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Latest News
Yale School of Music to Host Virtual Symposium on Music in Schools
On June 23, the Yale School of Music, in partnership with NAMM, will present its 2021 Symposium on Music in Schools, part of its Music in Schools initiative. Titled “Equity and Opportunity: Advancing Music Learning Ecosystems,” the symposium is set for June 23 from 12:30 to 4pm, EST.
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Frost School of Music and Chopin Foundation Present Third Edition of Frost Chopin Academy and Festival July 7-10
The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and the Chopin Foundation of the U.S. noted that the third installment of the critically-acclaimed Frost Chopin Festival and Academy will take place July 7-10, 2021.
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NYC Musicians of Color Perform Juneteenth Celebration of Classical Music by Black Composers
The Unsung Collective, a NYC ensemble, performed a Juneteenth celebration to commemorate the effective end of slavery in the U.S. The choir and orchestra assembled at the World Trade Center Oculus and performed four pieces of classical music by Black composers to celebrate Black culture and support making Juneteenth a national holiday.
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Janet D’Addario, Co-Founder of D’Addario & Co., and Former President of Providence House, Dies at 72
Janet D’Addario, a prodigious creative and philanthropic force throughout the world, and wife of D’Addario Chairman, Jim D’Addario, died on June 14th in her home, surrounded by her entire family. She was 72. The cause was complications from gall bladder cancer, said her husband, Jim D’Addario. Janet Marie D’Addario was born on December 10th, 1948 […]
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Hal Leonard Launches New, Expanded ArrangeMe Sheet Music Self-Publishing Platform
Hal Leonard announced the launch on June 15 of a fully updated and expanded version of its sheet music self-publishing platform, ArrangeMe. This free service is designed to provide independent songwriters, composers and arrangers with licensing, distribution and sales solutions.
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Bard Music Festival Returns with “Nadia Boulanger and Her World” from Aug. 6–15
The Bard Music Festival’s 31st season returns this August with a two-week schedule titled “Nadia Boulanger and Her World.” The 12 concert programs, performed live with limited in-person audiences, celebrate the legacy of this pioneering pedagogue, composer, conductor, pianist and organist from Paris, who helped shape generations of American musicians.
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Everything Old is New Again?
So, can it be true? We are going back to some kind of post-COVID possibility? That’s sure what’s on the table right now and wishing it into existence has to be equally met with actions to make it so. It seems a lot of the same people screaming about kids going back to school are […]
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A Look at Monitor Speakers
There are so many monitor speakers to choose from. Which are right for your needs? In the June issue of SBO, audio expert Bobby Owsinski offers advice on making the optimum choice.
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Come About! Music Ed Advocacy in Changing Times
In SBO’s June issue, Laurie Schell encourages music education advocates to navigate the shifting winds buffeting today’s music programs and learn how to change tack with strategic planning, coalition, and relationship building.
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Focus on Fundraising
Students are coming back to the in-person classroom, and travel spots are filling fast! In the June issue, SBO editor Mike Lawson presents a wide array of helpful hints from some of the great fundraising companies out there to help schools raise funds and get their students back on the road.
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Yale School of Music to Host Virtual Symposium on Music in Schools
On June 23, the Yale School of Music, in partnership with NAMM, will present its 2021 Symposium on Music in Schools, part of its Music in Schools initiative. Titled “Equity and Opportunity: Advancing Music Learning Ecosystems,” the symposium is set for June 23 from 12:30 to 4pm, EST.
Read MoreFrost School of Music and Chopin Foundation Present Third Edition of Frost Chopin Academy and Festival July 7-10
The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and the Chopin Foundation of the U.S. noted that the third installment of the critically-acclaimed Frost Chopin Festival and Academy will take place July 7-10, 2021.
Read MoreNYC Musicians of Color Perform Juneteenth Celebration of Classical Music by Black Composers
The Unsung Collective, a NYC ensemble, performed a Juneteenth celebration to commemorate the effective end of slavery in the U.S. The choir and orchestra assembled at the World Trade Center Oculus and performed four pieces of classical music by Black composers to celebrate Black culture and support making Juneteenth a national holiday.
