J.W. Pepper offers many tools to make music teachers’ jobs easier and help them get the most out of their programs. Whether you are brand-new to the profession or a seasoned veteran, every teacher and director stands to benefit from using these resources! Most of them are available on our website at no cost to you, so getting started is as easy as creating a free account or logging in.
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Editors’ Choice and Basic Library
Music publishers release thousands of new titles every year. Our team of editors, which includes past and current educators, directors, and performers, listens to each one, checking ranges, difficulty, sing-ability, playability, and more. The very best pieces receive our Editors’ Choice (symbol) designation, so that you can save time in making your repertoire selections—and rest assured that you are choosing from the highest quality new literature.
Each year, we update the Editors’ Choice viewer on our website with watermarked versions of the music our editors have selected along with corresponding audio tracks so you can listen along. You get access to each selection from beginning to end as well as the ability to make notes or add items to your cart to purchase. Editors’ Choice covers choral music for secular and sacred use, orchestra, concert band, jazz band, and even handbell selections.
For music that has stood the test of time, look for the blue star (star) which indicates that a piece is part of the J.W. Pepper Basic Library. The Basic Library consists of proven repertoire that has achieved a high level of sales for at least five consecutive years. The list is constantly changing based on our latest sales figures, so you can trust that starred pieces continue to be popular with our vast customer base of music educators.
Teachers—especially first-year teachers—face long to-do lists. Editors’ Choice and Basic Library give you valuable feedback from our experts and your colleagues, so that choosing great repertoire is easier, faster, and less stressful.
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Reading Sessions and Reading Session App
Searching online for music and listening to recordings on our site is extremely convenient and helpful, but sometimes, you need to sing pieces live and discuss them with your peers. That’s where reading sessions come in!
J.W. Pepper works with many publishers and organizations to host both live events across the country that you can attend in person and virtual events that you can attend online, featuring full group read-throughs of the newest music released each year. Guest clinicians who lead the sessions are often either the composers of the featured pieces or fellow music teachers who can pass along relevant knowledge and tips.
The community aspect of these events is priceless, especially for new teachers. Imagine getting to know veteran educators and benefiting from their wisdom and experience or approaching the composer of the music you just sang to ask about a specific tweak for your unique ensemble. This knowledge is extremely valuable!
This year, J.W. Pepper launched a new Reading Session app which allows participants to access digital versions of music from both live and virtual events. You can make notes on sheet music in the app and even go straight to a purchase. The reading session app allows users to view full sets of sheet music for 30 days after each event and access lists of titles indefinitely, so you can always reference pieces you sang at previous events for future ideas.
Both live and virtual reading sessions can be enormously helpful throughout the year. Visit our events page or get in touch with your regional account manager for more details or to register for an event.
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ePrint, ePrintGO App, ePrint Folders, and FlipFolder App
J.W. Pepper distributes digital sheet music—including full band sets and scores—via our ePrint service, the ePrintGo app, ePrint Folders, and the FlipFolder app.
ePrint (symbol) is ideal for situations in which you need to get a piece of music immediately. When students forget their parts, last-minute gigs come up, or you just want to play without any delay, ePrint gives you instant access to the music you need. Once you make an ePrint purchase, you can print the music on your own or view it digitally on any device with the ePrintGO app. ePrintGO even lets you make notes and markings, and any purchase you make using ePrint is available via ePrintGO.
For teachers who want to go a step further and take entire ensembles digital, we offer a subscription service called ePrint Folders. ePrint Folders has three pricing tiers to accommodate one, five, or eight full ensembles along with custom plans. Once you sign up, you can digitally send out your music to your ensemble’s smart devices via ePrintGO or by using links generated from the app. Plus, you can collect all that music back in just one click. No more passing out or collecting music—and no more forgotten parts!
For marching band and pep band, we have the FlipFolder app. In addition to distributing and recalling music with one click, FlipFolder allows you to create a playlist for your band. When you select a piece, it automatically pushes to performers’ devices. They don’t even need to flip to the music—it’s right there, ready to play with just a tap! Wi-Fi signal in the stands or on the field is a nonissue: FlipFolder uses mesh technology, so that performers’ devices sync to each other without the need for an Internet connection.
- J.W. Pepper Blog and Social Media Accounts
If you’re reading this article, you’ve found the J.W. Pepper blog, Cued In! Many of our editors and other guest writers have contributed articles sharing wisdom from their experiences teaching music, including tips, recommendations, and repertoire options. You’ll also find inspiring stories from groups we’ve worked with over the years including the PYO Music Institute, the Mt. Vernon Historical Society, and even NASA. If you haven’t already subscribed, take a moment to do so now.
The J.W. Pepper YouTube channel, jwpepper1876, is the place to go for all our video content—which is extensive! We upload new videos regularly, so make sure that you subscribe to stay up to date. Content includes repertoire recommendations, footage from past reading sessions, interviews with prominent composers and publishers, product reviews, and documentaries including a full company history.
On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, we share featured resources along with the latest developments in the world of sheet music and music education. Follow us for fun and helpful content, including promotions for teachers featuring some great prizes!
Over the course of just one morning, you could be online via a smartphone, computer, whiteboard, tablet, or even a smartwatch—so we strive to offer unique content on each of these platforms. Our goal is to help you make great music, wherever you are!
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The Pepper Guarantee
J.W. Pepper is proud to offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with any purchase, send it back for full credit!
Along with the Pepper Guarantee, we offer music on approval to schools and other organizations. We’ll send you one copy of each piece on a pre-charged approval period. Then, you have 30 days to try the music before you buy and return any pieces that don’t work for your ensemble.
These options empower you to make the best choices for your students, risk-free. J.W. Pepper has been around for over 145 years, and our service is one of the major reasons why. We care about our customers!
This list is by no means exhaustive: while we’ve covered some of our main services, resources, and tools for educators, there’s much more to discover on our website. Check back for more information about everything we can provide for music teachers, especially new teachers. We know how difficult it can be starting out, and we hope to be your partner and guide as you begin your career.
Please leave us a comment below if you would like to see more articles like this one, or if there is a specific topic you’d like us to cover! As we discussed, you can engage with us on social media—we would love to hear from you—or give us a call (and speak with a real person). Don’t forget to subscribe and check back for more new resources and content!
