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Latest News
Detroit Symphony Orchestra Musicians to Mentor Interlochen Arts Camp Students This Summer
DSO musicians will lead master classes in each orchestral instrument for Interlochen Arts Camp intermediate and high school campers July 30-31. The classes will take place via Zoom, with students participating from Interlochen’s Music Center. Students enrolled in Interlochen Online summer sessions will also be invited to observe the classes.
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Carnegie Hall Announces Teen Musicians Selected for 2021 National Youth Ensembles
On April 15, Carnegie Hall announced teen musicians selected for the 2021 National Youth Ensembles, including the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, NYO2, and NYO Jazz.
Read More
MMR, Sister Publication to SBO, Donates Archived Magazines to the NAMM Resource Center
Timeless Communications president Terry Lowe donated the archives of SBO sister publication Musical Merchandise Review magazine to NAMM’s Resource Center. MMR’s first issue was published in 1879.
Read More
Rez Abbasi Named 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi, one of the most celebrated artistic voices of his generation, has been named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition. He’s one of 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists, 13 in the area of Music Composition, receiving this year’s award. A veteran of fourteen albums as a leader, his deep […]
Read More
NAMM Foundation Honors Communities and Schools for Music Education Efforts
The NAMM Foundation recently recognized 686 school districts in 40 states as among the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME). Along with the association’s celebration of K-12 music teachers who have found creative solutions amid a global pandemic, 80 U.S. schools are being honored with SupportMusic Merit Awards.
Read More
Avedis Zildjian Co. Launches Vic Firth Drumchain
The Avedis Zildjian Company, parent company of Vic Firth, recently launched the Vic Firth Drumchain, a new initiative to help bring musicians together in times where being able to connect is more important than ever before.
Read More
Hal Leonard Publishes Music from Netflix’s Bridgerton Series
Hal Leonard noted the release of music from Netflix’s Bridgerton Series. The show’s two soundtracks have topped album charts at both iTunes and Billboard and have won rave reviews from music and pop culture media alike. Five of the show’s string quartet arrangements are available. They include “Wildest Dreams” (Taylor Swift) as arranged by Duomo, and “Bad Guy” (Billie Eilish), “In My Blood” (Shawn Mendes), “Thank U, Next” (Ariana Grande), and “Girls Like You” (Maroon 5) as arranged by Vitamin String Quartet.
Read More
15-Watt Howitzer Guitar Preamp/Amp from Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix announces a new ultra-compact 15-watt guitar preamp/amp with Volume, Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble controls plus a Bright switch and a built-in Effects Loop. Designed with extreme portability in mind, the 15Watt Howitzer can be mounted on a pedalboard or tucked away in a gig bag, and will work with any speaker cabinet rated at 8 or 16 ohms. The 15Watt Howitzer comes equipped with its own 24VDC/1.0A Power Supply and features a USA street price of $127.80.
Read More
Dominant Pro from Thomastik-Infeld
Since 1970, the playing styles and ideas surrounding sound have been expanded. With increased regularity musicians asked for the development of an additional set similar to Dominant that expands upon the possibilities of the existing strings. Thomastik-Infeld answered this request with the launch of its latest string revolution: Dominant Pro. This new set (DP100) was not aimed to change the basic character of Dominant, but rather to offer an additional, contemporary repertoire of strings.
Read More
Roland Announces JD-800 Model Expansion
Roland announces the JD-800 Model Expansion, the latest addition to the ZEN-Core Model Expansion lineup available through Roland Cloud. Based on Roland’s influential JD-800 hardware synthesizer released in 1991, the JD-800 Model Expansion celebrates the 30th anniversary of this vintage digital icon by bringing it to modern players through the ZENOLOGY Software Synthesizer and select Roland hardware instruments with the ZEN-Core Synthesis System.
Read More
Detroit Symphony Orchestra Musicians to Mentor Interlochen Arts Camp Students This Summer
DSO musicians will lead master classes in each orchestral instrument for Interlochen Arts Camp intermediate and high school campers July 30-31. The classes will take place via Zoom, with students participating from Interlochen’s Music Center. Students enrolled in Interlochen Online summer sessions will also be invited to observe the classes.
Read MoreCarnegie Hall Announces Teen Musicians Selected for 2021 National Youth Ensembles
On April 15, Carnegie Hall announced teen musicians selected for the 2021 National Youth Ensembles, including the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, NYO2, and NYO Jazz.
Read MoreMMR, Sister Publication to SBO, Donates Archived Magazines to the NAMM Resource Center
Timeless Communications president Terry Lowe donated the archives of SBO sister publication Musical Merchandise Review magazine to NAMM’s Resource Center. MMR’s first issue was published in 1879.
Read MoreRez Abbasi Named 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi, one of the most celebrated artistic voices of his generation, has been named a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition. He’s one of 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists, 13 in the area of Music Composition, receiving this year’s award. A veteran of fourteen albums as a leader, his deep […]
Read MoreNAMM Foundation Honors Communities and Schools for Music Education Efforts
The NAMM Foundation recently recognized 686 school districts in 40 states as among the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME). Along with the association’s celebration of K-12 music teachers who have found creative solutions amid a global pandemic, 80 U.S. schools are being honored with SupportMusic Merit Awards.
Read MoreAvedis Zildjian Co. Launches Vic Firth Drumchain
The Avedis Zildjian Company, parent company of Vic Firth, recently launched the Vic Firth Drumchain, a new initiative to help bring musicians together in times where being able to connect is more important than ever before.