Read MoreJanet D’Addario, Co-Founder of D’Addario & Co., and Former President of Providence House, Dies at 72
Janet D’Addario, a prodigious creative and philanthropic force throughout the world, and wife of D’Addario Chairman, Jim D’Addario, died on June 14th in her home, surrounded by her entire family. She was 72. The cause was complications from gall bladder cancer, said her husband, Jim D’Addario. Janet Marie D’Addario was born on December 10th, 1948 […]
Read MoreHal Leonard Launches New, Expanded ArrangeMe Sheet Music Self-Publishing Platform
Hal Leonard announced the launch on June 15 of a fully updated and expanded version of its sheet music self-publishing platform, ArrangeMe. This free service is designed to provide independent songwriters, composers and arrangers with licensing, distribution and sales solutions.
Read MoreBard Music Festival Returns with “Nadia Boulanger and Her World” from Aug. 6–15
The Bard Music Festival’s 31st season returns this August with a two-week schedule titled “Nadia Boulanger and Her World.” The 12 concert programs, performed live with limited in-person audiences, celebrate the legacy of this pioneering pedagogue, composer, conductor, pianist and organist from Paris, who helped shape generations of American musicians.
Read More
New Disney Imagination Campus Curriculum to Encourage Career Exploration
Disney Parks’ new Disney Imagination Campus is making its debut at both the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. These new educational experiences for visiting student groups are designed to inspire the students’ career ambitions with workshops, performances and special events.
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Jurassic World VelociCoaster Opens at Universal Orlando Resort
At Universal’s Islands of Adventure attraction, guests can now brave the all-new species of roller coaster, inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World films.
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Herbie Hancock, Others Create Video to Teach Kindergarteners about Music
Herbie Hancock teamed up with animators at Atomic Kid Studios and the Young Academic Research Group (YAM) at the Touro Graduate School of Education in New York City to release the first in a series of animated videos showcasing innovative methods for teaching kindergarteners about music.
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NAMM Announces Webinar on Potential Impact of Lacey Act on Imported Instruments
CARLSBAD, CA — NAMM noted an early June advisory from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife services indicated that, on July 1, 2021, a wide range of imported musical instruments, including drums, clarinets, flutes and piccolos, and others will be required to file a Lacey Act import declaration. More details from NAMM (www.namm.org): While the industry […]
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Realtime Music Solutions May Have Your Distance Rehearsal Solution Today
For over two decades, New York City-based Realtime Music Solutions (RMS) has been delivering solutions for rehearsing music to the musical theater market. Through software products, RMS has helped countless national, regional, and local theater productions, in addition to serving the school musical production community. And like everyone, when COVID-19 hit, their business was hit hard. No productions means no rehearsals.
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JamKazam Just May Save Ensembles in a Virtual Teaching World
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JamKazam founder David Wilson was a band kid growing up. He started on trumpet then switched to euphonium. He raised band kids. His eldest son played sax and his daughter plays trumpet in the marching band at Baylor. JamKazam is an online real-time group performance platform for Windows and Mac OS computers. It allows musicians to hear and perform with each other with extremely low latency, and even stream the sum of that performance out via video to YouTube and Facebook Live.
Dorico 3.5: Innovation in Notation
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Steinberg’s music notation program, Dorico, has a fascinating history. From the outset, there were rumors and conjectures about what to expect from this new product, followed by an initial release that was clearly incomplete, leaving many to wonder if and when we would see a fully functional program.
Reference 4: Room EQ Made Simple
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If you follow any of the online groups on music production, you know a day doesn’t go by when someone doesn’t ask about what gear they should buy for their studios. The responses predictably include everyone’s favorite mics, plug-ins, and speakers.
Steinberg’s Dorico 3
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The latest version of Dorico, Steinberg’s professional engraving program, has been released, and it includes an impressive list of new features and improvements.
Soundtrap: Musicmaking and Podcasting for the Classroom
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Those of you who are old enough might remember Moore’s Law, the idea that computing power would double every 1-2 years.
Eventide H9 Max: Big Effects in a Small Package
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Eventide has a long history of innovation and quality. In the mid-70s, they were the first to bring a digital effects device to market with the H910 Harmonizer. By the 1980s, the H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer added intelligent scalar harmonization and became standard equipment in top studios around the world.
