Richard Saucedo is an internationally renowned composer, arranger, adjudicator, keynote speaker, guest conductor, and clinician. He has written numerous acclaimed pieces of music for...
Delight students and wow audiences with educationally valuable pop music that’s fun both to play and to hear!
For choir, we’re featuring 10 new vocal...
Contest and festival season is coming soon! Prepare for coming performances with seven well-written and educationally valuable titles for concert band, 10 for treble...
Directors’ Vote: The Results Are In! The Most Popular 2022–2023 Editors’ Choice Selections
Each year, our editors help directors find repertoire faster by reviewing thousands...
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...
Sight Reading Music Practice
Now is the perfect time to work on sight-reading skills. Students can use their moments at home to strengthen their ability...
The executive director of the National String Project Consortium (NSPC) didn’t mince words when she described the effort involved in completing an extraordinary virtual...
Internationally known for his saxophone playing and improvisational prowess, Jeff Coffin is also a composer, educator, and author. When not on stage with the...
For nearly a century, the Orff approach has been used to help children explore the world of music. This experience usually includes opportunities for...
Composers have many considerations when creating pieces for student ensembles. Among other things, they have to ensure their works have the right balance of...
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...
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, composer John Mackey grew up without formal music lessons.
Though his mother played the flute and the family owned a piano,...
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...
David Kim paused after playing a few exquisite bars of music on his Italian violin. The concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra seemed concerned that...
As a jazz educator and president of the Jazz Education Network (JEN), I have seen literally thousands of lives impacted by studying improvisational music...
There are many moving parts involved in managing music ensembles. Between keeping track of inventory, communicating with students and parents, coordinating volunteers, planning trips,...
Throughout the year, Pepper has been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first jazz recording by sharing interviews with modern jazz legends, descriptions of...
One of the staples for any general music classroom, regardless of level, is instruments: barred instruments, recorders, rhythm instruments, percussion instruments, piano or electronic...
Throughout 2017, Pepper has joined the musical world in celebrating 100 years of recorded jazz. An integral part of our national history, jazz music...
Choosing the right accessories for your ensemble can be tricky, especially on a budget. Some accessories can greatly affect the overall sound and efficacy...
Ten-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval has seen his beloved Latin jazz rise from local tradition to worldwide sensation. Pepper was honored to speak with...
Eddie Palmieri is a pioneer of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz music. One of the greats, alongside contemporaries Paquito D’Rivera and Arturo Sandoval, Palmieri has...
Every spring, orchestra teachers anticipate getting next year’s rosters. They give a good indication of the instrumentation they'll be working with in the coming...
Stylistically and culturally, jazz music has had an enormous impact on American music, influencing many of the most beloved musical minds of our time....
Composer Brian Balmages’ sheet music can be found in music rooms across the nation. He has written music for every skill level from very easy to advanced....
Wynn-Anne Rossi is known to the music world as a talented pianist, dynamic composer, and dedicated music educator. Throughout her life, she has combined...
On September 10, 2015, Pepper welcomed world-renowned saxophonist David Liebman, the latest music legend to take part in our Jazz with Pepper master class...
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...
On Wednesday, February 11th, the Jazz With Pepper series continued with a visit from guitar legend Pat Martino. Eager musicians of all ages filled the...
Recently, Pepper had the privilege to speak with Debra Reilly, a 2015 Grammy nominee for the Music Educator Award. Ms. Reilly teaches and directs the string programs for Springhouse and Orefield...
They came to hear one of the masters. High School musicians, old-school jazz players and everything in between from all over the Philadelphia area. ...
With limited resources for many music programs these days, proper instrument upkeep has never been more important. While you need to handle major repairs...
With marching band season gearing up once again, directors find themselves looking to their flock of students in search of that indispensible percentage that...
Looking back on my high school and college percussion studies, I recall working through many of Garwood Whaley’s books. I particularly liked working with Recital...
Sean O’Loughlin is a rising name in the music world. His music is characterized by vibrant rhythms, passionate melodies, and colorful scoring.
Commissions and conducting...
Larry Clark's pieces have been performed internationally and appear on numerous contest/festival lists. He is an ASCAP award-winning composer with over 200 titles in...
A graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington), and Director of Band Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Michael Sweeney has over 500 publications...
An active composer, conductor and performer, Brian Balmages' fresh style of composition has put him in high demand for his wind, brass and orchestral...
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Robert Sheldon, Concert Band Editor for Alfred Music Publishing, and was able to gain some insight into the...
