Welcome to the November/December edition of Gracenotes - the Sibelius USA newsletter to Sibelius enthusiasts in the North, Central and South Americas. As always, the intent of Gracenotes is to keep our readers informed about upcoming events, software updates and other news items concerning Sibelius, our products and the people using our products. We typically focus on interesting stories concerning music educators, fellow Sibelius users, and "Hints & Tips" documents, as well as news regarding upcoming event and trade shows.

As always, we're grateful for your input, and encourage you to email us at [email protected], if you'd like to share your thoughts about past, present or future editions of Gracenotes.

- Mark Ruch, Sibelius Gracenotes Editor

Can you imagine?

4th grade students composing for a string quintet?

Vermont MIDI Project Builds a Student Community with Sibelius Software

 

In more than 70 schools across Vermont, music educators are using the power of Sibelius and the Internet to give more than 7,000 students in grades K-12 a hands-on experience in musical distance learning that was never before possible.

The Vermont MIDI Project includes experienced-based classes in music composition, but that?s only the beginning?by posting their work online, the young composers get feedback from each other and from several professional mentors. Since they use Sibelius Scorch, which provides download of compositions for viewing and playback, mentors and fellow students can both see and hear the works, enabling a full creative dialogue.

To continue reading, please click here...

Featured Sibelius Users

Composer Alf Clausen Brings The Simpsons To Life With Sibelius.

 

Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? Who controls the British Crown? Who keeps the metric system down? And who puts the spring in Springfield? If the answers to those questions just started ringing out in your head, you have Alf Clausen to thank.

 

Since the second season of The Simpsons? seemingly unstoppable 16-year-and-counting run, the veteran film and television composer has provided the musical voice that defines the popular series as much as any drawing or script. And for the past three years, Clausen has relied on Sibelius music composition software to help him channel his high-volume creative output through the show?s frenetic production schedule.

Read more about Alf Clausen...

 

Pat Metheny Group Announces The Way Up Album Release and World Tour

Pat Metheny has cemented his place at the pinnacle of jazz guitarists - a position that is buttressed by a mountain of Grammy Awards, countless player polls, and a chronology of touring schedules that are too exhausting to even contemplate. Pat has consistently challenged, blurred and redefined boundaries in a multitude of musical settings and styles - keeping critics and fans alike on their toes and ready for practically anything. And despite his appetite for risk taking and experimentation, he has always executed with flawless dexterity and the utmost consideration for the listener. This ability to lead the listener from phrase to phrase, and from track to track, also extends from album to album - and nowhere is this rippling effect more noticeable than in the Grammy-laden wake of the Pat Metheny Group.

The Way Up is the latest PMG effort - due for release next month on the Nonesuch label. The album consists of one continuous 68-minute piece that Metheny composed with longtime collaborator Lyle Mays. And we here at Sibelius are not only anxious to hear what's bound to be one serious piece of music, but anxious to "see and hear" the score for the piece as well. It turns out that Pat, Lyle Mays and bassist Steve Rodby used Sibelius to score the live performance of The Way Up, - which according to Rodby has yielded some 500 printed pages. Along the way, they'd become very excited about Sibelius Scorch, and decided to make the score available to the public as a web-ready Scorch file. As most of you know, Scorch is a free plugin that allows users to view, "play," and share notation over the web.

The Scorch version of the score for The Way Up will be posted at the time of the album release - presently slated for January 25, 2005. We'll send out a reminder in the next edition of Gracenotes. For details regarding the album or tour schedule, please visit: http://www.patmethenygroup.com/

Back to the top

Buster Williams - On Tour and On CD

Legendary bassist and A-list sideman Buster Williams has played, recorded and collaborated with more jazz greats than we can begin to mention here. A very short list would include luminaries such as Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Count Basie, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon, Billy Higgins, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, Miles Davis, the Jazz Crusaders, Ron Carter, Woody Shaw, Wayne Shorter, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Williams, not to mention Sonny Rollins and Michael Brecker, Jimmy Heath, Larry Coryell, ? The list goes on and on. Williams has also played on a considerable number of soundtracks for movies, television commercials, and televised broadcasts, including live appearances on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show with Errol Garner, and then on the Jay Leno Tonight Show, where he performed five of his original compositions with the Branford Marsalis Tonight Show Band.

A study of his clear and lyrical bass playing is something akin to a dissertation in jazz artistry. You'll never encounter a phrase that doesn't support the form and the soloist, and you'll never hear a solo that doesn't bring something new to the form. And this artistry takes on even greater proportions when Williams composes. If you're a Jazz fan, we heartily endorse Buster's latest release Griot Liberte on the HighNote Records label. You're certain to appreciate the six original compositions on it, and if you're in the vicinity of LA, Albuquerque, New York City or Silver Spring, MD in the next three months, and would like to catch a live performance, you're in luck. Please check the Buster Williams website for details: http://www.busterwilliams.com/tour.html

Back to the top

Hints & Tips for Sibelius Users

Have you checked out all of our Sibelius Hints & Tips documents? They have been created by Robin Hodson, Eastern Regional Manager for Sibelius, and now there is a total of six available to you! To download these free resources, please visit our website:

Download the printable PDF versions of Robin's useful guides, click here

Hints & Tips for G7 Users

Get the latest G7 Hints & Tips: Inputting Notes. Created by Bruce Munson, Western Regional Manager for Sibelius, these references give some quick tips for getting started with G7. In this month's edition, get quick tips on how to input tab and notation plus other markings and text.

Download the printable PDF versions of Bruce's useful guides, click here

 

Back to the top

Upcoming Training Sessions

Are you interested in learning more about Sibelius 3? We will be offering full-day training sessions in many locations around the U.S. over the next several months. We offer two types of sessions: Sibelius ? Beginning, and Sibelius - Intermediate/Advanced.

Training Schedule

Date	Time	Location	Training session
3/12/05	9am?4pm	Villanova University Villanova, PA	Sibelius ? Beginning
3/26/05	10am - 5pm	Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY	Sibelius ? Beginning

 

For more information, or to reserve your space, please visit: www.sibelius.com/training

Back to the top

Upcoming Events

If we're in your neck of the woods, please drop by and see us. Here are the events we'll be attending: