InTune

40 Songs for Stage Auditions

Posted on Jan 15, 2010 by Monica.

Do you want to try out for a talent show like the X-FACTOR or AMERICAN IDOL? Are you preparing for a musical theater audition or just want to sing on stage? Musicnotes wants to help! Not only have we dug through our digital sheet music files to offer you suggestions for songs that we think you’ll love, we’ve also got a book we think you’ll get a lot out of.

One song in particular that you might want to consider practicing is entitled The 60 Second Audition. This song was written specifically to highlight a singer’s ability to perform different musical styles and techniques within sixty seconds, and can be purchased in multiple keys to fit your range.

If you’re not sure what your vocal range is or how these Singer Pro arrangements different from our instrumental sheet music selections, we invite you to read our post about Deciphering Singer Pro Sheet Music and Finding Your Vocal Range.

Sale! 15% Off Vocal Audition Book

We’ve taken 15% off a unique book that’s designed to help aspiring performers with their stage auditions. Thank you — that’s all we need for today… A Practical Guide to Musical Theatre Auditions is a book written by Mary Hammond, a vocal consultant who has worked with performers in world-renowned Broadway shows and pop music. This unique book helps singers understand the basics of a song, prepares them for auditions, mentions technical aspects that can help singers improve their sound, discusses stage presence and much more! Although there are notes for beginning vocalists in this book, this is a comprehensive overview of how a singer can be their best on stage. Even experienced vocalists will find something useful in this book to help them sing professionally.

Included with this book, you also receive a CD with vocal warm-ups, too. Normally, this 6 in x 8 in book and CD is $21.95, but we’re offering on sale at $18.65 from now through midnight, January 31, 2010.

15 Songs for Female Lead Vocalists

For singers who sing in the soprano and alto range, you might want to consider one of these fifteen songs. We’ve pulled together some song titles from Broadway shows and a variety of popular musical styles for you to consider for your next audition.

• Somewhere Over the Rainbow from THE WIZARD OF OZ
• Defying Gravity from WICKED
• The Alto’s Lament by Zina Goldrich
• I Dreamed a Dream from LES MISERABLES
• Good Morning Baltimore from HAIRSPRAY
• I Will Survive by Dino Fekaris
• Alone by Heart
• The Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston
• Beautiful by Christina Aguilera
• Fever by Peggy Lee
• I’ll Stand By You by Carrie Underwood
• Hero by Mariah Carey
• If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
• Black Horse and the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
• The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack

15 Songs for Male Lead Vocalists

If you sing in the tenor or bass vocal range, we invite you to take a look at these song titles for your next audition. From Broadway to popular love songs, we’ve selected fifteen songs we think will work well on stage.

• Summertime from PORGY AND BESS
• The Music Of The Night from PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
• You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
• Fly Me To the Moon by Frank Sinatra
• Stand By Me by Ben E. King
• Imagine by John Lennon
• What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye
• Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
• Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
• You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi
• Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder
• Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles
• Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts
• The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennett
• Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel

10 Classical Pieces for Singers

If you prefer to sing opera or songs by classical composers, then we think you’ll really enjoy this list of ten songs. Each Singer Pro arrangement in this list is part of our Musicnotes Editions catalog, so you receive an added value when you purchase any of these songs.

• Aria “Bist du bei mir” Composed by Bach
• Zion hort die Wachter Singen from “Sleepers, Awake!” Composed by Bach
• Habanera (from Carmen) Composed by Bizet
• Wiegenlied “Cradle Song” (Brahms’ Lullaby) Opus 49, No. 4 Composed by Brahms
• Caro Mio Ben (Thou, all my bliss) Arietta Composed by Giordani
• Voi, Che Sapete (from Le Nozze di Figaro) Composed by Mozart
• Nessun Dorma (from Turnadot) Composed by Puccini
• O Mio Babbino Caro (from Gianni Schicchi) Composed by Puccini
• Wandrers Nachtlied II, Opus 96 No 3 Composed by Schubert
• Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir (From Die Fledermaus) Composed by Strauss
• Brindisi (Libiamo Ne’ Lieti Calici) from La Traviata Composed by Verdi

About Musicnotes Editions Our Musicnotes Editions are the best digital sheet music value your money can buy. Each professional arrangement offers you unlimited print capabilities of your sheet music as well as performance and/or recording rights for your piece!

Are you a singer and want to help your fellow Musicnotes performers? Feel free to recommend a song in the comments below!

Regarding Your Feedback

In response to your comments, we wanted to take a moment and address the concerns that you brought up with regards to the songs mentioned here in the post.

Initially, we were inspired to highlight the songs that have resonated with many of our customers because several of these songs were performed on stage and at auditions through talent shows like the X-Factor and American Idol. Susan Boyle is just one example of someone who sung a well-known Broadway song so well, that she ended up getting a recording contract from her performance.

