When we were members of a school music program, we most likely participated in an honors festival, an adjudication or competition of some sort, or we were treated to an evening or clinic with a special guest artist. In those days, while we spent hours preparing to participate in these events, we had the luxury of simply showing up on event day and everything just magically seemed to happen. Then, when it was over, we hopped in our parents’ car and went home with lifelong memories and nothing to clean up. Now that we are on the other side of the fence, at some point in our careers we discover t ..read more

Editors’ Choice, one of our flagship services, represents the very best new music for every ensemble. The J.W. Pepper staff reviews hundreds of selections from a broad range of publishers, awarding only the highest quality titles our signature red check mark. In addition to being a helpful tool for teachers and directors, Editors’ Choice represents a major career aspiration for composers and arrangers! We invited composers who had one of their instrumental pieces chosen for the first time this year to be featured on our blog. Read on to learn about the respondents and their work. Jennifer Ro ..read more

Replace traditional flip folders and dot books with players’ smartphones! With FlipFolder®, band directors (yes, you!) can remove the stress of printing and organizing sheet music—and drill!—all while delegating tasks within the app to members of your staff and student leaders. Step 1: Download the app Welcome to FlipFolder! The app is free to download on the App Store and on Google Play. Visit the FlipFolder website to build your own plan and receive a quote. Step 2: Order clips FlipFolder offers phone holder clips for all instruments—even flutes! Clips can be purchased individually on t ..read more

The Fishers High School Marching Tiger Band is widely recognized as one of the best high school marching bands in the United States, and the Fishers Winter Percussion ensemble are three-time Winter Guard International (WGI) Scholastic Concert World Percussion champions. J.W. Pepper’s creative team visited Fishers, Indiana to spend time with the band and get to know their staff. Director Chad Kohler gave us an in-depth look at all the elements that go into leading the band’s front ensemble, including the technical equipment they use, processes for amplifying each instrument, and rehearsal stra ..read more

Richard Saucedo is an internationally renowned composer, arranger, adjudicator, keynote speaker, guest conductor, and clinician. He has written numerous acclaimed pieces of music for marching band, concert band, choir, and orchestra, and he served as a music educator in Carmel, Indiana for decades. Under his direction, Carmel bands received state, regional, and national honors. J.W. Pepper Senior Educational Consultant Scott McCormick interviewed Richard Saucedo and discussed Richard’s background and career in detail. Highlights include his composition strategies, his approach to designing com ..read more

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 jazz, stage & screen, and pop selections. For concert band and string orchestra, we’re featuring eight of our editorial teams’ favorite arrangements of film scores by Danny Elfman in honor of Elfman’s 70th birthday. Choir Singing familiar music builds choir students’ confidence. Plus, since they already know the melody and lyrics, teachers can devote more time to introducing new choral techniques! All 10 of these accessible arrangement ..read more

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 choir, and seven for orchestra.  All the pieces on these lists are Editors’ Choice selections, and most are relatively new. We’ve included a wide range of styles and grade levels, so you’re sure to find a few that work for your ensembles. Concert Band Fanfares Grab listeners’ attention with seven top-selling concert band fanfares! Exciting, uplifting, and relatively short, fanfares are effective openers for any performance ..read more

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 of new titles from all publishers and designating only the very best as Editors’ Choice. For the second year running, we asked you—our directors—to help guide your peers by sharing feedback on the newest selections. In addition to listing your favorite titles, we asked for a short statement explaining why each is receiving your vote: what excites you about the music, how you intend to use it with your ensemble, which musi ..read more

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 and beyond children’s animation to bring timeless music to everyone, especially with the hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Encanto’s popularity with children creates an easy entry point to fun choral and band experiences at all levels! Shop Our Disney’s Encanto Sheet Music Encanto Digital Sheet Music Downloads Our ePrint selections are available immediately for digital download at JWPepper.com. You can start rehearsing right away! We Don’t Tal ..read more

Planning for contests and festivals is a huge undertaking. There is so much for you, your students, and their parents to remember, and there can be unfortunate consequences if important items are forgotten. What’s the best way to ensure your ensemble is properly equipped to perform? We recommend creating a checklist for your ensemble, so no reed or rosin is left behind. Consider using our sample checklist below, which works for both one-day and overnight trips. The top section provides the vital details for the event at a glance, with the bottom half containing a checklist for students and par ..read more