About Us
A Brief History of JLJ Music Publishing
(A letter from the founder of JLJ Music Plublishing)
During my career as a string teacher in Mesa, Arizona, I have always looked for
new and interesting music for my students. Several years ago, I was introduced to
a series of tunes that were written by Dale Brubaker, a former orchestra teacher in
Tucson. He had written them for his students over the years as a way of
introducing new technical skills and reinforcing techniques they had already
learned.
When I passed out these new tunes, I could not believe the difference in attitude and excitement. The students were excited about the new selections and my elementary concerts were the best they had ever been. Students liked the songs much better (so they practiced more than ever) and since the songs were written to teach specific skills, technique developed much faster. Students, parents, and faculty were all very impressed with the orchestra because they sounded REALLY GREAT and our beginners could play something besides “Hot Cross Buns” and “Twinkle”
When I passed out these new tunes, I could not believe the difference attitude and excitement. The students were excited about the new selections and my elementary concerts were the best they had ever been. Students liked the songs much better (so they practiced more the ever) and since the songs were written to teach specific skills, technique developed much faster. Students, parents, and faculty were all very impressed with the orchestra because the sounded REALLY GREAT and our beginners could play something besides “Hot Cross Buns” and “Twinkle”
I mentioned the pieces to my colleagues and everyone wanted copies. They achieved the same results that I had and word began to get around that Wayne Roederer had access to some wonderful new beginning strings material. When I began receiving calls from Scottsdale, Tempe, and the surrounding communities I realized the importance of the works.
I immediately contacted Mr. Brubaker and encouraged him to find a publisher so other teachers and their students could enjoy the wonderful tunes. He contacted a number of publishing houses, but they were not interested. My belief in the value of these tunes was so strong that I decided to start a music publishing business. JLJ Music Publishing was launched and our first publication was “Concert Tunes for Beginning Strings” by Dale Brubaker. We now have a wide distribution in the states and even ship books overseas! We were so pleased with the success of Book One that we published “Concert Tunes for Intermediate Strings” (Book Two).
Everyone who has used the books has had the same reaction … kids practice more,
sound better that ever, and their concerts are much more enjoyable. The beginning
tunes don’t only play in D Major which creates variety and the piano
accompaniment parts, which are not difficult, make the tunes very exciting.
I would encourage you to also investigate the string orchestra pieces we publish. You will find more information about them on the website. I appreciate your interest in our publications and am confident you will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed teaching them.