After reading your comments, it is clear that some of you were expecting a list of songs appropriate for community theater or professional stage auditions. We understand that our presentation of these songs may have resulted in some confusion, and we are currently consulting with professionals that work on-and-off Broadway to provide you with a list of their recommendations.

As always, we appreciate your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to respond to this post.

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Scrooge the Musical, Guitar Guru $4.95 Sale and More in The Whole Note

Posted on Dec 04, 2009 by Monica.

Based on the holiday classic A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens, SCROOGE: the MUSICAL brings this cautionary tale about a cranky old man who needs to reconnect with his fellow man to the big stage. Several characters, including some unusual ghosts, visit Scrooge to try to teach him a very important lesson. This holiday Broadway musical is often on stage this time of year, so be sure to check your area for show times.

Are you a Broadway sheet music fan? You can now download arrangements of sheet music from SCROOGE: the MUSICAL. Songs include I Hate People, Christmas Children, Thank You Very Much and many more!

Songs from the Winter Holiday 2009 Suggest-a-Song Contest!

We’d like to extend a HUGE “Thank You” to all of you who suggested a song for our Winter Holiday 2009 Suggest-a-Song Contest! Our staff has started to review your suggestions and we have already added some of your requests, some of which were suggested several times!

• ‘Zat You, Santa Claus? by Louis Armstrong
• Medley of Sleigh Ride and Marshmallow World by Kristin Chenoweth
• Home on Christmas Day by Kristin Chenoweth
• When the River Meets the Sea by Paul Williams from EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS

We will be awarding a twenty five dollar gift certificate to the first commenter who suggested one of these titles sometime early next week. Watch the blog for more updates as we continue to review your Winter Holiday 2009 song suggestions! Thank you so much for your recommendations!

$4.95 Sale on all Christmas Guitar Guru Sessions!

From now until midnight, December 25, 2009, enjoy an average $2.00 savings on all of our Christmas Guitar Guru Sessions! Typically our Guitar Guru Sessions are $6.95 each, our limited-time sale price on these Christmas songs is only $4.95!

Enjoy the low price of $4.95 on all Christmas Guitar Guru Sessions from now until midnight, December 25, 2009!

Remember, each guitar lesson also comes with a corresponding guitar tab, too. Here are a few popular Christmas Guitar Guru Sessions included in the sale:

• Santa Baby for Electric Guitar
• Feliz Navidad for Acoustic Guitar
• Frosty the Snow Man for Acoustic Guitar
• Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer for Acoustic Guitar
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) for Acoustic Guitar

In addition to these popular Christmas songs, we also have a broad selection of Guitar Guru Sessions that are Traditional Christian Christmas hymns, too. Choose from Guitar Guru Sessions like:

• Angels We Have Heard on High for Classical Guitar
• The First Noel for Classical Guitar
• Joy To The World for Acoustic Guitar
• Silent Night for Classical Guitar
• What Child Is This? for Acoustic Guitar

If you want to learn how to play guitar or a new Christmas song, be sure to browse our Christmas Guitar Guru Sessions to see what songs we have available.

That’s all the Christmas sheet music news we have for right now, but be sure to stay tuned for next week!

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New! Christmas Sheets for Instruments, Owl City and More in the Whole Note

Posted on Nov 27, 2009 by Monica.

Do you play clarinet, trumpet or another band instrument? This year, we’re pleased to expand our selection of Christmas sheet music for alternate instruments. Last week, we highlighted selections of Canadian Brass sheet music.

This week, we’d like to mention brand new solos, duets, trios, quartets and corresponding accompaniments by sheet music publisher Kendor. We’ve added a few songs this week, and are happy to offer more Christmas arrangements -- just in time for the holidays!

Here’s a few songs we’ve added this week. Don’t forget, there’s a lot more to come!

• Amazing Grace sheet music for Clarinet and Piano
• Ding Dong Merrily on High sheet music for a flute quartet
• What Child Is This? sheet music for a saxophone quartet
• Away in a Manger sheet music for a brass trio
• Good King Wenceslas sheet msuic for a brass trio

Be sure to watch our blog for more Christmas sheet music updates for your favorite instruments!

Christmas Book Sale Ends Midnight on Monday!

LAST CHANCE!!! From now until midnight, November 30th, enjoy up to thirty percent off a variety of Christmas sheet music books.

Have you taken advantage of our Christmas sheet music book sale yet? Save up to 30 percent on select sheet music books and Christmas songbooks like WHITE CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS SONG ESSENTIALS, POLAR EXPRESS and many more!

Songs from our selection of Polar Express sheet music continues to be a popular holiday favorite with many of our customers. From now until midnight November 30th, the 72-page POLAR EXPRESS sheet music book is $3.00 off bringing it to $16.95 on sale!

This songbook features many popular songs including When Christmas Comes To Town, Believe and Hot Chocolate.

To check out our sale, visit our Christmas Sheet Music and Song Books store page.

Sheet Music for Fireflies by Owl City and Hot Song Requests!

