Sound Traditions Publishing was formed to publish the classic American music that is once again made available to concert instrumental groups (wind, string and percussion ensemble) that is at the foundation of our national music - marches, ragtime, blues dance, symphony and concert music either composed, arranged or transcribed by Stephen Kent Goodman. 

Although considered classic, it is by no means what has come to be known as "classical". Rather, it walks the line between "popular" and "classical" and represents audience-friendly melodies and harmonies that will make any instrumental group (from saxophone quartets to large symphony orchestras as well as concert bands) to a single pianist, a hit with any audience, young or old alike. 

The music you will find here is principally ragtime, America's first national music. It is an often ignored and/or misunderstood genre, subjected to misinterpretation by well-meaning musical historians who incorrectly call it "early jazz". In fact, one of the original "big 3" ragtime composers, James Scott, composed a work in 1921 titled Don't Jazz Me I'm Music to attempt to educate the public on the difference. The ragtime you find here is both originally written for and arranged for a variety of instrumental combinations, dispelling the myth that ragtime was primarily piano music when in truth all sorts of instrumental combinations performed it in a wide variety of performance venues. Now your ensemble may once again play this lively, optimistic, energetic music that America grew great on.

RAGards,

Stephen Kent Goodman 
 

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Highest Quality Traditional American Music