Warwick Music Ltd.

providing quality brass and wind music

[warwick-music]

WARWICK MUSIC GROUP WINS BEST IN SHOW

WMG has been awarded the NAMM 2016 Best In Show for the highly innovative pTrumpet: the world’s first all-plastic trumpet.

Over 100,000 visitors from 102 countries and regions worldwide attended this year’s NAMM awards in California from 21st to 24th January 2016. Exhibitors showcased the latest in music design and innovation.  

pTrumpet hit the right note with the show’s judges – leading retailers from across the world – to win in the highly coveted “Gotta Stock It!” category.  

Our award winning pTrumpet includes an innovative all-plastic valve system – the first of its kind – allowing it to be played straight out of the box with no oil. As the lightest trumpet on the market, it is also perfect for young players.

Steven Greenall, Chief Executive of Warwick Music Group said: “It may seem a simple task to create in plastic an instrument that is traditionally made from brass but, as engineers will recognise, it is not easy!  Our team of musicians, designers and music educationalists are some of the best and we are delighted their hard work and dedication has been recognised on the international stage.

”This is a tribute to the creativity and ingenuity of our British design team. After winning Best in Show at NAMM 2012 for pBone, we hope to return next year to make it a hat-trick!”

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Warwick Music Group hits the right note with CBSO sponsorship

Schoolchildren across the West Midlands will be able to get hands-on experience of playing a brass instrument thanks to our new partnership with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

We are delighted to be providing 100 of the world’s best-selling trombones, pBones, and the world’s first all-plastic trumpets, pTrumpets, for use by the CBSO’s Learning & Engagement department.

The CBSO’s Fanfare project will enable world-class CBSO musicians to introduce pBones, pTrumpets and other Brass instruments to young people in local schools.

Our new brightly-coloured instruments will also make appearances at the CBSO’s Family and Notelets performances, allowing for hands on experiences for as many young people as possible.

As a world-class orchestra with world-class musicians, there is no organisation better placed than the CBSO to showcase these innovative instruments and give children their first experience of the enormously fun in playing brass.

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A Modern Approach to Playing the Trumpet – Gerard Presencer

As many of you will have seen, Warwick Music Publications has just released Gerard Presencer’s latest work A Modern Approach to Playing the Trumpet.

This trumpet tutor book has filled a huge void in the Trumpet/Jazz Pedogogy world; this method offers traditional trumpet technique studies explained through the jazz idiom. The book integrates the jazz language and rhythmic approach into a technical method – throughout the book readers will come across exercises that contain rhythmic and harmonic language used in improvisation.

In an interview with London Jazz, Gerard Presencer mentioned that a book of this nature has been on his to-do list for many years, stating “something of a joke with my students, as it has taken longer to write than War and Peace”.

For those of you who don’t know, Gerard has been teaching Jazz trumpet for a little over 20 years. His teaching career began when he was approached at gigs by young trumpeters but soon led to one-to-one sessions for students at many of the London colleges.

However, as mentioned earlier, this book has been on Gerard’s mind for more than a few years. The idea was formulated from watching auditions and final concert exams, he noticed that no two jazz trumpeters had the same technical approach.

A Modern Approach to Playing the Trumpet will resolve such an issue, it will help develop supportive physical technique and muscle memory for improvisation on trumpet. Although predominately aimed at grade six and onwards, this is the book to get if you’re keen to learn about improvising.

If you would like to learn more about Gerard Presencer and his experience, please click here.

[warwick-music]

Go Glissando!

For all you trombonists out there who struggle to find the right information from the trombone world - fear no more; Glissando is here and it includes all the hints, tips, articles and interviews you could ever need!

Glissando magazine, is a quarterly digital magazine aimed at all things trombone. The magazine, which can be viewed either via the website, as a PDF or via the Glissando app, features interviews and articles from some of the world’s leading trombone icons; such as Equene Watts, Mich Rath, David Bremner, Wycliffe Gordon and many more.

The magazine released its first issue back in April, which you can download for free here, and has since released three more issues. Issue 4 which was released in December includes:

Exclusive interviews from Jazz stars Wycliffe Gordon and Bert Boeren

Advice from Roger Cutts, Principal Trombone of the Welsh National Opera

Articles on the trombone activities in Demark and Mexico from Professor Neils-Ole Bo Johansen and Wayne Groves.

Now thanks to their new app, Glissando magazine has become more accessible than ever. The Glissando App is available for iphones and Androids.

The app means that the quality information provided in the quarterly magazine is now more accessible than ever; you can access the Glissando magazine whilst on your daily commute, a benefit which is being enjoyed by Swedish trombonist Christian Lindberg and bass trombonist for the Rotterdam Philharmonic Ben Van Dijk.

