The Method
About the Authors
Sandy Feldstein (1940 - 2007) was an innovator in percussion publishing and education for more than thirty years. He began his career as a performing musician while in high school and continued through college performing on all percussion instruments in all styles of music. During that time he studied with the famed Henry Adler in New York with whom he mentored both as a performer and music publisher. While still in college, Sandy was an editor for Henry Adler's music publishing company. This began his career of creating and editing percussion books and music. While editing many of the famous Henry Adler books, he began authoring and co-authoring products that were to show new directions in percussion publishing. Whether he was working with Roy Burns on the first series of multiple percussion solos published in book form, Vic Firth on Timpani solos with piano accompaniment or marimba books that taught bass clef and the balance of inner voices, he was always an innovator. In his twenty year association with Alfred Publishing as director of education and later as executive vice president, he continued to develop creative percussion publications including David Garibaldi's first drum set book and his own beginning snare drum method co authored with Dave Black, which today is one of the most widely used books in the world for beginning snare drum instruction.
After Alfred, Sandy became the president of Columbia Pictures Publications and Belwin Music. He saw the future of video instruction and purchased DCI video. Along with Rob Wallace and Paul Siegel he again changed the direction of percussion education. When Warner Bros. purchased Columbia Pictures Publications, he remained as president for three years continuing to push the envelope of percussion publications in print, audio and video. This catalog still stands as one of the most complete and innovative collections of percussion methods, music and videos.
In 1997 he began his own company, PlayinTime Productions, Inc. , and two years later became president of Carl Fischer Music. At Carl Fischer he was able to build a strong percussion publication schedule while continuing to build PlayinTime. The new DVD's and books by Dave Weckl, Akira Jimbo and DVD's in process by Ed Soph and Stanton Moore as well as classical percussion books by John Beck, John Tafoya and Nick Petrella are just some of the new exciting material he published at Carl Fischer. At the same time, PlayinTime began an aggressive publishing schedule. It has produced a series of four books co-authored by Vic Firth and Sandy reuniting an authoring team that started in the 1970's at Henry Adler. PlayinTime has also produced two drum set book/CD's by Ignacio Berroa and a complete band method, The Yamaha Advantage by Larry Clark and Sandy which continues to create new musical approaches for the beginning percussionist. In addition, Sandy produced a series of educational videos with his dear friend Wynton Marsalis. For more information on all of the PlayinTime products, please visit www.PlayinTime.com.
As an author he has published over 700 books and compositions that are used by students all over the world, but more important he has put his knowledge to work in shaping thousands of publicationsthat have changed and improved the percussive arts. Hundreds of authors and performers have been nurtured and mentored by him and constantly call for his advise which is always given with a smile.
As a teacher, Sandy began the percussion program at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York. While there he had the pleasure of working with students who have made their mark on the percussion teaching, performing and composing world. They include Gary Chaffee (a recipient of the PAS outstanding teacher award), Gary Burke and Murray Houllif. When he left to purse his career in publishing, his role at the college was taken over by James Peterscak who is still in that position today.
Sandy Feldstein was actively involved in the music industry as past president of the Music Industry Council, the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers. He was on the board of Music for All, the American Music Conference, the International Foundation for Music Research and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. He was also active in the International Music Products Association (NAMM), the Music Achievement Council and the MENC Foundation. He was the third president of the Percussive Arts Society and is credited for being one of the industry leaders who laid the ground work for the society as it exists today. In 2005, he was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame along with his good friend Steve Gadd.
Larry Clark (b. 1963) is Vice President for Carl Fischer Music in New York. At Carl Fischer he serves as Editor-in-Chief and coordinates all of Carl Fischer's publishing in all genres of music. Prior to this appointment he served as an Instrumental Music Editor for Warner Bros. Publications in Miami. His diverse background includes serving as the Director of Bands at Syracuse University and considerable public school teaching in the state of Florida.
Larry is well known as a composer and arranger of music for band and orchestra. His pieces have been performed internationally and appear on numerous contest/festival performance required music lists. He is an ASCAP award-winning composer, has over 200 publications in print and is in demand to write commissions for bands and orchestras across the country. Recent commissions include works for James Madison University Wind Symphony and the Palm Beach County High School Honor Band. His music is characterized by rhythmic verve, colorful scoring and playability at every performance level.
Larry's music has been influenced by variety of composers and teachers. He credits his father, a long time band director in Florida, for teaching him the joy of music. He was influenced early in his writing career by Robert W. Smith. His decision to pursue composition and arranging was influence further by Dr. John Hillard, composition professor at James Madison University. Dr. Pat Rooney, director of bands at James Madison University, gave Larry his first performance opportunities by performing his arrangements with the popular Marching Royal Dukes. Larry considers himself to be a product of the school band movement. His works are highly influenced by the standard band repertoire of composers such as Holst, Grainger, Schuman and Persichetti.
Larry is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor around the country. He has presented clinics recently at the Midwest Clinic, the New York State School Music Association conference, the Texas Music Educators Association conference, the Ohio Music Educators Association conference, the Florida Music Educators Association conference and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association conference as well as numerous guest-conducting appearances nationally.
He is co-author with Sandy Feldstein of the innovative new band method The Yamaha Advantage. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Florida State University and Masters Degrees in Conducting and Composition from James Madison University in Virginia.