Pianist Lisa Hilton performs at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston

Composer, producer and jazz pianist, Lisa Hilton, made another visit this year to Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston last week. On January 10, 2007, the Malibu California resident taught a master class for music students in the afternoon, and then performed a solo piano concert on the campus in the evening for the public.

“Perkins is such a cool school,” Hilton remarked about Helen Keller's alma mater. “There are so many musicians who come to Boston to visit The Berklee College of Music, where the finest musical students go, but music is for everyone and there are good musicians here too. I like working with Perkins students, and I know they appreciate it - I love to see the smiles on their faces when they hear the music.”

Hilton has also worked in California with blind and visually impaired children and teens, as well as helping to provide music bus-in programs for sighted children. “I became frustrated in the past when I suggested that the group I was working with provide a music concert for the blind and handicapped, and I was told that they couldn't do it because of 'liability issues'. That kind of thinking doesn't go over too well with me,” Hilton says wearily, “children and teens with handicaps are kids that we should embrace, not distance ourselves from. Music programs around the country have been dealt funding blows - I am committed as a professional musician to reaching out to all students - not just the most gifted or physically able.”

The event was covered by local newspapers and spotlighted on Boston's CBS affiliate, with videos also appearing on the internet. “When I taught the music class it felt like the paparazzi were there,” Hilton recalls, “but I could tell they were touched by how special a campus that Perkins is. You hear so many negative stories about the media, but all I saw were compassionate reporters and camera crews - I think they all spent a lot more time than they had planned to! When we were finishing up, I looked at one of the cameramen and said, 'it's fun here, isn't it?' He was in complete agreement. It's rewarding to see people recognize that handicapped teens, not just celebrity teens, deserve our attention too.”

Hilton also draws some of her inspiration in working with the blind and visually impaired and specifically helping Perkins students, from her family. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation funds some of Perkins's programming in the U.S. and abroad.

Music is an important part of the curriculum at Perkins, and the first school for the blind in the United States has more than 30,000 music books, scores and instructional recordings. For the visually impaired, the sense of sound is critically important to safely and successfully navigating and interacting with the outside world.

Hilton's latest CD, “Midnight in Manhattan,” is her eighth album and currently on jazz radio around the world. As one reviewer has stated, “In pianist Lisa Hilton's case, one hears echoes of such greats as Stan Getz, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.” Lisa Hilton's award-winning music is available at most online sources, iTunes and at her website, www.LisaHiltonMusic.com.

Perkins is the first school for the blind in the country, where Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, were educated. Today Perkins serves more than 70,000 people who are blind, deafblind or visually impaired with multiple disabilities-from babies to school-age children to elders-on campus, in the community and in 60 developing countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.Perkins.org.

For information about helping blind and visually impaired students in your community contact: The Junior Blind of America, at www.juniorblind.org.

Steinway provided a concert grand for the concert and The Back Bay Hilton Hotel also supported the visit.

Hilton is available for additional interviews and can be reached by contacting Paul Jean at 617-482-0042.

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Free Sheet Music

My first free sheet music is now available.

The title of it is "Hammock in the Philippines" and the free 6 page PDF sheet music is at

http://www.stevencravis.com/html/music/sheetmusic.html

and the free audio ( 192kbps MP3 ) is available at

http://www.download.com/stevencravis

--
http://www.StevenCravis.com
http://www.myspace.com/officialstevencravis
http://www.musiclearance.com

JOE YAMADA: Piano Sheet Music Now Available!

Happy New Year 2007!

We now have piano sheet music available for "A Silent Tear" by Joe Yamada. More sheet music will become available in the future. If you would like to suggest a track for sheet music, please
sign up on Joe Yamada's mailing list and include your sheet music request in the Comments box.

"A Silent Tear"



Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you all the best in 2007!
--
Best wishes,

Joe Yamada

solo pianist & composer

Seattle, Washington USA

CDs MP3s Sheet Music



Visit Joe Yamada on
MySpace!

Sheet Music by Laura Sullivan, Available Now

Dear Friends,

I'm excited to announce that several sheet music selections from my three albums have been published and are available now.

You may purchase sheet music by visiting this site:

http://stores.lulu.com/laura1007

Or, you can just go to my website and click on "Sheet Music".

http://www.laura-sullivan.com/


Included in the available sheet music selections are two songs from my forthcoming album, "Feast of Joy & Love". This new CD will be released soon.

Thanks so much to everyone who made requests for sheet music, and for your patience in its completion.

This comes with my warmest wishes for a Happy New Year to you all!

Laura

Louis Landon's "unwind" nominated in 2 categories

Louis Landon's latest CD release, "unwind", has been nominated by
broadcasters who report to NewAgeReporter.com. for the year 2006 in two
categories:

1. Album of the Year
2. Cover art

Go to http://www.newagereporter.com/admin/qualify.asp

Solomon Keal's Music Newsletter, January 2007

Hello everybody!

Welcome to the January 2007 edition of my music newsletter! Happy
New Year!

2006 was my second year in business as Peace of Heaven Music! It
wasn't quite as good a year as 2005... financially speaking that is.
CD sales were slightly lower, probably due to the rush of "Advent"
sales last Christmas. I didn't do as much performing in 2006. I
also didn't have any piano students. I did however do some
consulting, and my studio income was higher. Expenses were higher
in 2006 too, especially because I upgraded several things in my
studio, including a new computer, a new microphone, and new
software.

But it was great to be, yet another year, doing what I truly love...
music!

"Peace of Heaven" sales have been going pretty well. The CD is
available for $15.00. You can purchase it online from my website
(SolomonKeal.com) as well as from FountainPublishing.com. You can
also order it directly from me by sending me an email. Also check
your local New Church bookstore. You can now download individual
tracks from "Peace of Heaven" off of iTunes for $0.99 per track.

Kathy Parsons of Solo Piano Publications has written a nice review of
"Peace of Heaven," which you can read here:
http://www.solopianopublications.com/reviews/keal.htm.

I now have a new website devoted to the services that I provide! If
you have any questions about my booking rates, recording studio
rates, music licensing rates, piano lesson rates, commission rates,
consulting rates, or CD prices, go to
http://peaceofheavenmusic.blogspot.com.

Speaking of CD prices, here is my latest deal (I know I keep changing
the details on you):
As a subscriber to this newsletter, when you order 1 or 2 CDs
directly from me (at $15.00 a piece), you get Free Shipping. When
you order 3 or more CDs directly from me, you get CDs for $11.00 a
piece, plus shipping. Just send me an email to take advantage of
this deal.

My priorities for 2007 are:

1. Make sheet music available for my music.
(A majority of the emails I've received lately have been a request
for this. So it will happen this year!)
Speaking of sheet music, if any of you have specific requests for
which pieces you would like in sheet music form, please let me know.
I will work on requests first.

2. Work on another album.
(This could be any number of album concepts including: a flute and
piano album with my sister, another Christmas album with voices and
other instruments, an album of love songs with my wife, a blues and
jazz piano album... we'll see which one wins out.)

3. I'm working on scoring a documentary for Glencairn Museum.

4. I will be writing and illustrating my first book this year, which
is a new area for me; not music, but definitely still creative.

So it looks like I have another full year ahead of me!

As always, don't forget to check out Whisperings Solo Piano Radio
(http://www.solopianoradio.com) where my music is being played.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2007!

- Solomon Keal

Pianist, Composer, Recording Artist
"Peaceful Solo Piano Music"
Peace of Heaven Music
http://www.solomonkeal.com
http://peaceofheavenmusic.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/solomonkeal
http://www.cdbaby.com/all/kealmusic