If you’re one of the many customers who has requested sheet music from us, you’ll be delighted to know that we’ve added a few selections we believe you’re really going to get excited about. First, we just put up sheet music for I Belong To You (+ Mon Coeur S’ouvre a Ta Voix) by Muse. This song, composed by Matthew Bellamy, is a brand new addition to our selection of NEW MOON sheet music.

We also added a new contemporary Christian Christmas song entitled Christmas with a Capital C by Go Fish.

Last but not least, we just received sheet music for Fireflies by Owl City! We were overwhelmed with your sheet music requests for this particular song. Watch this YouTube! video below and see what all the music buzz is about!

That’s all the time we have for now. We hope you’re enjoying our sheet music updates and we’re excited to share with you more updates soon!

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Canadian Brass and Christmas Musicnotes Editions in the Whole Note

Posted on Nov 20, 2009 by Monica.

Have you heard the music of Canadian Brass? This world-famous brass quintet offers gorgeous recordings by composers like J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Beethoven and more. Musicnotes.com is proud to offer Canadian Brass sheet music. We offer songs for french horn quartets as well as brass quintets that include the tuba, trombone, trumpet and french horn, too!

We’d like to highlight some arrangements that are perfect for the winter holidays. Scoring varies by song, so for your convenience we’ve remarked what individual arrangement is.

• Sleigh Runners for Brass Quintet with optional percussion
• A medley of What Child Is This? / Coventry Carol for Brass Quartet
• We Three Kings for Brass Quintet with optional Tuba intro
• Jingle Bells for a French Horn Quartet
• O Come All Ye Faithful for a French Horn Quartet

For more arrangements, be sure to visit our selection of sheet music for Canadian Brass. It’s perfect for the holidays!

Popular New Songs from Your Requests!

We have a few songs that went up this week that you’ve asked for. Jump Then Fall by Taylor Swift and Change by Carrie Underwood are two, recent songs that several of you were asking for. We’ve also received Broadway sheet music for THE LAST FIVE YEARS. Composed by acclaimed songwriter Jason Robert Brown; you can sing or play twelve songs from this unique one-act musical experience.

15 Percent Off Coupon for Your Next Christmas Musicnotes Edition Purchase

Are you interested in getting the best value on Christmas sheet music this year? Then you’ll want to take advantage of this money-saving coupon that includes our Christmas Musicnotes Editions. Whenever you see that little, green note, you’ll know you’re getting a phenomenal value because our Musicnotes Editions allow you to print unlimited copies of your sheet music and you’re granted both performance and recording rights for the piece! The average price of our Musicnotes Editions is $4.95, and the coupon is good for 15 percent off your entire purchase. No minimum purchase is required!

Christmas Musicnotes Editions include arrangements for vocalists, pianists and choirs. We’re also arranging and offering Christmas Musicnotes Editions for C, E♭, and B♭ instruments, too!

%15 OFF!	Stretch your fingers and dust off your keys! From now through December 25, 2009, Save 15 Percent off of your next digital sheet music purchase. Simply enter in MNEDITION when you check out and enjoy a %15 off savings on any digital music download from our Musicnotes Edition catalog. Limit one coupon per customer.
Offer Expires: Midnight, December 25th, 2009  – Use coupon code MNEDITION when you shop at Musicnotes.com and enjoy 15 Percent off any digital purchase that includes a Musicnotes Edition. Includes sheet music, guitar tab or Guitar Guru Session.

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Special Reminders from Musicnotes.com

Just to let you know, we have two special promotions ending on Monday, November 30th. First, our Save Up to Thirty Percent Off Select Christmas Sheet Music Books and Songbooks Sale will wrap up on that day, so if you haven’t checked them out, be sure to do that this week. Second, if you want to enter our Winter Holiday Song Suggestion Contest only entries entered through midnight, November 30th will be considered for the contest.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and be sure to stay tuned for more updates!

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Up, Star Trek and Next to Normal in This Week’s The Whole Note

Posted on Nov 13, 2009 by Monica.

In this week’s Whole Note, we have quite a few shows that we received sheet music for including the widely popular (and one of the most requested) Broadway shows NEXT TO NORMAL, the animated feature UP which arrived on DVD this week, and music for the new STAR TREK, which also debuts on DVD shortly.

We are happy to announce that we’re now able to offer sheet music for NEXT TO NORMAL. This Broadway show about a family trying to deal with a mother’s bipolar disorder has been extremely popular, and has continued to be a highly requested collection of songs.

Now you can play or sing songs from a wide selection of Broadway sheet music from this Tony award-winning show. Some of the more popular songs include: Superboy and the Invisible Girl, I’m Alive and Light. Thank you to everyone who requested sheet music for NEXT TO NORMAL. We hope you enjoy these arrangements from this Broadway show.

