforming itself into a more digital-friendly medium — point of purchase digital downloads, online score and part perusal, streaming sample audio, etc. But let’s not forget that the content — that piece of sheet music with the lilting melody — remains the same, and the value of it is truly immeasurable.

Browse the new Carl Fischer Concert Band titles for 2012: listen to recordings, view full scores, shop online!

Where Sheet Music, Competition & Creativity Collide (in TX)

If you live in the state of Texas, and you’re involved in music and education in the schools, then the two acronyms TX UIL and TX PML likely spill freely and frequently from your lips. And even if you’re not from Texas, but are involved in music education somewhere in this great country of ours, then you probably know what they mean, right? Just in case you don’t, though, here’s the information in a nutshell taken from the UIL home page: “The University Interscholastic League (UIL) exists to provide educational extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests for schools in Texas.”

As it pertains to UIL music, of course, this includes marching band, concert band, full and string orchestra, both instrumental and vocal solo and ensemble, and choir. Solo and Ensemble music events in band, choir and orchestra are scheduled in 28 TX UIL Music Regions, and portions of the choral and instrumental sheet music to be performed must come from the Prescribed Music List (PML).

Hence, since the performance at least in part must come from the UIL music list that is not of your own making, the sheet music selection itself is a very important part of the process, because no individual soloist or music performance group wants to play sheet music that is either too easy or too difficult. Nor do they want to play from just any sheet music that is on the UIL music list. It needs to be sheet music that is specifically relevant to their group. Picking out what sheet music is to be played at a competition (or in essence, at a mini concert), is perhaps one of the most difficult parts of the TX UIL music process. That PML piece must be representative of the overall performance level of either that one person (in a solo), or the entire group of musicians involved. Because it’s all about the competition, right? Or is it?

Students want to earn that Division One Rating at the region competitions, so that they are eligible to advance to the TX UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest that is traditionally hosted in Austin every year on Memorial Day Weekend. The annual trek is to Austin, because it was the University of Texas at Austin that created the TX UIL in first place in 1910. So consider that. What has grown into the largest inter-school organization of its kind in the world, has a more than one hundred year history, and the model from which it was created here in Texas is now emulated all over the country.

But is it really all for just the competition? Most certainly not. Yet in almost any music circle, you’ll find there is usually a constant debate about competition, its merits, and how it relates to music and the arts. There is a school of thought that since music and the arts are creative pursuits, why must competition or the participation in music contests be an integral part of it, particularly in the school classroom? It almost seems contradictory doesn’t it? Music | Creativity | Expression. What is competitive in that? How can you measure creativity? Expression?

Yet (again from the internet pages of the TX UIL), “the Music Program [specifically]…is designed to support and enrich the teaching of music as an integral component of the public school curriculum in the state of Texas.” Support…enrich…compete, too…and don’t forget to play or sing that choral octavo or instrumental sheet music as creatively and expressively as you can. Because luckily for us, UIL music and competition have and will continue to coexist beautifully together, because as anyone knows, the heart and soul of a school’s music organization is its concert ensemble, whether it be the top-level choral group, or the elite wind ensemble in the concert band program. It is by no coincidence at all that the best marching band programs are a direct reflection of the best concert bands; that the best a cappella choral groups are an extension of the premiere choir in the school; that the wind trios, brass quartets, and percussion ensembles that compete in the TX UIL music contests are usually formed from the top players of their respective programs.

So play on and compete. Seek and find the best band sheet music, choir sheet music, and instrumental sheet music which speak not only to you, but to your students as well. The time to do it is now. Christmas is right around the corner and the TX UIL music competitions will be here before you know it. Therefore, let the sheet music, competition and creativity collide, and trust Pender’s Music Co. to help you. The result will be worth it.

Helpful links:

Band PML | New Selections for 2011 | Texas UIL (slideshow)
New Texas UIL | PML Concert Band Additions for 2011-2012 (pdf)
Choral PML | New Selections for 2011 | Texas UIL (slideshow)
New Texas UIL | PML Choral Additions for 2011-2012 (pdf)
Orchestra PML | New Selections for 2011 | Texas UIL (slideshow)
New Texas UIL | PML Full & String Orchestra Additions for 2011-2012 (pdf)
Texas UIL | PML Vocal
Texas UIL | PML Instrumental
Texas UIL | PML String

 

 

Tuesday’s Tidbits: UIL Orchestra (PML)

While we realize that everyone is not as invested in the Texas UIL Prescribed Music List (PML) as we are, since two of our stores are in Texas, it still merits mention that this year there were many new titles added to the list(s), including music for full orchestra and string orchestra.

