LSM Newswire

Thursday, October 8, 2009

New Wynton Marsalis Titles Added to SmartMusic

Compositions from Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning musician offer unique jazz practice tools

Minneapolis – October 8, 2009 – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) today announced that SmartMusic®, the music learning software for band, orchestra and voice, has added Wynton Marsalis Volume IV, a collection of 13 original jazz titles from Wynton Marsalis, in addition to the dozens of Marsalis titles already included in SmartMusic.

New repertoire includes: “Aural Oasis,” “For Wee Folks,” “Delfeayo’s Dilemma,” “J Mood,” “Melodique,” “Later,” “Doin’ (Y)Our Thing,” “These are Soulful Days,” “Naked Feet Running,” “The Cry of the Lonely,” “Big Butter,” “Gentleness” and “In the Heat of Battle.”

Students of all instruments can play Marsalis’ melodies, improvise over his chord changes and take advantage of all of SmartMusic’s powerful music practice tools. These titles also provide on-screen transcriptions of Wynton Marsalis’ rhythm section of bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Ali Jackson, and pianist Robert Rodriguez. Bass, drum and piano students can see exactly what world-class musicians play, hear it performed and practice along at any tempo, for a music lesson unlike any other.

“SmartMusic is revolutionizing music education.” stated Marsalis. “SmartMusic helps students develop the skills they need to improvise. As they master these skills, students become free to focus on listening to their fellow musicians, and thus are able to contribute appropriately to the democratic dialog that is the heart of jazz.”

“Wynton Marsalis is an inspiration,” added MakeMusic CEO Ron Raup. “His performances, recordings, compositions – and his dedication to music education and the arts – are nothing short of awe-inspiring, and remind us all to set our sights higher. Wynton Marsalis titles in the SmartMusic library provide students with a practical means to achieve the highest musical goals, and expanding on this repertoire represents very exciting additions to our comprehensive library.”

Search the library repertoire included with SmartMusic here. Follow MakeMusic activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and meet some of our employees on Flickr.

About MakeMusic, Inc. 
MakeMusic®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic Gradebook™, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.

About Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis is a jazz and classical trumpeter, composer, band leader, educator, and arts advocate. He is the winner of nine Grammy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, has produced over 60 records, and has sold more than 7 million records worldwide. Learn more at www.wyntonmarsalis.com.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Makemusic updates Finale NotePad and Finale Reader

Minneapolis – Oct 1, 2009 – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) announced today the simultaneous release of Finale NotePad® 2010 and an updated, free-of-charge Finale Reader™. Both music notation software packages support current operating systems and provide compatibility with files created with Finale® 2010, MakeMusic's world-standard music notation software program.

Finale NotePad 2010 represents the easiest and most affordable introduction to the world of music notation. Available as a download for $9.95, or purchased on disc for $19.95, NotePad lets anyone create, play, print, save and share music notation. Notes can be entered with a mouse, a MIDI keyboard, or by opening MIDI files. Music plays back with the nuance of Human Playback® and can be heard via the 128+ included sounds or through an external MIDI device. NotePad also fosters collaboration as it can edit, play, print and save files created with other Finale music notation products.

NotePad 2010 includes several new features:
· Improved Percussion Notation - NotePad simplifies the process of getting notes on percussion staves to look – and play back – exactly the way you want them to.
· Fully compatible with Finale 2010, PrintMusic 2010 and SongWriter 2010 files.
· Improved documentation, transparent selection handles and more.

The Finale Reader is a free download that can open, view, print and play files created by Finale and other MakeMusic products. In addition to full compatibility with files created by Finale 2010, PrintMusic 2010 and SongWriter 2010, this latest version of the Reader can also display colored note heads in files created with Finale.

"Finale NotePad and Finale Reader put the promise of Finale into everyone's hands," stated Ron Raup, MakeMusic’s CEO. "From music educators sharing Finale-created quizzes with students using the Reader, to composers and arrangers collaborating on edits to Finale scores with Finale NotePad, these two products let everyone participate in the world of music notation."

Learn more and download NotePad and Reader at www.finalemusic.com. Meet some MakeMusic employees on Flickr and follow their activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About MakeMusic, Inc. 

MakeMusic®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic GradebookTM, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.

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