For those of you who love movie sheet music, we’re proud to announce two films that are debuting on Musicnotes.com. The first film is the animated movie UP, about an older gentleman named Carl who takes the adventure of a lifetime. We are now offering movie sheet music downloads for Disney’s UP, which includes songs like Married Life and Stuff We Did. Feel free to browse through our selection of sheet music from UP if you’re looking for a different song.

Do you love science fiction movies? Here at Musicnotes.com, over the years we’ve had epic musical battles between Star Trek and Star Wars sheet music. We’ve added several new instrumental solos including CLONE WARS sheet music in our effort to provide fans with the music you want to play. This week, we’ve added STAR TREK sheet music. Let the music fill the air and let a new space battle…BEGIN!

Winter Song Suggestion Contest Reminder

Special thanks to everyone who entered our Winter Song Suggestion contest so far. Just as a reminder, there’s still time left if you would like to enter for your chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to Musicnotes.com! Simply go to our Suggest a Winter Holiday Song Contest, read the instructions, and enter! It’s really easy! GOOD LUCK!

Sheet Music for Songs You’ve Requested

In addition to new movie and Broadway sheet music, we’ve also added a few songs that come straight from your song requests. They are:

• Everybody In Love (Put Your Hands Up) by JLS
• Satellite Heart by Any Marina from NEW MOON
• Slice by Five for Fighting
• Sans Day Carol (The St. Day Carol)> for Choir
• Everyday by Carly Comando

The song Everyday was composed for this YouTube! video of Noah, who took a picture of himself every day for six years and then set it to music. Garnering over 14 million views, this video set to music is a shining example of how there truly is a song for everyone. We are thrilled to fulfill this unique song request, and hope that you enjoy being a part of this unusual sheet music experience.

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Free Holiday Songs, New Suggestions & Contest News in The Rest

Posted on Nov 01, 2009 by Monica.

For this month’s free sheet music download, we are offering separate arrangements for piano and guitar.

For our free piano sheet music download, we are featuring a holiday medley of the songs Jolly Old St. Nicholas and Up on the Housetop.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas is a traditional Christmas carol that may have been composed in the early 1900s. The simple lyrics are about someone wishing for St. Nick to come and leave them presents in their stockings. Up on the Housetop (Ho! Ho! Ho!) is an older traditional Christmas carol from the 1860s. Composed by Benjamin Hanby, this popular tune is also about Santa coming down the chimney to fill the stockings of little kids with presents. Combined, the two carols together create a fun, holiday medley that we hope you’ll enjoy singing and playing.

This holiday medley is available as a free sheet music download from now until the end of November. We have provided abridged lyrics as part of the medley, so you can sing our arrangement as a solo or with your family and friends!

Guitar Guru Lovers! Download the Russian Dance for Free!

This month’s free Guitar Guru Session and guitar tab, is a movement from The Nutcracker Suite composed by Tchaikovsky. The Russian Dance, which is also known as Trepak, was composed as part of the ballet in the early 1890s.

Now you can learn how to play the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker Ballet on guitar for free, through the month of November. Simply visit our free sheet music page to download this seasonal arrangement. We hope you enjoy it!

New Songs from YOUR Requests!

We have been hard at work adding a ton of new songs that you’ve asked for. First, we’d like to point out that we are expanding our selection of alternate instruments solos. This week, we added a ton of popular flute sheet music solos by some of your favorite artists. We’ve also added quite a few fun songs for guitar, including new guitar tab by Taylor Swift.

Here are some new songs we’ve added from the songs that you’ve requested:

• For Emma by Bon Iver
• Chances by Five for Fighting
• I Know It’s Today by Jeanine Tesori
• Guitar Guru Session for Cold as Ice by Foreigner
• So This Is Love by Cinderella
• Does It Still McFly? by Michael Giacchino and other songs from the new STAR TREK.
• Come Back to Me by David Cook
• Haven’t Met You Yet by Michael Buble

Contest News! Guitar Guru Headset Give-a-Way and New Contest!

For the month of November, be sure to check out our Suggest a Winter Holiday Song Contest for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Musicnotes.com!

We’ve contacted our Guitar Guru headset winner for October’s contest. Thank you to everyone who entered for a chance to win.

Until next time, remember… practice really does make perfect!

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Song Requests in The Whole Note

Posted on Oct 23, 2009 by Monica.

Are you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? This television show, created by Joss Whedon, was about a teenage slayer who hunts vampires. Certain episodes were risky, creative endeavors that pushed the boundaries of this paranormal show. For example, Hush was an episode nominated for an Emmy with very little dialogue. Once More With Feeling was a musical episode that is widely popular, even to this day. The lyrics were part of the episode’s story, so characters often broke out into song. Of course, there were also a few random blurbs in the show that added a little bit of silliness, too.

With music and lyrics written by Joss Whedon, the songs offer a range of styles from jazz to rock to Broadway. Now, you can download digital sheet music for Once More With Feeling. Here are some of the more memorable songs from this popular episode:

• I’ll Never Tell which was sung by Xander and Anya
• Going Through the Motions was sung by Buffy, but was also sung as a reprise.
• Rest In Peace was sung by the vampire Spike to Buffy.
• Under Your Spell was sung by Tara to Willow
• Standing was sung by Giles
• Walk Through the Fire was sung by the cast from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In addition to songs from this musical episode, we also have more sheet music from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including the theme song.

