FJH Music Company

Teachers keep coming back to the Measures of Success method books by Deborah A. Sheldon, which cover the full range of band instruments and remain popular across elementary and middle school programs. The New Directions for Strings violin method by Joanne Erwin is another standard choice for beginning string students.

Recent releases include Fanfare by Lauren Bernofsky for brass ensemble, Adirondack Park by Ryan Fraley for concert band, Helter-Skelter by Robert D. McCashin for string orchestra, and The Hive by Erik Morales for concert band.

Brian Balmages has built an international reputation as a composer and conductor working across orchestral, band, and chamber music. His work has appeared in Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and he received the A. Austin Harding Award from the American School Band Directors Association.

Timothy Loest is known for creating accessible works for young band that are performed worldwide. His composition Cloud Gate was performed for over 5,000 people at Chicago's Millennium Park in 2017, and he earned the Illinois Grade School Music Association's highest honor.

William Owens, a Gary native and seasoned educator, has composed over 300 titles for concert band, string orchestra, and small ensemble since 1993. His practical approach to composition for young ensembles has made his music a fixture on required lists nationally and internationally.

Carrie Lane Gruselle holds degrees in music education from the University of Wisconsin and teaches elementary and middle level strings in the Appleton Area School District. She brings classroom experience directly to her pedagogical compositions, particularly for string orchestra.