You can subscribe for one or two years, four or eight issues, or purchase magazines individually at only £2.99, click here for more information. 

[warwick-music]

Michael Dease 'Coming Home' Jazz Transcriptions

Rob Egerton, The British Trombone Society, reviews Micheal Dease 'Coming Home' Jazz Transcriptions. 

[warwick-music]

Warwick Music Stocking Fillers

Whether you’re a last minute shopper or just looking for that extra gift to squeeze into someone’s stocking, you've come to the right place. We've put our heads together to create the ideal list of Christmas stocking fillers that are perfect if you’re struggling to find gifts for brass musicians.

At number five is a F515G Faxx Lyre for trumpet or cornet, it’s an essential piece of equipment for any marching musician. The Faxx Lyre is suitable for trumpet and cornet players alike and comes with a Lacquer finish, all you have to do is attach it to your instrument and clip on your music card. To find out more about the Faxx lyre, only £7.79 from Norman’s musical store, click here.

Our fourth favourite stocking filler this year is Slide-O-Mix Trombone Water Spay. This is just what every trombone player needs. It’s perfect for helping lubricate the six foot of tubing. This pocket sized spray is most effective when applied after trombone slide cream. Just click here to purchase your own bottle at only £3.00.

The Denis Wick Clip-On Digital Tuner is third in our Christmas stocking. This might not be the most essential item for many musicians but who can resist a little gadget at Christmas? This clip-on tuner is extremely compact and transposes at a touch of a button to C, Bb, Eb, D or F. The full-colour screen displays a needle which indicates the pitch, if correct, the needle will be centred in the middle of the screen. You can read more about the Denis Wick clip-on digital tuner here.

Just missing out on the top spot is the Hercules DS510BB Trumpet and Cornet Stand. This stand is strong, robust and flexible. At the flip of a lever you can adjust the peg height and flip it closed to lock it securely in place. The swivel legs are capable of fitting around other equipment, perfect on a crowded stage. You can find more information about the Hercules Trumpet and Cornet Stand on Norman’s website, just click here.

The last space in our Christmas stocking this year is filled by pBone Mouthpieces. At only £9.95 who could turn down the temptation to of squeezing these onto their Christmas stocking Wish List? The mouthpieces are fun and colourful and just the item needed to brighten up anyone’s day. pBone Mouthpieces come in a range of colours including blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, purple and red and you can find them all here. 

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Our Top 5 Christmas Concerts

The 2014 Christmas ads have been released and soon the festive season will be upon us. If looking for ways to enjoy the Christmas spirit this year, do not worry, we’ve got just the trick - our top 5 Christmas concerts. 

It doesn’t matter where you will be for this year’s holiday, Christmas concerts come in all forms and sizes, and will all guarantee to put you in the festive mood just in time for Christmas day. From small concerts in your local Cathedral, like Carols for All in Coventry, to large choirs in decadent chapels, like the Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College in Cambridge, there really is a concert for everyone.

At number five, Christmas with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is always a fun-filled festive treat. This year, Mark Williams looks to add a sense of Christmas fun to Christmas with the CBSO. Joining Mark Williams will be the incredibly talented Carl Davis, Lance Ellington and the CBSO’s family of choruses. The concert will be held on Thursday 19th December, Sunday 22nd December and Monday 23rd of September so don’t forget to book your tickets for an amazing night of festive frivolities.

 We’ve already mentioned it but at number four is King’s College’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The festival which began back in 1918 has grown from strength to strength. The service includes carols and readings and broadcast around the world live on BBC Radio 4 on 24th December. The opening carol is always the spectacular ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ but if you are lucky enough to be tuned in, see if you can spot the specially commissioned carol. 

You might not have known it but if new Christmas carols are what you’re after this Noel then there’s no better place to be then Riga, Latvia. The Night Prayer Concert by the Latvian Radio Choir, on the 12th December, is always packed with the latest choral music. The original and unique sounds, much of it coming from Eastern Europe, is brilliantly suited to the programme of music by Gyorgy Ligeti, Anders Hillborg and Arvo Part.

Just missing out on the top spot is the incredible BT Christmas Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. If you’re in London on the 13th December then don’t miss the BT Christmas Concert. The concert is filled with classic festive songs that have the hall of Royal Albert Hall singing along.

If Christmas in the Royal Chapel of Versailles doesn’t put you in the mood, then we’re not sure what will. The fantastic Ton Koopman has constructed a wonderful evening of music including; The Midnight Mass of Charpentier, the Grand Motet Laudate Dominum of Corrette and the Concerto Grosso of Corelli. If you’re lucky enough to ever be in Versailles on the 12 of December, don’t miss out on Christmas in the Royal Chapel of Versailles.

