Now THIS is a Back To School Thank You Gift
Every year around this time, I see lots of posts from various companies in the music education space that wish teachers a happy and successful school year. Many of them include a special thank you “gift”, which is usually a warm fuzzy video from the CEO or the entire staff. While these are all nice sentiments, I remember vividly when I was teaching saying “You want to give me a Back-To-School gift? Send me something tangible - something I can actually use with my students!” This year, in what will be the first of many, MusicFirst is giving away something incredible to their existing customers - FREE PDF copies of 3 compositions for band, chorus and string orchestra. What compositions? Where can I find them? Read on…
MusicFirst has licensed 3 outstanding works for band, chorus and string orchestra from two of our fabulous publishing partners - Bandworks Publications and Excelcia Music Publishing. These publishers have hand-picked three gorgeous pieces of music and turned them into print-ready PDFs, just for our MusicFirst Classroom subscribers - a $250 value! We know your students will love performing them! They include:
‘Round the Bend by Patrick J. Burns for Concert Band - Grade 3+
‘Round the Bend was commissioned by the Georgia Music Educators District 1 Middle School Honor Band to be rehearsed and performed at their annual festival in February 2023. The music represents a fun and exciting train ride, just chuggin’ along through the country on a fine day. The combination of rhythmic and lyric lines depict the contrast between the mechanics of the train with the scenery, beauty, and thrill of the ride. Here is a video of the full score:
A Broken Mirror by George Sweet for String Orchestra - Grade 3
A Broken Mirror is an introspective and dramatic piece that, while not specifically programmatic, attempts to convey a varied range of emotions, written by composer George Sweet. Here is a video of the full score:
The Marigold by Patti Drennan for SATB Choir
Marigolds are planted near other plants to ward off disease and pests, thus allowing the plant to be nurtured and to survive. This is know as the "marigold effect." The same idea is applies to people. We should surround ourselves with people who help nurture and encourage. Here is a video of the full score:
All three of these compositions are available to all existing MusicFirst Classroom customers in two ways: a full PDF copy of the score and all of the parts have been posted in the MFC. Check the email that was sent to you today (Sept. 5th) on how to find them. Please note: these scores are NOT available to our trial account users - only existing customers.
In addition to the PDFs, all of these pieces are also available in PracticeFirst. That way you can have your students start rehearsing their parts. It is our sincere hope that this gift will help you stretch your music budget just that little bit further, as well as give you a head start on your concert programming. This gift is very unique in our industry and we thank these two wonderful publishing partners for making it happen.
Have a wonderful, music-filled school year everyone!