Behind the Scenes: Creating an MBC Violin Volume

Many people have asked about what it takes to create a single volume of our Music by Black Composers violin series.

It’s very rewarding to make this wonderful repertoire accessible to students, teachers, and performers, but I bet you don’t realize how much work it actually takes!

We’ve never calculated how many hours go into all of these tasks. But just to give one example, it took Rachel Barton Pine, our Founder and Music Editor, about 300 hours to arrange the 29 piano parts from MBC Violin Volume 2 into violin accompaniments!

** Do you wish we could make MBC viola, cello, bass, and other instrumental books much faster? Donate now, and read more about how you can help below!

Here are all the steps that we need to do before we publish a book

Preparing for all violin volumes

• Rachel Barton Pine (RBP) and Megan E. Hill (Head Researcher) collect potential works (900+ works)
• RBP consults with Suzuki teachers to evaluate all existing violin repertoire for skill level and to discuss whether any works can be simplified
• RBP evaluates piano works for violin arrangement feasibility
• RBP evaluates vocal works, flute works, chamber works, etc., for violin arrangement feasibility
• RBP consults with Suzuki teachers to evaluate all non-violin works for skill level
• head researcher and entertainment lawyer create documents that will serve as legal agreements with living composers, heirs, and publishing companies; owners of visual images; and interviewed role models
  

  MBC composers collage

• head researcher gathers images of composers for MBC composer collage
• head researcher negotiates copyright permissions for composer collage images and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher works with graphic designers to create MBC logo and graphic brand materials that become a part of book covers, page layouts, and website
• head researcher works with web designers to create website infrastructure to accommodate planned content
• RBP invites leader in the music field to write Foreword
• RBP and head researcher edit Foreword and send to author for approval
• head researcher gets photo of Foreword author, including permission to publish it, and procures the necessary paperwork
• RBP and head researcher have on-going consultations with advisors about current anti-racist language practices

• RBP arranges solo part for each non-violin contender chosen from earlier stage (approximately 40 works)
• RBP records solo part of each contender chosen in earlier stage (approximately 70 works) and sends to advisors
• RBP collates votes and feedback on contenders from advisors
• RBP types solo part of each selected work into Finale (approximately 30 works)
• RBP adds fingerings, bowings, dynamics, phrasing, and articulation markings to each solo part
• RBP checks edits of each solo part with Suzuki teacher trainer
• RBP and pre-college teacher put pieces in order of progressive difficulty
• engraver enters existing piano accompaniments into Finale
• early music specialist composes realizations for bass lines of 18th-century works
• RBP checks each bass line realization
• composer makes piano accompaniment arrangements of all non-violin works
• RBP and head researcher check all piano accompaniment arrangements
• head researcher makes titling consistent across all works and adds composer data to Finale files
• RBP checks title and composer data for each work
• head researcher determines which pieces are protected by copyright, working with entertainment lawyer when necessary
• head researcher tracks down copyright holders (living composers, heirs, publishers) for each work not in the public domain
• head researcher negotiates copyright permission for each work not in the public domain and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher writes source notes for each work
• RBP edits source notes for each work
• RBP arranges all piano parts into violin accompaniments (approximately 30 works)
• RBP adds fingerings, bowings, dynamics, phrasing, and articulation markings to violin accompaniments
• RBP collates articulations and dynamics among solo part, piano accompaniments, and violin accompaniments
• RBP consults music theory professor with last questions about piano scores
• RBP adds courtesy accidentals to both violin parts of each work
• RBP tweaks basic Finale layout of each solo part and violin accompaniment and prints PDFs to send to colleagues for feedback
• RBP consults experienced pre-college teacher about playability of violin accompaniments
• RBP chooses metronome marking for each work with Suzuki teacher trainer
• piano collaborator checks piano accompaniments for playability and errors
• engraver does final Finale layout of solo parts, violin accompaniments, and piano accompaniments
• RBP checks final Finale files of solo parts, violin accompaniments, and piano accompaniments

• head researcher researches and organizes data for each biography (approximately 20 composers)
• head researcher writes biography of each composer
• head researcher consults with educators of school-aged students about each biography to discuss content and reading level
• head researcher creates glossary of vocabulary terms from each biography
• head researcher seeks approval of biography from each living composer and makes requested edits
• RBP edits biography of each composer
• head researcher writes biographical bullet points for each composer
• RBP edits biographical bullet points for each composer
• head researcher researches appropriate visual image of each composer
• head researcher negotiates copyright permission for visual image of each composer and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher edits and enhances visual images of each composer
• head researcher makes origin maps of all composers
• head researcher adds biographical bullet points and origin maps of all composers to MBC website