Read More
Eastman School of Music and El Sistema USA Strengthen Partnership
Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, and El Sistema USA (ESUSA) have recently deepened their partnership with several key personnel appointments and intersectionality initiatives.
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Savannah Music Festival Announces Artists, Schedule for 2021 Spring Season on May 23-30
The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) recently announced the lineup of acclaimed classical, jazz and American roots music artists who will perform live during the festival’s much-anticipated 2021 Spring Season, which runs from May 23-30.
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“Jazz in China” Documentary to Launch April 30 to the World – and April 26 to Project Supporters
Jazz in China, a new 76-minute documentary that can be viewed on UNESCO’s International Jazz Day, April 30, 2021, will be available to be seen five days earlier, April 26, by those who help fund the documentary project, led by Baruch College professor Eugene Marlow, Ph.D.
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DC Jazz Festival Livestream to Feature the EJB Quartet on 4/20
BALTIMORE, MD – DC Jazz Festival announced plans for The EJB Quartet to perform at An die Musik Live! on April 20 at 7pm. More details from DC Jazz Festival (www.dcjazzfest.org): Join DC Jazz Festival as we take in a live-streamed performance from reigning DCJazzPrix Champions The EJB Quartet at An die Musik Live! on […]
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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.
Hal Leonard Publishes Music from Netflix’s Bridgerton Series
Hal Leonard noted the release of music from Netflix’s Bridgerton Series. The show’s two soundtracks have topped album charts at both iTunes and Billboard and have won rave reviews from music and pop culture media alike. Five of the show’s string quartet arrangements are available. They include “Wildest Dreams” (Taylor Swift) as arranged by Duomo, and “Bad Guy” (Billie Eilish), “In My Blood” (Shawn Mendes), “Thank U, Next” (Ariana Grande), and “Girls Like You” (Maroon 5) as arranged by Vitamin String Quartet.
Read More15-Watt Howitzer Guitar Preamp/Amp from Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix announces a new ultra-compact 15-watt guitar preamp/amp with Volume, Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble controls plus a Bright switch and a built-in Effects Loop. Designed with extreme portability in mind, the 15Watt Howitzer can be mounted on a pedalboard or tucked away in a gig bag, and will work with any speaker cabinet rated at 8 or 16 ohms. The 15Watt Howitzer comes equipped with its own 24VDC/1.0A Power Supply and features a USA street price of $127.80.
Read MoreDominant Pro from Thomastik-Infeld
Since 1970, the playing styles and ideas surrounding sound have been expanded. With increased regularity musicians asked for the development of an additional set similar to Dominant that expands upon the possibilities of the existing strings. Thomastik-Infeld answered this request with the launch of its latest string revolution: Dominant Pro. This new set (DP100) was not aimed to change the basic character of Dominant, but rather to offer an additional, contemporary repertoire of strings.
Read MoreRoland Announces JD-800 Model Expansion
Roland announces the JD-800 Model Expansion, the latest addition to the ZEN-Core Model Expansion lineup available through Roland Cloud. Based on Roland’s influential JD-800 hardware synthesizer released in 1991, the JD-800 Model Expansion celebrates the 30th anniversary of this vintage digital icon by bringing it to modern players through the ZENOLOGY Software Synthesizer and select Roland hardware instruments with the ZEN-Core Synthesis System.
Read More
Besson BE165 ‘Prodige’
The Besson ‘Prodige’ Euphonium has everything advancing euphonium players need to bring their sound and playing to the next level.
Read More
Marantz Professional Debuts MPM-4000U Podcast Mic
Marantz Professional has announced the introduction of the MPM-4000U Podcast Mic, a no-nonsense, studio-grade USB microphone designed to make podcasting easy. Engineered for any digital broadcasting application where hassle-free, pristine sound capture is required, the MPM-4000U also comes with recording software so aspiring podcasters are ready to create, right out of the box. The control […]
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Excelcia Music Publishing Launches New 2021 String Orchestra Release
Excelcia Music Publishing has published 30 new string orchestra pieces from established and up-and-coming composers in its 2021 String Orchestra music release.
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PRS Guitars Announces Limited Edition Antique White SE Parlor Acoustics
PRS Guitars has announced a Limited Edition SE parlor acoustic in Antique White. This Limited Edition maintains all the original appointments of the PRS SE P20E with the addition of an Antique White solid-mahogany top paired with natural mahogany back and sides. The Antique White PRS SE P20E is limited to 3,500 pieces worldwide.
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Luna Unveils High-End Vineyard Series Ukuleles
Available in concert and tenor sizes, the Vineyard Series represents a unique new level of high-end Luna ukuleles, complete with eye-catching craftsmanship including a bevel, slotted headstock, and solid koa top with intricate designs. Vineyard Series ukuleles feature Fishman’s Kula Ukulele Onboard Preamp System with onboard tuner, so players can be ready to dial in their sound quickly, plug into an amp, and hit the stage. Whether the player has a solid musical foundation or is simply looking to make an artistic impression, Luna’s Vineyard Series ukuleles are designed for creative growth.
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New Clarinets from Buffet Crampon
The Buffet Crampon E12F semi-professional clarinet has firmly established itself as a go-to step-up, semi-professional clarinet. It gives clarinetists an excellent option to upgrade from a student clarinet while still remaining affordable, with many of the features found on Buffet Crampon professional clarinets.
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