https://youtu.be/4aJdNunrqU0
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney have created their latest sensation that excites kids and adults with its catchy tunes. Like Frozen, Disney has gone above...
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute was founded in 1939 by a middle school music teacher and has grown to include six divisions: Philadelphia...
For centuries, scientists and the public alike have tried to
determine if talent genetically runs in families when it comes to music. There
are certainly many...
Updated February 17, 2023
Trombonist Amanda Stewart compares it to a slow-moving glacier – the gradual acceptance of talented women playing brass instruments in the...
In February, we celebrate past presidents and their contributions to our national identity. The legacies of our past leaders are played out in history...
Updated January 2020
The idea for Black History Month was developed during a difficult time for African Americans in the United States. In 1926, segregation...
Alex Meixner’s hands fly across his accordion when he plays crowd favorites at Oktoberfest celebrations across the country. The talented musician, who is known...
Each year when the annual celebration of our nation’s birth approaches, patriotic music becomes more prevalent in our daily lives. These songs paint a...
Updated January 17, 2023
Quietly, in places ranging from convents to conservatories to farms, extraordinary women have written innovative music without the benefit of fame....
Most people know Leonard Bernstein as a world-renowned composer and conductor whose contributions to music and culture can be heard in concert halls around...
The harpsichord holds an important place in music history. Its unique sound is instantly recognizable, flavoring the works of countless composers from the Renaissance,...
Few movie franchises have caught the world’s imagination like Star Wars. For forty years, audiences have been enthralled by the trials and tribulations of...
Among the great 20th century composers, Leonard Bernstein stands out as having impacted perhaps the widest range of musical styles. His works can be...
If there’s any time during the year that’s best for introducing classical music to the uninitiated listener, it’s summer. Thanks to seasonal changes in...
It was the Mid-West National Band Clinic, 1964. Merrill Jones sat alone at a table with his publishing company’s entire catalog -- one piece by Claude...
As a J.W. Pepper choral editor who is also a composer, I’d like to share some of my observations about self-publishing.
Self-publishers have been around for...
Crystal Desch and I recently interviewed Robert D. Vandall by phone. Robert Vandall is one of this country's most prolific and popular composers of educational...
Here is the second part of our two-part interview with Randall Faber. Dr. Faber and his wife, Nancy, are authors of the best-selling piano method, Piano Adventures® and many other educational piano...
Today we introduce a new series to the Pepper blog, Key People -- interviews with some of the most inspiring composers, educators and pianists in today's keyboard...
The 2011 Grammy Awards have scarcely ended and the music world mourns the loss of jazz pianist and legend, George Shearing. Recognized for orchestrated...
John Philip Sousa was born in Washington, D.C. in 1854, on G Street near the Marine Barracks. His father, Antonio, played trombone in the U.S. Marine...
By the 1970s there were many traveling groups -- some family quartets, some all-male quartets, and even mixed trios were seen traveling to churches and conventions...
I took some time today to listen to some of the incredible arrangements that have emerged from our newest recordings and found myself pondering the significance of shows such as "High School Musical" and "Glee" from a music education standpoint.
