Spring is here: Flowers are flowering, buds are budding, shoots are shooting, and we’ve got a fresh batch of new creations ready for you!
Take a second and check out our new music for April 2021.
Six Things to Know About Copyright and Licensing
Monday, April 5th, 2021For music teachers, it can seem increasingly difficult to make sense of all the ways copyright and licensing can affect your musical and educational endeavors — distributing parts, holding concerts, streaming video performances, generating audio recordings, etc. Copyright and licensing factor into each of these activities due to the fact that they all incorporate someone’s intellectual property … but how?
This article, while not legal advice, aims to illuminate various paths you can take to ensure that composers and publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their intellectual property.
Sheet music (a.k.a. music notation or engraving) is one of the primary mediums through which music is communicated. Whether presented on physical paper or in electronic format, this form of music is protected by copyright.
If you purchase sheet music from a publisher, music dealer, or directly from the composer, you’re generally free to use it as intended – to read, play, and perform. Realize, however, that many publishers expressly prohibit photocopying, scanning, or otherwise reproducing scores or parts. It’s important to understand how/when you’re permitted to reproduce a copyrighted work, and the publisher should have its terms clearly spelled out, either in the copyright notice itself (usually at the bottom of the first page of music) or on its website. If scanning and/or photocopying isn’t permitted, don’t do it.
TMEA 2021 Update
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021
Texas folks! For obvious reasons, TMEA is going virtual this year. We’ve decided to forego exhibiting and have instead put extensive efforts into upping our game at tapspace.com where you’ll find us anytime! Our entire catalog is available there, and most of it is available for instant download. Also, be sure to check out the growing list of Tapspace UIL Titles.
We’re looking forward to seeing you on the Riverwalk in 2022!
Never Worry About Lost Parts Again
Thursday, January 28th, 2021
For years, most of our individual parts have come in PDF format. This allows for easy printing (and RE-printing should a student, um….misplace their part). It also allows for simple tablet viewing on whichever sheet music or PDF viewer you prefer.
Back in ye olden days (a.k.a. just a few years ago), these files came on CD-ROM discs that were included with scores. Needless to say, those discs are virtually useless today since most new computers don’t have disc drives. (Quick tip: make a disco ball out of your old CDs!)
Regardless, whether you have a CD-ROM drive or just download stuff from the cloud, we provide an easy way for you to maintain access to your parts.
Below, you’ll find some of the more common scenarios we offer regarding PDF parts.
Continue readingLatest Releases – January 2021
Monday, January 11th, 2021Looking to turn over a new leaf in 2021? We’ve got a boatload of new releases to help fuel those musical resolutions! Solos, duets, and ensembles for every ability level are on display in these latest releases – preview three months of new percussion music in just under 4 minutes!
A Quick Note on Virtual Solo & Ensemble Festivals
Monday, January 4th, 2021The COVID pandemic is prompting solo & ensemble festivals to go virtual. We aim to help make this as simple as possible for students and teachers. Rest assured, you may continue using music from the Tapspace catalog, both quickly and legally.
As always, we offer extra scores for adjudication at reduced prices. We offer these as physical scores, or (in most cases) as watermarked downloads. Both formats assure adjudicators that you have legally purchased the required number of copies for your event.
Typically, sharing video performances of our music would require a synchronization license. We are waiving these license fees in cases where the event has been forced to go virtual for pandemic-related reasons.
Also, we have joined a collective of publishers organized by the National Federation of State High School Associations. NFHS has established helpful guidelines for assessment recordings and legal usage of sheet music.
Read the Tapspace guidelines on virtual assessment materials. These policies are specific to events occurring during the COVID pandemic in 2020-21.
As always, please be safe. We wish you a successful and inspired Winter/Spring season of music making!
Latest Release Highlights (November 2020)
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020We’re always striving to put out great new music, and this year, unique though it may be in so many ways, has been no exception. We will certainly miss seeing you in person at the PASIC, Midwest, and TMEA conventions.
In lieu of our various annual “hangs,” we thought we’d share some highlight reels of our latest and greatest from 2020. While it’s been a nutty year, we’re so proud of this work and hope you will enjoy it!
We believe music is a powerful and connecting force, which seems more important than ever right now. Thanks for taking a few moments out of your day to see what our artists have been up to!
Visit our New Releases page to learn more about these pieces.
Virtual Drumline Tip: Integrating VDL with Dorico Notation Software
Wednesday, November 4th, 2020By Matt Ridge
mattridgemusic.com
One of the most popular uses of Tapspace’s flagship software instrument, Virtual Drumline (VDL), is integration with notation software. This produces lifelike, real-time percussion playback for composers/arrangers directly within the compositional workflow. Setup has been made easy in Finale and Sibelius for years thanks to third party plug-and-play mapping templates, such as those produced by The Write Score.
The nerds among us have recently been excited by a newcomer in the music notation market: Dorico. This program, built from the ground up by former Sibelius employees, brings a host of revolutionary features to the table, including: automatic condensing of conductor scores, incredible flexibility in note/dynamic input, cues updated to the source material in real time, handsome engraving defaults, and much more. As a constantly-maturing program, it’s sure to attract percussion composers and marching arrangers in greater numbers over the coming years.
Continue readingUpdated List of Texas UIL Titles (2021 update)
Sunday, September 27th, 2020
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) recently released their updated prescribed music list (PML) for percussion solo & ensemble music. Over 100 Tapspace pieces were added in the recent round of revisions. In other words, over 20% of all new percussion titles added to the Texas state list bear the Tapspace name!
The state of Texas is a worldwide standard setter in music education, so their vote of confidence in our catalog makes us proud. In fact, a majority of all titles in the Tapspace catalog are sanctioned by the Texas UIL. Download a complete listing of all Tapspace titles on the UIL list, organized by event, grade, and UIL code.
Continue readingTapspace Newsletter – July 2020
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020In this email: COVID-19 resources for teaching, Five/Nine Minute Drill online versions, Books available digitally, Tap-Off in the classroom, VDL/Sibelius tip, Videos and latest releases.