Hit Songs from Your Song Requests

We are pleased to announce that we’ve added these brand new songs straight from your song requests from some wonderful performers!

• Fallin’ for You by Colbie Caillat
• Doesn’t Mean Anything by Alicia Keys
• Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood
• Wild Horses by Susan Boyle
• Winter Snow by Chris Tomlin
• Bridal March by Jonathan Cain
• Happy by Leona Lewis
• Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z with Alicia Keys

Stay tuned for more news about your song requests and Christmas sheet music. We’ve heard that some of you are already practicing Christmas carols, and we want to ensure that we get you the sheet music you need to sing or play for this year’s holiday season!

ONE WEEK LEFT! Take $1.00 Off Your Next Digital Music Purchase

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Spooky Broadway Shows, $1 Off Treat and More in The Whole Note

Posted on Oct 16, 2009 by Monica.

In this edition of The Whole Note, we’d like to turn your attention to the sound and stage. Do you know what’s lurking behind the curtain? We do! There are several Broadway shows that are perfect for Halloween. Whether they inspire you to dress up in costume or sing a little tune, we think you might get a kick out of these shows.

SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a Broadway show that first appeared on stage in the late 1970s. Based on a character from the Penny Dreadful serial novel from the mid-1860s, this spooky barber cut more than his client’s hair. Assisted by Mrs. Lovett who bakes his victims into her pies, this is definitely one of the creepier shows ever to hit the stage on Broadway. Songs include Green Finch and Linnet Bird, Not While I’m Around and The Worst Pies in London.

Man-eating plants from outer space, frightening dentists and big hair run amok in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. The show has a little bit of a “B”-movie feel to it. A popular show for a lot of kids, songs include Suddenly, Seymour, Somewhere That’s Green and Feed Me.

Both PHANTOM and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA were inspired by the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra written by Gaston Leroux. The story of a disfigured man-in-the-shadows who falls in love with a beautiful girl named Christine may be part romance, but it’s also a terrifying and tragic story, too. Over the years, the phantom’s signature mask has inspired many Halloween costumes. The new PHANTOM is more like the original novel than the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, but both offer memorable and haunting songs like Think of Me and Home.

Other Broadway shows perfect for Halloween include WICKED, JEKYLL AND HYDE, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

New Moon Sheet Music New Releases!

This week, we’ve added two classical pieces from the brand new NEW MOON soundtrack. Both of these songs are part of the bonus track on the CD, and sheet music is available for instant download.

• Die Fledermaus — Duettino: Ach, ich darf nicht hin zu dir performed by APM Orchestra
• Wandrers Nachtlied II, Op. 96, No. 3, D.768 performed by Ulf Bastlein

Be sure to watch Musicnotes.com for more updates about upcoming sheet music for New Moon.

Join Your Fellow Music Lovers on Facebook!

Have you visited Musicnotes on Facebook? We have been having a lot of fun on our Facebook page. Many of you have chimed in and offered us feedback or enjoyed our Facebook-specific contests. When you become a fan of us on Facebook, we’ll offer you some sneak previews that will show up in your updates.

Thank you so much for sharing your love of music! We hope you continue playing and practicing your favorite songs!

And if you’re on Facebook…we’ll see you there!

Trick or Treat! Take $1.00 Off Your Next Digital Music Purchase

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Interview with Georgia Stitt: Composer, Lyricist, Performer

Posted on Sep 25, 2009 by Monica.

In this edition of our Musicnotes.com Songwriter Spotlight, we turn our attention to the multi-talented Georgia Stitt who has worked as a composer, lyricist, arranger, music director, performer, vocal coach and more! Whether she’s on Broadway or working in television, Georgia is a consummate professional with a passion for all things music.

Musicnotes.com is proud to highlight Georgia in this edition of our Songwriter Spotlight. We’d also like to mention we offer a great selection of sheet music for songs by Georgia Stitt or the Alphabet City Song Cycle sheet music for piano and vocals, too!

Is there a difference between writing songs for a stage production versus a movie or a TV show?

Well, yes and no. In both cases you’re writing on assignment, as opposed to writing a song just because you feel like it. When writing for a project, either a stage musical or a TV/film project, you’re trying to capture the essential mood of the scene, the needs and voices of the characters, and you’re trying to take the listener from point A to point B in the storytelling. This is songwriting with a purpose.

