This month we continue to add to the SmartMusic repertoire library with 24 new large ensemble titles for choir, band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble. We’ve also added an additional orchestra title and eight solos that are exclusive to new SmartMusic. See all the new repertoire. But that’s just for starters; read on for more.
Sound Percussion
Both classic and new SmartMusic users now have access to a new percussion method book from Alfred’s Sound Innovations series, Sound Percussion by Dave Black and Chris Bernotas. In an upcoming post, we’ll talk to Chris and Dave about the method and how you might use it (with SmartMusic) in your class.
Expanding the Free Library
New SmartMusic includes an “Essential Content” library that is available to everyone, even students using SmartMusic for free. Included are exercises, sight-reading tools, select state scales, and Sound Innovations, book 1 for both band and orchestra.
Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve added a collection of Halloween solos and four ensemble titles for band, orchestra, choir, and jazz ensemble to this free library. This music will be included in the Essential Content library until January 1, 2019, when it will be replaced with a new batch of free titles. See the Fall 2018 additions to the free library.
Experience SmartMusic as a Student with One Click
We’re also making a subset of these Fall 2018 free titles available to everyone; even to people who haven’t signed up for SmartMusic for free. Now, simply by clicking on a link, anyone can experience what new SmartMusic is like from the perspective of a student. To see what this means, click on one of the titles below – you’ll simply find yourself in the new SmartMusic, where you can play that selected title. (Here are some tips for playing and practicing with SmartMusic.)
| Title | Comp/Arr | Publisher | Difficulty | Ensemble |
| Country Gardens | Percy Grainger arr. Brant Karrick | Alfred Publishing | M | Band |
| City of Steel | Doug Spata | Alfred Publishing | M | String Orchestra |
| Contents Under Pressure | Vince Gassi | Belwin | E | Jazz Ensemble |
| Candlelight Canon – SATB | Andy Beck | Alfred Publishing | E | Choir |
Also included is an entire book of Halloween-themed solos; details below.
Why You Might Care
If you already have a new SmartMusic subscription, you can already access these titles, so why should you care?
Being able to send links like these make it incredibly easy to share the idea of SmartMusic with others. You might send one of these links to parents, students, administrators, or fellow educators; anyone who might be interested in what SmartMusic offers, but for whom signing up for a free trial might have felt like an obstacle.
What About Free Spooky Titles?
If you looked at the list of Fall 2018 additions to the free library above, you might have noticed that it included instrument-specific hyperlinks (for band and orchestra) to something called Spooky Solos. Like the four ensemble titles above, these too available without an account, too.
If, for example, you clicked on Spooky Solos (Baritone Saxophone) you’d find yourself in new SmartMusic, ready to play Bach’s Tocatta and Fugue in Dm.
Very Spooky.
The good news is that Tocatta and Fugue is just the first of 14 spooky solos available for free this quarter. To play other titles, simply click on SmartMusic’s Mvmt./Instr. menu and click on the resulting drop-down.
Whether your students have a paid SmartMusic subscription or not, we hope you have fun with these Spooky Solos this month!