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from "Ensemble" and "Wood Songs."

Brent Holl lives in Bridgewater, Virginia, and is retired after teaching General Music and Choir at S. Gordon Stewart Middle School, Stuarts Draft Middle School and Stuarts Draft Elementary School in Augusta County, Virginia for 33 years. He has done adjunct teaching for James Madison University, Blue Ridge Community College, and Radford University. He is currently the Basic Orff instructor for the summer course at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received a B. S. degree from Bridgewater College, an M.M.Ed from James Madison University, and has completed all levels of Orff Schulwerk Certification at the University of Memphis. He presents workshops throughout the Eastern United States.

Workshop Notes from Brent's most recent presentations:

Mr. Holl was the director of the Stewart Orff Ensemble, the eighth grade general music class at Stewart Middle School from 1992 through 2006. The ensemble has performed at the Virginia Music Educators Conference in 1992 and 1996, at James Madison University's "Mallet Madness" in 1997, for the opening in-service session for the teachers of Augusta County, Waynesboro, and Staunton, Virginia, in 1998, for the opening session at the American Orff Schulwerk National Conference in 1998, at Arts in the Park in Staunton, Va in 2004, performed in March 2000 at the National MENC conference in Washington D. C., and was invited to perform at the National Association of Middle Schools national conference in 2001.

Brent is also a professional folk singer and member of the band SHEN FINE. He plays 12 string guitar, 6 string guitar, bass, bohdran, and whistle. If you enjoy Irish music, ballads, songs of the sea, and pub songs, visit Shen Fine's website. View and listen to some samples of his first solo CD HERE.

Read Brent's Introduction

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Ensemble – Easy to intermediate pieces for Orff ensemble grades 4 – 8. (book/CD - $19.95)

A new, exciting set of pieces in progressive levels of difficulty for students in the middle! Your Orff Ensembles, percussion ensembles, and general music classes will love learning and exploring these pieces. The series includes traditional sounding Orff arrangements, marimba music, etudes for technique, and multi-cultural pieces. Forms such as the chaccone, theme and variations, rondo, canon, and arrangements of fiddle tunes from Appalachia and Ireland are included. The book includes a CD of studio recordings and live performances of the pieces. Several pieces from this collection were featured in sessions at the recent AOSA national conference in Las Vegas and were received with great enthusiasm! It is a great resource for this age group. Listen to some Real Audio samples:

Tick Tock Shock / The Dream / Canon in Dorian / Round & Round /

Cantique Exotique / Soldier's Joy / Devil's Dream / Spinning Song /

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Wood Songs - Pieces for xylophone and marimba ensembles grades 4 - 8 (book/CD - $19.95)

Brand New xylophone and marimba ensemble pieces for your general music classes in 4th - 8th grades. These energetic and creative ensembles will be your students' favorites! Excellent for building technique and that rich, precision ensemble sound. A winner! All pieces are especially suitable for your 6th, 7th and 8th grade general music classes but can be adapted easily for your upper elementary students. The pieces sound great on your homemade marimbas and on your Orff xylophones. Listen to some Real Audio samples:

See Dees / Noyce / The Hey Hey Jam / Jamaica Jazz / Cooking Light /

Jewe / Swishey Feet / Abudah / Orange Juice / Halloween /

Tom Bourne's marimbas make these pieces really swing! Go to his website for more information.

NEW!

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Canons Too! - An Active Study in Part Singing for Grades 4 - 8 ($12.95).

This collection of eleven canons and arrangements is suitable for young children in third through eighth grades. Six of the songs are arranged for Orff instruments. Each canon also has copying privileges so you can make every child a copy. All songs work equally well a cappella or with Orff instruments.

Teaching Suggestions and Lesson Plans for some of the songs are included. Contributing editor Rob Amchin has written an article to give many techniques and ideas about teaching rounds and canons.

This book is already a classic, but this new expanded edition is even better!

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The Beatin' Path Consort Collection and The Beatin' Path Consort Collection Volume II by Michael R. Nichols and Brent M. Holl ($5.95)

These two collections for SATB recorders include pieces that Michael and Brent have used with student and adult ensembles with great success. The arrangements progress from easy to intermediate and contain delightful melodies for all levels of recorder players. American folk melodies, original compositions, carols, and celtic tunes give this book a delightful variety of styles for every level of skill.

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Blue Dude ($4.95) 

An original blues arrangememt for middle school Orff Ensemble, this piece is a sure-fire energizer for your upper elementary or middle school general music students.  With lots of helpful suggestions for use, plus several ways of adapting the piece for diatonic instruments, this tune will be on the top of your pile of great teaching/performance pieces every year.  It's the traditional 12 bar blues with suggestions for accompaniment.  A winner!

Featured at Brent Holl's session at the national conference in Cincinnati in 2000, it received rave reviews from the session participants.

Hymns and Songs of the Brethren (Audio CD) $12.95

Hymns from "The Worship Book," the hymnal of the Mennonites and the Brethren arranged and performed in acoustic folk style using the traditional string band for accompaniment. Simple and direct, these are some of the folk songs that have been incorporated into the worship experience for the Brethren as well as some of the oldest gospel and traditional hymns of Appalachia.

View a Playlist and Listen to some samples:

Brent Holl