Between the musical theater and the film world, there’s a real difference in the expected style of the music, but the essential task of why you’re writing the song feels more or less the same. The real difference is not between writing stage vs. TV/film, it’s between writing theatrically and writing pop music. There are rules in theater music that just go out the window when you’re writing pop songs, and vice versa. For example, in theater music, lyrics have to rhyme perfectly; anything else is considered a cop-out. In theater music, the singer makes a discovery over the course of a song and winds up knowing something at the end of it that he or she didn’t know at the beginning of it. In pop music, songs aren’t structured that way. It’s perfectly acceptable — even desirable — for you to sing about an emotion for three minutes without ever questioning that emotion. Pop songs say “I feel good.” Theater songs say “I feel good but it’s not going to last because you’re married but even so I’m just going to enjoy this moment while it’s here.” They are both unbelievably difficult to get right.

What are some things that you think about when composing choral pieces?

Like writing in any vocal style, I try to find the music within the words. Sometimes the rhythm of the words presents an idea, sometimes there is imagery in the words or I’m just responding to the fact that there are a lot of vowel sounds in these particular words. (Unlike other songs, I have always started choral music with the text first.) And then I have to think about what kind of ensemble I’m writing for. Is this piece for high school voices? Professional voices? Women’s choir only? What are the vocal ranges that limit me? (They’re bigger in professional groups than in high school or youth choirs.) How difficult do I want this piece to be? And because I come from a musical theater background, I’m always looking for ways to make sure the lyrics can be understood even when sung by a choir.

Some choral composers seem to enjoy just writing for the sounds of vowels or repeating words over and over again just because they’re there. (Of course, I love a piece of “Alleluia” music as much as anything else, but so far I haven’t written anything like that.) I want to make sure that at the end of a performance of a piece of my music, the listener has experienced something both musical and verbal.

Can you describe your role as vocal coach for AMERICA’S GOT TALENT in 2008?

“America’s Got Talent” was the third reality show for which I worked on the music staff. The first one was “Grease: You’re The One That I Want” in 2006 and the second was “Clash Of The Choirs” in 2007. On all three shows my job was to be a liaison between the singers and the producers. On the “Grease” show, most of the contestants were trained musical theater singers. They were amateurs, to be sure, but they had been in musicals before and many of them had studied voice in school. They were the musical theater kids. Then on “Clash,” the contestants were choirs. And again, though they were amateurs, these folks, both kids and adults, had experience singing in choirs. They knew if they were tenors or baritones, most of them could hold harmony and read music. They were the choir kids. And then, finally, on “America’s Got Talent,” the show’s contestants weren’t all singers, because it was a variety show. We had dancers, magicians, comedians, gigantic dancing balloons and an Elvis impersonator.

Of the 40 semi-finalists that year, however, 19 of them were singers, and several of those people had never had any kind of music training at all. So I was coaching them (one-on-one, several times a week) about vocal warm-ups, introducing them to concepts like singing harmony, using natural instead of forced vibrato, and musical phrasing. In one case I was desperately trying to get a contestant to quit smoking. (He didn’t.) One of our singers won the whole contest, though, and that was thrilling.

How has your educational background affected your ability to write and arrange music?

I can’t imagine being able to do what I do without having had the education I got. I started piano lessons at seven and played classical piano (competitions, juries, Guild) until I went to college. By the time I got to college I had a deep understanding of musical theory (thanks to my fabulous and diligent piano teachers) and breezed through a subject that was tough for a lot of my classmates.

In college at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music (Nashville) I majored in music theory and composition and had exposure to so many different subjects — orchestration, conducting, accompanying, arranging. And because of the wonderful liberal arts requirements at that school, I had to take classes that had nothing to do with music — philosophy, languages, history, English, computer science, and so on. I remember one of my professors telling me that you couldn’t be a composer unless you had something to write about, and that’s what the rest of your education was for. I will admit that a huge amount of my education since college has come just from doing it — getting hired to do a job and then figuring out what it is I needed to pull off. But I’m eternally grateful for the basic education I got at the beginning.

Have you ever directed performances of your own music? What was that like?

I have played the piano for many performances of my music, and I’ve conducted others. Honestly I have more experience being involved in performances of my own music than I have of seeing other people do it. I do a lot of concerts where I play and sing my own material, and I often invite other singers and musicians to join me on stage. I love pulling those things together, and I love it when a singer teaches me something about my song that I didn’t already know. What’s hard for me is sitting in the audience (or worse yet… watching on YouTube!) when someone sings one of my songs badly. I know that once the songs are out of my hands they’re out of my hands, but in that case perhaps it’s better if I just never know about it.

Which comes first for you – writing music or writing lyrics?

I usually start with an idea for a song. I try to find a point of view or an expression of an idea that I’ve never heard anyone else say quite the same way. Sometimes it’s the title, or the hook of the song, sometimes it’s a musical idea, a rhythmic or melodic theme. Either way, once that original gesture is in place it’s completely back and forth between the music and the lyric.

