Noteflight Staff Picks – July 2023
This month we sat down with Aaron, one of our account managers at Noteflight, and asked him to share his thoughts on some of the most engaging and relevant content inside Noteflight Learn!
Aaron hails from Buffalo, NY, and has lived in Rochester, NY, since 2001. Jazz legend Bob Brookmeyer described Aaron as having “swing, energy, and musicianship to a remarkable degree” and said, “I would hire him. My utmost praise.” Having earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Staebell is an in-demand performer, clinician, and composer locally and nationwide. In addition to being a phenomenal drummer, Aaron is an educator at heart and has spent over 15 years teaching in the Rochester area.
Here are some of Aaron’s favorite pieces as well as a quick note to educators enjoying the last few days of summer:
Noteflight Account Manager / Aaron Staebell
This week, I am spending some time at my family’s lakeside cabin. As I write this blog, I can’t help but be influenced by my surroundings and this beautiful time of year. Here are a few ‘summer vacation’ selections, all of which you can find in Noteflight Learn! I’ve broken this into categories, but these pieces can be adapted and arranged for numerous educational and classroom purposes.
Choral: This one is for me, a child of the ’90s, and I blasted it on the drive to the cabin. Nothing beats the Backstreet Boys, and Deke Sharon has written a great arrangement of I Want It That Way for SSAAA choir. You can use this as a fun throwback piece with your choir or create a SoundCheck assignment in Noteflight and have students submit their own vocal recordings!
Flex Band: We always spend a rainy day watching movies and tv shows. The Noteflight Learn library has an immense amount of flex band content, including this flex band arrangement of The Mandalorian by Paul Murtha. Flexible instrumentation means that it’s playable in all kinds of instrumental combinations! This arrangement and the entire Hal Leonard flex band catalog can be found in Noteflight.
Strings: Last night, we relaxed at a minor league baseball game in town. It made me think of this clever composition based on “Take Me Out To the Ball Game” by Robert Gillespie, called “Play Ball!” Your intermediate-level orchestra will enjoy this timely piece, and it’s a perfect selection for discussing musicianship and performing together as an ensemble.
Jazz Ensemble: My daughter played the role of Olaf in her summer camp production of Frozen a few weeks ago. In Summer was her big number, and Rick Stitzel has an excellent arrangement for Jazz Ensemble. If you’re feeling the heat with a younger jazz group, check out this arrangement!
Essential Elements: As schools start back in session around parts of the US, many young musicians are beginning their careers with the gold standard for band and strings: Essential Elements. All of the Essential Elements method books can be found in Noteflight Learn, and the built-in SoundCheck assessment tool gives beginners an immediate advantage as they get instant feedback! Log into your Noteflight account to see all the Essential Elements content available from this popular method book series.
Whether you’re teaching a school band, choir, or orchestra, Noteflight Learn and our Premium Music Library will empower you to inspire, engage, and nurture the next generation of musicians. If you aren’t already a Noteflight subscriber, now is the perfect time to test it out and purchase before the school year begins!
Free 30-day trials are available at noteflight.com/learn and include access to the Premium Music Library of over 80,000 digital sheet music titles and access to SoundCheck Performance Assessment.
And don’t forget to check out our free Hal Leonard Certification Courses! The Noteflight Learn course is Tuesdays at 6 pm starting on August 8. I hope to see you there!
Musically yours,
Aaron Staebell