We’d love to hear your favourite Christmas concerts, please join the conversation @WarwickMusic or Like us on Facebook. And don’t forget, if you’re planning your own Christmas concert we have the perfect selection of sheet music to give your concert that festive feeling, just click here.

[warwick-music]

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Family Concert - Cartoon Classics

What’s up, doc? You might not realise it - but if you’re a fan of The Simpsons, The Incredibles or Bugs Bunny - you’ve probably heard enough classical music to fill a concert!

A vast majority of cartoons from 1930-1950 made great use of classical music to create animated masterpieces that would resonate with children for years to come. If you are a fan of classical music those particular childhood cartoons might just have been the reason.

If you ever saw Mickey Mouse & Friends – The Band Concert in 1935 you will have heard Rossini’s William Tell Overtue lead by Mickey while Donald Duck attempts to interrupt by playing Turkey in the Straw on his recorder.

Or 1957 you will have seen Bugs and Elmer Fudd perform Wagner’s Ring Cycle in the Episode – What’s Opera, Doc? – Chick Jones reduces Wagner’s Ring Cycle to just six and a half minutes.

However the greatest use of classical music in cartoons is in Disney’s Fantasia The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.  Although most people will have seen segments of Fantasia as one-off segments the music featured throughout includes Bach’s Toccata and Fuge in D Minor, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcrakcer Suit, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, Ponchielli’s The Dance of the Hours, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Schubert’s Ave Maria.

A cartoon concert could well be the best method of introducing the younger generation into classical music and, thanks to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, this is that concert: one hour full of looney tunes, silly symphonies and merry melodies for the whole family. Well-known classics including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, William Tell Overture, Ride of the Valkyries, Blue Danube Waltz and many more are brought to life by Naomi Wilkinson of Channel 5’s Milkshake and CBBC fame and the 80 distinctly animated musicians of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra!

The concert is not one to be missed and will even include free workshops in the Symphony Hall foyers from 1pm.

To book your tickets and for more information about the event please visit the CBSO website. 

[warwick-music]

At last! It’s here…..

Music for Junior Brass is one of Warwick Music’s best-selling ensemble pieces, used by musical directors and band leaders all over the world for their beginner ensembles. By popular demand the composer, Adrian Taylor, has not only arranged it for Junior Wind Band but has also added percussion parts.

There are 3 volumes of popular tunes and a 4th Volume of Christmas music perfect for your school Christmas concerts.

The thing that makes these arrangements perfect for any Junior Wind ensemble is that you don’t need all of the parts covered for it to work. Most will work with just the 2 trumpet/clarinet parts and a bass line form the trombones, tubas or bassoons. Another great feature is that each instrument has a more difficult part 1 and an easier part 2.

Music for Junior Wind Band Vol. 1

- Now the Day is Over

- Au Claire de la Lune

- Pease Pudding Hot

- Michael Row the Boat Ashore

- Aura Lee

- Mexican Hat Dance

- What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor

  Music for Junior Wind Band Vol. 2

  - Yellow Bird

- See the Conquering Hero

- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

- Men of Harlech

  Music for Junior Wind Band Vol. 3

  - Pastime with Good Company

- Pavane Battaille

- La Mourisque

- Elephant Rock

  Music for Junior Wind Band Vol. 4 – Christmas Collection

  - Coventry Carol

- In The Bleak Mid-Winter

- We Three Kings

- Jingle Bells

- We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Adrian has been a professional trombonist in the Midlands for over 25 years, playing with a number of professional orchestras, theatre companies and chamber ensembles, which have included the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent a few years playing with the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa and has been a founder member of Brass Pages Quintet, In-Slide Out Trombone Quartet and English Trombone Consort.

 As well as working as a trombonist, Adrian conducts the Birmingham Schools’ Wind Orchestra and is often invited to conduct other wind groups, brass bands and other ensembles. He is also a qualified teacher and teaches children to play all brass instruments for Services for Education – Music Service for the Birmingham area.

 Adrian has composed and arranged a large quantity of music, much of which is published by Warwick Music. These have included music for trombone quartet, trombone octet, brass quintet, brass ensemble, brass band and wind band. He also composed some short ensemble pieces for the Associated Board’s Music Medals and whilst in South Africa was commissioned to orchestrate several pieces for the orchestra.

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How to be ‘top of the class’

It’s hard to keep a routine up during the summer holidays, so if you've missed a practice or two then don’t worry; we've got just the solution. Our very own publishing manager has given her 3 top tips for making the first band practice slightly less painful.

