Staccato Spotlight: James Michael Stevens
Keyboard composer, primarily for Piano, Organ, Instrumental & Piano Duets, and Choir
ArrangeMe member since 2013
Over 6,400 titles self-published via ArrangeMe
Former SMP Press contest winner
James Michael Stevens is a prolific composer residing in Nashville, TN where he serves as the Music Department Chairman at Welch College. He also happens to be one of ArrangeMe’s top users!
James holds degrees from Samford University, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Kentucky where he obtained a Doctorate in Music Composition. With over 8,000 publications to his credit, his piano and choral music is published with numerous companies and can be heard throughout the world.
James is also an accomplished solo piano artist with albums available through all major music streaming services.
James’s (current) favorite composition:
”Safe Harbor” for Solo Organ
Performed by Carson Cooman, Harvard University’s composer in residence.
Sheet music available here
On his arranging process
“It’s very important to create notation templates for various instruments, ensembles, and transpositions so you don’t have to start from scratch each time you want to sit down and compose or arrange.”
“I write everything into Finale first which allows me to make sure the notes are correct and the chart is the way I want it. Then I record the piano, reading from the sheet music I have just created. It saves a ton of time once I get to the point where I’m ready to generate the PDF to upload to ArrangeMe.”
“When composing or arranging for instruments other than piano, I try to write a single piano accompaniment part that will work for multiple arrangements in different keys. It helps to think about ranges while arranging to make sure my writing will translate/transpose to multiple instruments and not fall out of range.”
James’s most popular arrangement:
“You Raise Me Up” for Solo Piano
Sheet music available here
Advice for arrangers/composers just starting out or looking to improve
“Start by writing for the instrument and musical area with which you are most comfortable. Then study as many instruments and ensembles as you can to expand your skills.”
“All advice is not equal. Study the very best composers/arrangers that you can find and try to learn as much as you possibly can from their work!”
Promo/social media tips
“I put everything up on YouTube and include the Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct links in the Description with my affiliate codes attached. I’ll post on Twitter and Facebook occasionally, but I like to be selective about what I choose to promote. There is a fine line between effective self-promotion and social media ‘noise.’”
How to be successful on ArrangeMe
“You never know what is going to do well, so you might as well get publish as many quality charts as you can!”
“Unless you have 100 or more titles available, you can’t expect to sell 100 or more titles.”
Listen to more of James’s music on YouTube and Spotify, give him a follow on Twitter, and check out his website jamesmichaelstevens.com.
