More than three years ago, an effort was launched at J.W. Pepper to make it easier for music teachers and directors to find compositions that work well for their ensemble. Developers working on the MINTS project (Music INsight Technology System) created a patent-pending software engine that can “read” music notation, so to speak, to give relevant information about scores.
The first benefit of this project is now available on Pepper’s website. For more than 6,000 best-selling band and orchestra pieces, MINTS now provides the range and tessitura for each part, along with the instrumentation. In future stages, choral works will be analyzed and added, along with more instrumental pieces.
Likewise, other enhanced features are in the works. These will include key and meter insights. Right now viewers can see helpful graphical information like the image below on sheet music products with MINTS details:
To view these new features, users must be logged in. Customers who don’t have an account can register by selecting the New Customer option from the My Account drop-down in the upper right-hand corner of Pepper’s website.
Titles with MINTS information can be found on the MINTS concert band and orchestra pages. Customers can also filter selections on instrumental pages by choosing the MINTS option under “Pepper Exclusives.”
If you have any questions or suggestions, please add them in the comments below or contact us at satisfaction@jwpepper.com. Details about MINTS also are available on our MINTS webpage here.