And while your particular situation may not require that you perform music from the list, that doesn’t mean that the list, in and of itself, is not indeed still a good resource when you’re simply looking for festival or competition music for other uses. That’s why we highlight it here and on our website, as well as across some of our other media channels (Slideshare, Flickr, Facebook, etc).

Just think about it….some great folks in Texas have done a lot of the work for you: reviewing, listening, and critiquing music, looking for only the best of the best in all levels for orchestra and strings. There are other states around the country that simply adopt the Texas UIL/PML list as their own, and call it day. Now, some people might call that robbery, and some people might just call it knowing when to take advantage of a good thing…..we’ll let you decide that for yourself. In the meantime, view the slideshow, download the pdf, and take a look at some great music for full orchestra and string orchestra.

Texas UIL Orchestra Sheet Music (PML): New Additions for  2011

The full orchestra/string orchestra sheet music titles that were recently added to the Texas UIL Prescribed Music List (PML) [2011].

 

And here is a link to the pdf brochure, which is on our website (also interactive):

 

Tipster: Teaching Young String Groups

We came accross this article on the web, and thought it would be a good one to pass along, especially since school will be starting up again in just a few weeks. It’s by Jacquelyn Dillon-Krass from Wichita State University.

Tips for Teaching Young String Groups to Play “In Tune”

by Jacquelyn Dillon-Krass

Music students learn more than music – they learn of life and self-worth. You are a valuable person in the lives of your students. “Don’t under-estimate the importance of your work or the responsibility that your job demands; enjoy it.”

Without a doubt, the most important and most difficult task facing the string teacher is teaching students to play “in tune.” Orchestral educators need to understand that (1) Good pitch never just happens; it is very carefully taught; (2) Poor pitch never gets better on its own; in fact, it usually gets worse; and (3) Concern for playing with good pitch is a never-ending quest, that has to be stressed daily with every group.

A beginner group, playing even the simplest music, should be expected to play with good pitch (first fingers in correct place, whole steps and half-steps obvious, etc.). “All purpose” second fingers (neither high enough nor low enough), so often heard, are simply unacceptable. In other words, there is absolutely no excuse for groups at any level to play out of tune.

If students are trained to be concerned about pitch from the very beginning, and then never allowed to play out of tune in rehearsals, they will play in tune under pressure at concerts. My beliefs and ideas on teaching young students to play in tune follow:

Follow the link below for the tips and the rest of the article from Conn-Selmer‘s Keynotes Magazine…

via Keynotes Magazine – Now Viewing Classroom Technique : Strings : Tips for Teaching Young String Groups to Play “In Tune” by Jacquelyn Dillon.

Spring Things for Strings

It’s easy to get caught up in the post-Spring Break Slump…..many are likely thinking about how many days are left in the current school year, and when does all-things-summer begin. But let’s not be too hasty! Is there a Spring concert looming ahead? Do you need some help in making some programming decisions?


Pender’s Picks the Pops for Orchestra
is here! Our Orchestra Buyer, James Nicholson, has selected the best-of-the-best to include in his top Picks of new and best-selling music for orchestra. There’s sure to be something listed that would be perfect for your group’s final performance of the year.
And not only that, but our Carrollton and Oklahoma City stores are having a Spring Sale on Full and String Orchestra music. That’s right, it’s 50% off, in-store only, on lots and lots of titles…..there are some exclusions, of course (no TX UIL music, and no brand-new titles), but there are literally hundreds of other pieces to choose from — great additions to any school library. Email or call Carrollton (jnicholson@penders.com -or- 972.818.1333/866.589.0751) or Oklahoma City (okcmusic@penders.com -or- 405.842.7825/800.772.8405) for more information. The sale ends May 31st, so take action now for the best selection, and Happy Spring!

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Tuesday’s Tidbits for Strings, the series, will post to www.pendersbuzz.com a couple of times a month, with information from our staff, our publisher partners, guest bloggers and more. Come back to this site, or access it from our main Home Page, to find out the latest buzz!