In my world, it’s absolutely important that the rhymes are perfect rhymes, so I spend a lot of time trying to find just the right words to express the idea without forcing the rhyme. And lately, I’ve been trying to make sure I don’t just regurgitate the same musical ideas over and over again. I find my fingers on the piano want to go to the same chords over and over again, so I challenge myself to write away from the piano, or to try something different just to see where it leads me. The best thing about writing both the music and the lyrics is that if you find yourself veering off in a different direction than you originally intended, you just let yourself go there. That’s where I always discover the best work.

Can you talk about the songwriting process for ALPHABET CITY CYCLE?

Sure. Marcy Heisler is a musical theater lyricist I have long admired, and I approached her about the possibility of finding something for us to write together. She gave me a file-folder of poems she had written that weren’t exactly theater songs but weren’t exactly art songs, either, and told me I was welcome to take a crack at anything in there that seemed appealing. It was like a treasure trove of possibility. There were so many fantastic words. Some of the songs lifted right off of the page; others required a bit of re-structuring to turn them into the pieces they became. But the twenty-minute, five song cycle (for soprano, violin and piano) that resulted is a special little gem that’s unlike anything either of us has written with anyone else.

Kate Baldwin recorded the songs so beautifully (for PS Classics and available on iTunes), and I’m thrilled that other singers are discovering them and responding to them so positively.

Is there a difference working in Broadway or stage productions now versus five or ten years ago?

Probably, but I’m just here in my studio plugging away. The economic state of America (and of Americans) has been a huge problem for Broadway. If people view theater as a luxury item then it’s one of the first sacrifices they make when their budgets tighten. In some ways it feels like Broadway has become so much more commercial than it used to be. A show won’t sell tickets unless it has a TV star in it, a title won’t appeal to the masses unless it’s recognizable because it was first a famous movie, a show that strings together a bunch of hits from a faded rock band sells more tickets than an original musical drama. It’s enough to make writers really discouraged, and then every season there’s at least one truly original, fabulously dramatic and beautifully-crafted new musical, and it keeps us all inspired and writing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring vocalists? Songwriters?

Find the thing that makes you unique and make sure you know how to showcase that to the best of your abilities. I grew up thinking it was so important to be well-rounded, and in my life, that has proven to be true. But in my work, the more sure I am of my own voice the better my songs tend to be. A singer/actor who can do everything well often winds up being the understudy. The star is the person who is so original you can’t imagine the show without her.

What to you is the most important element of a song and why?

Honesty. When a person tells me my songs are honest I feel like I’ve gotten it right. We all steal from musicians in the past, we all are the products of the music we’ve listened to all our lives, and we all are trying to write something that will appeal to a wide-spectrum of listeners. But if the choices you make are watering down your material, making it more generic or more derivative, then you’re not being honest. Sometimes the most honest and original voice winds up being the most universal.

What’s Next for You?

On the professional front, I’m finishing up a musical revue that I’ve been writing with songwriter David Kirshenbaum, and we’re hoping to start development on that in 2010. Cheri Steinkellner and I have a 30-minute musical piece that will be presented in NYC around the end of the year, and I have two book musicals that I’m shopping around: THE WATER (written with Jeff Hylton and Tim Werenko) and BIG RED SUN (written with John Jiler). Finally, I’ve started recording a new album that I’m really hoping to release in 2010 on PS Classics, the same label that released “This Ordinary Thursday” in 2007. On the personal front, however, I’m having a baby in October and that’s pretty all-consuming right now!

Musicnotes.com would like to thank Georgia Stitt for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions. We would also like to extend our thanks for the photos she supplied to us and would like to mention that Maia Rosenfeld took the photo featured in this post. The photographers for the main image are (from left to right) Maia Rosenfeld, Mike Rozman and April Mills.

For more about this talented songwriter, be sure to visit the official website of Georgia Stitt or visit Musicnotes.com for our catalog of sheet music by Georgia Stitt.

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Celebrate the Seventieth Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz with sheet music!

Posted on Sep 23, 2009 by Monica.

Based on a book entitled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the stunning musical The Wizard of Oz was produced seventy years ago today. Historically, the 1939 movie production starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan and Ray Bolger is considered one of the greatest films of all time and has inspired musicals like The Wiz and Wicked. Both the film production and the musical soundtrack have a rich history filled with interesting trivia. Did you know that the Tin Man’s makeup was toxic? Or how about the fact that Shirley Temple was also considered for the lead of Dorothy?

Musicnotes.com is thrilled to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Wizard of Oz by featuring beautifully-arranged sheet music and a gorgeous songbook. We’ve just received a brand new sheet music book entitled The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Deluxe Songbook from Alfred Music Publishing. This full color book marks the first time some songs from The Wizard of Oz sheet music have been published in over a century. Arranged and transcribed by Tod Edmonson and Ethan Neuburg, you’ll find movie stills, two songs from the 1903 Broadway musical production of The Wizard of Oz that include lyrics by original Oz author L. Frank Baum, biographies, fact-filled essays and more!