Here are the Top Tips from the Warwick Music Catalogues:

Hands up, who hasn't practiced their scales over the holidays?? Well why not get back into it with Mark Nightingale’s – Tipping the Scales.

For those trombonists who have decided that this is the year that you are finally going to master reading tenor clef, take a look at Adrian Taylor’s – Introduction to the Tenor Clef.

Finally if any of you fancy yourself as the next Don Lusher or Jack Teagarden, check out the fabulous Michael Dease’s CD and book combination – Coming Home. The fantastic talent of Michael is wonderful to hear and for those budding improvisers you can learn so much from his transcription book.

Hope this has given you a little inspiration for the forthcoming term, and don’t forget, if you ever need advice on any of our Warwick Music titles, just email: [email protected]  

[warwick-music]

Calling all teachers...

As the new academic year comes near many of us will be left wondering how we can engage our young aspiring musicians? Thankfully, we’ve got three top tips for easing the pain of the early morning alarm by giving you some inspiration and ideas on how to make that first practice routine more engaging!

Here are the Top Tips from the Warwick Music Catalogues:

Why not inspire those who are keen to start the New Year with a new challenge? Our new Songs to Sing and Play are ideal for those children starting in a small group. Originally for Bb instruments they will soon be available in other guises.

If any of you are lucky enough to teach enough trombonists to constitute a Trombone Quartet, you should check out Robin Benton’s - Seven Easy Quartets or Dance Suite for Junior Trombone Quartet. If you are super organised you could even start rehearsing his Eight Easy Carols ready for Christmas.

Coming Soon! If you have used Music for Junior Brass in the past you’ll be happy to know that we are publishing the wind band version. Ideal for any school wind and brass band or group, and the best bit is that you don’t need all of the parts for it to sound wonderful!!

Hopefully this has given you a few ideas on how to inspire your students in the forthcoming term. You will be able to find all our publications on the Warwick Music website. Don’t forget, if you ever need any advice on any of our Warwick Music Titles you can email: [email protected]

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Ian Bousfield performs the world premiere of Jonathan Dove's ‘Stargazer’

Ian Bousfield has performed a stunning world premiere of a new arrangement of Jonathan Dove's ‘Stargazer’, arranged by James Kazik, for solo trombone and wind ensemble at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York as part of the International Trombone Festival 2014. The performance,on Saturday, 7th June, 2014 was with the Eastman Winds, conducted by Mark Scatterday. The arrangement was commissioned by Warwick Music and the International Trombone association and will be available to buy soon.

You can hear Ian talking about Stargazer here

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Merry Christmas

Warwick Music would like to wish all of valued customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Don't forget that the last for posting orders before Christmas is this Friday, so get your orders in quick!!

[warwick-music]

National Business Awards

Warwick Music has been revealed as a Future Champion for Innovation at the 2013 National Business Awards, which makes three major accolades for the business in as many months – following success as Innovation Business of the Year at the Nectar Business Awards and Midland’s SME of the year too.

Judges at the National Business Awards recognised Warwick Music of Coventry for its transformational pBone – the world’s first plastic trombone has now sold more than 90,000 worldwide – becoming the world’s best selling trombone. Warwick Music was the only business amongst ten finalists in the innovation category to be selected for the accolade.

Steven Greenall, Chief Executive of Warwick Music commented: “I’m delighted we have been recognised as a future champion at the National Business Awards for Innovation. Our innovation will likely be around for a long time, as opposed to technical innovations which can be short-lived.

“We always say pBone is innovation in its rawest form – we have taken something that has not changed in 500 years and done it differently. Thousands of people and young musicians have benefitted and continue to benefit from music through pBone, developing a lifelong skill which has benefits beyond its years.

“We like flying the flag for the creative sector and will continue to do so for years to come.”

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Birmingham Business Post Awards

30/10/2013 - Great news! We are really excited to announce that Warwick Music Ltd have won the Small Business of the Year. We are honoured to have won this local business award as there were some really strong contenders in our category. It was a fantastic evening, celebrating all of the thriving businesses in the Midlands.

[warwick-music]

Free for Halloween

30/10/2013 - We are delighted to give you a Halloween gift! Andy Derrick has composed a piece especially for Halloween ‘Ghost Dreams’. It’s written for 2 trumpets and piano, click here to download it for freeeeeeeeeeeeeee…….

[warwick-music]

Christmas is coming!

30/10/2013 - I know it’s only October but don’t be Bah, Humbug!! You can find all your Christmassy music in one place at www.warwickmusic.com. Whether you’re looking for music for your school ensemble or an extra piece for your brass ensemble we’ve got everything you need to make your concert festive. Now, where’s the tinsel……..