Feature article content for each violin volume

• head researcher writes or supervises writing of three feature articles (data collection and organization; article design; first, second, and subsequent drafts of text)
• RBP edits each feature article
• head researcher consults with educators of school-aged students about each feature article to discuss content and reading level
• head researcher creates glossary of vocabulary terms from each feature article
• head researcher researches appropriate visual images for each feature article
• RBP selects and approves visual images for each feature article
• head researcher secures copyright permission for each visual image for feature articles and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher edits and enhances visual images for each feature article
• head researcher researches and adds links relating to each feature article to MBC website

Role model interviews for each violin volume

• RBP selects role models in consultation with advisors
• RBP contacts each role model
• head researcher interviews or supervises interviewing of each role model
• head researcher or writer transcribes interview of each role model
• head researcher condenses and streamlines each transcribed role model interview
• head researcher writes short biography of each role model
• RBP edits each role model interview and biography
• head researcher asks each role model for final approval of their transcribed interview and biography
• head researcher researches appropriate visual images for each role model
• RBP selects and approves photos for each role model
• head researcher secures copyright permission for each photo for role model interviews and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher edits and enhances visual images for each role model when appropriate
• head researcher researches and adds links relating to each role model to MBC website

Recordings for each violin volume

• RBP coordinates with piano collaborator, engineer, producer, and venue to schedule audio reference recordings
• RBP and piano collaborator record violin-piano and piano-only tracks
• producer creates audio recording of each work, including piano-only tracks
• RBP checks audio track for each work, including piano-only tracks
• head researcher adds audio tracks to Soundcloud
• head researcher adds audio tracks to MBC website
• RBP selects young artists in consultation with advisors
  

  young artists, Adé Williams and Clayton Penrose-Whitmore

• RBP contacts young artists to make video recordings of each work
• head researcher obtains photo of each young artist
• head research secures copyright permission for photo of each young artist and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• RBP assigns works to each young artist and sends sheet music and reference recordings to them
• RBP coordinates with venue, recording engineer, and piano accompanist to schedule video recording sessions with young artists
• RBP attends video recordings as producer
• recording engineer creates final video of each work
• RBP checks final video of each work
• head researcher uploads each video to YouTube
• head researcher adds all necessary text to YouTube videos
• head researcher adds videos to MBC website

Additional book content

• RBP updates Foreword and sends to author for approval
• RBP writes Introduction
• head researcher edits Introduction
• head researcher updates About MBC
• RBP edits About MBC
• head researcher updates list of advisors
• head researcher writes or updates biography of each member of the team (writers, transcribers, arrangers, etc.)
• RBP edits biography of each member of the team
• head researcher obtains photo for each member of the team and works to procure the necessary paperwork from copyright holders
• head researcher secures copyright permission for photo of each member of the team
• head researcher collates all book credits, recording credits, and image credits for the back of the book
• graphic designer lays out text and images for entire book
• RBP and head researcher check layout of entire book

The tasks listed above are specifically for MBC’s violin series, and so as a violinist, RBP is able to contribute her expertise directly.

For other instrumental series, most of the tasks are the same, but many of them will need to be done by specialists on those instruments (either as volunteers or as hired assistants).

• perusing every existing work for the given instrument to determine skill level and recommend possible simplifications
• determining whether any other pieces are appropriate to adapt for the given instrument
• determining how to adapt a piece for the given instrument
• adding fingerings, bowings, etc. that are unique to the given instrument
• arranging second-part accompaniments for the given instrument
• making recordings of the repertoire

As a result, series for instruments beyond the violin require even more work and coordinated efforts among more people!

** Do you wish we could make MBC viola, cello, bass, and other instrumental books much faster? There are ways you can help!

Your generous monetary donations allow MBC to

• pay the salary of our head researcher
• buy sheet music
• pay our contributing writers, arrangers, recording engineers, young performing artists, accompanists, entertainment lawyer, etc.
• pay copyright permissions fees
• commission living composers for new works

Your generous donations of time and expertise help MBC in other ways. Many of the tasks above would also not be possible without the help of volunteers. A very special thanks to MBC’s advisors and the many pedagogues who have lent their time and expertise to this project!

While most of the work for MBC’s instrumental volumes needs to be done by—or under the supervision of—Rachel Barton Pine and the head researcher, volunteers can do other tasks of the MBC project in order to free up the core team to do the work of producing books. As a volunteer, you can

• make musical engravings (Finale)
• do web searches to collect pieces by living composers using our Living Composers Directory
• do web searches for resources to add to our various web pages (bibliography, discography, children’s books, etc.)
• enter data into our repertoire databases
• Spread the word about MBC! Like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
  • Tag MBC in social media posts.
  • Use our hashtags! #MusicbyBlackComposers #ExpandtheCanon #BlackisClassical #ChangingtheFaceofClassicalMusic

To get involved as a volunteer, please email us at editor@musicbyblackcomposers.org