Steinberg Does Jazz
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Jazz has always been something of an afterthought in music technology. Other than programs like Band in a Box, support for jazz notation and performance practices has been somewhat limited and often required jazz composers to resort to convoluted workarounds.
Mastering Organization in Rehearsal Using iPads
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Chances are likely that you have heard of a few iPad apps for use in the classroom. Like me, you may have heard about so many of them that you can’t even remember them all — or you have made it so far as to download them and now hundreds of little icons have been left untouched in a folder called “Music,” sitting on your home screen.
ASSR Session Files: An SBO Best Tools for Schools 2018 Award Winner
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Wandering around the NAMM show is an experience in cacophony. Between product demos, artist presentations, and the thousands of attendees trying out the latest gear, it’s hard to hear yourself think.
New Jazz Ensemble Music Released by Excelcia Music Publishing for 2021-22
Excelcia Music Publishing released their second Jazz Ensemble music catalog with new and inspiring tunes from well-known composers as well as talented new voices. The 2021-22 music embraces the rich tradition of big band music and forges new ground in music for contemporary jazz ensembles.
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Hercules Stands’ New DG Adaptive Series
Hercules recently launched their DG Adaptive Series, which includes three new products – the Universal Podcast Mic & Camera Arm Stand, Smartphone Holder, and 2-In-1 Tablet.
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Buffet Crampon Festival Clarinet Comes with $200 Rebate during Month of June
During the month of June, Buffet Crampon USA is offering a $200 Instant Rebate on the Festival B-flat clarinet. Considered a Prestige-level clarinet, the Festival has many upgraded features, including an alternate A-flat/E-flat key for the left hand, premium unstained African blackwood, two tuning barrels (65mm and 66mm), metal tenon caps and GT pads. It features a poly-cylindrical bore and is a member of the R13 bore family. Festival clarinets also come in the upgraded Prestige case (B-flat in a single, A in a double case).
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Ukulele VT Virtual Tone Series Strings from Black Diamond
Black Diamond‘s V-Fluorocarbon strings, which have a brighter tone than their counterpart Nylon, are made from high quality materials imported from Argentina. Along with a longer product life span, they promise to stay in tune longer.
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Grover Mandolin Machine Heads (409 Series)
Cleveland, OH-based Grover Musical Products announced Grover professional model mandolin machine heads (409 Series). A specially designed, adjustable worm gear along with the die cast base maintains the center lines of the gear and worm to insure correct alignment. The worm to gear ratio is 18:1.
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Trophy Music Co. Announces Mel-O-Dee Balls
Cleveland, OH-based Trophy Music Co. and Grover Musical Products are introducing Mel-O-Dee Balls. Mel-O-Dee Balls are an accurately tuned, C to C, 8 ball set, individually colored and note marked, so that virtually anyone can learn to play. They produce musical tones when squeezed.
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Excelcia Music Publishing Releases Inspiring New Concert Band Music Catalog
A bold release with over 50 new works, Excelcia Music Publishing’s just released 2021-22 Concert Band music catalog is filled with pieces from many beloved composers as well as talented new voices. The new catalog includes a myriad of styles, from marches and contest festival works to Halloween and holiday concerts. As it has done in prior years, the publisher’s release includes live professional recordings of each piece (safely recorded), which can be used as a tool with students in the classroom as well as for remote learning.
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Buffet Crampon 1180 Student Bass Clarinet
Featuring an African blackwood body, silver-plated keys and simplified register key design, the 1180 student bass clarinet retains many of the acoustic properties of the legendary Prestige bass models while still being an affordable option for school music programs. The 1180 also has range to low E-flat and a sturdy, lightweight case with latches for secure protection and transport.
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Two New Graphic Practice Pads from Vic Firth
The Avedis Zildjian Company, parent company of Vic Firth, has announced the introduction of two new products into its lineup of practice accessories, the Vic Firth Digital Camo Practice Pads, and the Vic Firth VF Practice Pads.
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DirectOut Adding NMOS to EXBOX.RAV Interface
DirectOut Technologies has further expanded the capabilities of its recently released RAVENNA/MADI converter EXBOX.RAV, adding NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 support.
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