Cary Ginell, who works for Alfred Music Publishing, wrote the history essay for the newly published sheet music book. Not only is he a music historian, musician and author of five books on American music, he has a deep love of music that shines through his writing. We would like to extend our thanks to Cary and all the folks over at Alfred for sharing the news with us about this collector’s item, and offer our congratulations on a beautiful book. Here are a few more points we’d like to share about this sheet music book:

• For the first time, all the songs from The Wizard of Oz are presented in their original keys.
• Songs are newly arranged from rare M-G-M studio manuscripts & the original motion picture soundtrack.
• Includes biographies of songwriters Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, as well as music director/conductor Herbert Stothart.
• The “Munchkinland Musical Sequence,” is presented for the first time as it appears in the film: as an uninterrupted operetta, with all songs, dialog, and themes included.
• Music is included for “The Jitterbug,” a rare song that was deleted from the original film.

In addition to this collector’s item, we also offer the songs through our digital sheet music format.

The Wizard of Oz Digital Sheet Music

For those of you who enjoy downloading sheet music from our site, we also offer many of these songs as a digital sheet music download. If you’re a big fan of The Wizard of Oz, you can also check out our selection of The Wiz sheet music and Wicked sheet music, too.

Here’s a list of some signature song titles from The Wizard of Oz that we recommend:

• We’re Off to See the Wizard
• If I Only Had a Heart
• Over the Rainbow named “Song of the Century” by the RIAA!
• Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead
• The Lollipop Guild
• If I Only Had a Brain
• If I Only Had the Nerve
• The Merry Old Land of Oz

Be sure to place your order today for this spectacular collection of sheet music from The Wizard of Oz. We hope you take the time to watch the film or read the books, too!

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Great Song Requests and Vocal Method Book Sales in The Whole Note

Posted on Sep 18, 2009 by Monica.

From sheet music for songs from Glee to filling your song requests and adding sheet music for songs from The Beatles: Rock Band, we have had a very busy past couple of weeks. We are thrilled to announce several new songs that we’ve been working on. Some of these songs are older; some are “brand new.”

For example, we have sheet music for Meet Me On The Equinox from Death Cab for Cutie. This song is the first song announced for the movie NEW MOON, the sequel to TWILIGHT. The song Magic by Selena Gomez, on the other hand, is a song from the 70s that many of you have asked for.

Here is a list of some other great songs that we’ve been adding to fulfill your song requests:

• Send It On by Disney Channel Friends for Change
• Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus
• Bad Things from TRUE BLOOD
• Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
• Sort Of by Ingrid Michaelson
• Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
• Fire by Augustana

For those of you that prefer Christian sheet music, we’d also like to point out a few songs that we’ve added for your requests, too.

• Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig and Dean
• Follow You by Leeland with Brandon Heath
• He Is by Mark Schultz
• More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz
• Wait and See by Brandon Heath
• Lay ‘Em Down by Need to Breathe
• Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North

If you’re interested, please feel free to add your sheet music requests through our song suggestion tool.

Up to 25% Off Vocal Method Books

Are you a vocalist who wants to improve your skills? How about a singer who wants to improve your sight-reading? Whenever we talk about things like How To Find Your Vocal Range or offer some Sheet Music Sight-Reading Tips, you often tell us how much you appreciate the information. To help you become a better singer, we’re putting a great selection of vocal method books on sale.

From now through midnight, September 30th, enjoy up to twenty-five percent off select vocal method books. The price is automatically deducted from the books you want to buy; there’s no minimum purchase nor do you have to enter a coupon.

Included in our sale are vocal method books like The New Voice (How to Sing and Speak Properly) or the The Contemporary Singer (Elements of Vocal Technique) which we’ve pictured on the left. The New Voice method book has more of an emphasis on singing mechanics and is originally $15.95, but it’s on sale for $12.76, while The Contemporary Singer is perfect for vocalists wanting to appear on stage. We also recommend the book Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, for those of you who want to improve your skills in that area.

To take advantage of this sale, we invite you to visit our vocal method books page to browse our recommended titles.

Take 10% Off Guitar Guru Sessions

We recently had some fun promotions for Guitar Guru, like our huge $10,000 give-a-way, but we’re not done yet! From now until midnight, September 30th take ten percent off of your favorite Guitar Guru Sessions. Just enter code GG3TEN at checkout to take advantage of the savings. Limit one per customer.

You might want to check out some of the hot new Sessions we’ve added. This Guitar Guru Session of Yesterday by The Beatles has already hit our top five! With the release of the remastered CDs and BEATLES: ROCK BAND, Beatlemania seems to have literally struck a chord with guitarists. Check out these Guitar Guru Sessions for The Beatles to see some of the new Sessions we’ve added.

If you’re not sure what you want to play, here’s a few more suggestions from a broad range of musical styles for you:

• She Talks To Angels by The Black Crowes
• Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley
• Fridays I’m In Love by The Cure
• Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley
• Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet
• Breaking the Law by Judas Priest
• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones

Well that’s all the time we have for this week’s edition of The Whole Note. Until next time, make sure you tighten those strings and flex your fingers!

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