STORMWORKS FIRSTS in Black & White!
 

There is no megaphone other than the word-of-mouth endorsements of fellow STORMDirectors and since many want to be first to be second, these facts remain:

    "Firsts are cool inasmuch as you get to make a list, but what really shines forth from this is the Spirit of the Composer. With brave Innovation at the Composer's core, the Music he writes reflects the same pioneering and ground-breaking." TD, retired Music Educator.

"Composer Stephen Melillo's STORMWORKS® Music & Teaching Tools for Ensembles of the 3rd Millennium™ was the first music publisher to disseminate Music worldwide using Portable Document Format or PDFs, literally at the inception of Adobe introducing the Software in June of 1993. (By the way, this is 17 years ahead of other organizations who have claimed to be the "first" in this regard.)" James Byrn, Music Educator
 


  • First Composer to self-publish: STORMWORKS (1992) (It actually began in 1988, but the formal date was 27 Jan 1992.  Haydn & many others of course... but in our Time.)
  • First setting of PDF Music: STORMWORKS (1993)
  • First CDR of PDF Music: STORMWORKS, The STORMQUEST Suite (1996)
  • First Score and Parts emailing: STORMWORKS (1996) (... to Scott Rogers in Norway!)
  • First internet REHEARSAL: STORMWORKS (2004) (This was a conducted rehearsal over iChat!)
  • First Composer of Music for Band to use DigiMusiCard™ (See Billboard Magazine, March 2008.)
  • First Film Scoring Book on iTunes Bookstore: Music to Picture
  • First to create PHOTORhythm™ & VisaREEL™ (2005-2006) (where Music is Visually Scored and the normal hierarchy of the senses is reversed in favor of Music.)
  • • First Teacher/Composer to formally and consistently implement the use of the “PAD Bass”:  STORMWORKS (1982)  Beginning as early as 1979, the PAD Bass was scored into the Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, and Concert Band.  The term “PAD Bass” was coined by Stephen Melillo to designate patches within name-brand synthesizers, as an integral part of concert Music orchestration.  (1979-80)  First used with Jazz Ensemble.
  • PAD Bass & STORMSystem:  http://stephenmelillo.com.hostbaby.com/guest_conducting__stormsystem/

    For more interesting “Firsts,” how and why they came to be, please read the Score notes to LAST WORLD STANDING.  This provides a 34-year History of the Evolution of STORMWORKS.
     
    Go here: http://stormworld.com/digital_libretti/, and scroll to “STORMWORKS Chapter 13: WHISPERS on the WIND (18 MB and a great history of STORMWORKS.)
  • 2 SEP 2023 - Announcing another STORMFirst, and Band World First, the Grade 3-4 piece, "Descent into Heaven" from STORMWORKS Chapter 21: WON WAY, composed for Band 12 years ago will be recognized with "New Age" Composers, Singers, Producers, and Musicians from the Grammy Community on WKUOS-FM. This recognition of "Music" and Message, rather than style, represents yet another breakthrough for Composers who write Music for Band, and the Directors who pursue and present such Music. Enjoy & Godspeed! S

 

A Brief Science & History of the PAD Bass.  Stephen Melillo, Last World Standing Score Notes.


“In 1979 while working with beyond-cutting-edge people at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I realized that the “future” resided in the use of technologies, which at that Time were unheard of or regarded as toys.

In 1980, I purchased a Korg Poly-800 Synthesizer and a Commodore 64 Business Computer, and with it, an outlandish-new device called a MIDI Interface. I was quick to incorporate them into the Music Education classes and of course, the Band. I still have these wonderful heirlooms as museum pieces!

In 1981, I incorporated synthesizers with my high school jazz ensemble and concert band. Also in 1981, some 25 years ago... a student who aspired toward attending the NYU Film School prepared a 16mm Film which was projected above the Band and scored Live via streamers and punches in a concert involving the student-made 16mm projected film, live Musical scoring, synthesizers, stage, lighting, and sonic effects.  This is a foreshadowing of the 2006-premiered piece "Last World Standing".

Ironically, and just as it did with Last World Standing, this film had stock footage of the Atomic Bomb within it and dealt with the effects of War.

In 1982, I began utilizing first a Yamaha and then a Roland synthesizer to generate a fundamental in the Band Orchestration, which up to that point existed only in the Orchestral world. Enter the PAD Bass!

In 1983, a wonderful and pioneering experiment in field Music called STUDIO SOUND IN MOTION made use of synthesizers, guitars, basses, pre-recorded soundtracks, (everything from dialogue tracks to machine gun fire, airplane crashes, and much more!) ... and all sorts of special spatial effects and sonic theatrical devices rendered live via power from marine-batteries. We were pioneers some 36 years ago! Those special kids will always be dear to me because of their unbridled collaboration in exploring new frontiers. It was all so fitting for the Music Education of that Time and for the Music Education still yet to be fully discovered even now.”
 

 

STORMFacts:


    1.    Current number of pieces in STORMWORKS: 334 movements, plus tools.
    2.    Number of Score Pages, all available as PDF: 7600 (just the STORMWorks or 277 of 1190 works) Duration of Current STORMWORKS: 38 hours.
    3.    Number of individuals worked with since 18 March 1996: 39,172
    4.    So far, 20 - STORMDirectors got STORMQuest, never touching their Music Budgets! How?
    5.    OFFICIAL STORMDirectors: 441 (#333 is Chris Behrens from Wisconsin)
    6.    The FIRST STORMDirector to acquire the STORMSystem via Sweetwater is Jim Kull from St. Charles, Illinois.
    7.    The 333rd STORMDirector is Frank Wickes from Louisiana State University!
    8.    The 2,000th STORMDirector is Larry Lamkin from Linwood, New Jersey!
    9.    The First Official STORMDirector of 2000 is Ryan Burnette from Winamac, WI!
    10.    The First Official STORMDirector of 2001 (the 3rd Millennium) is Mark Stice from Eaton Rapids, MI.
    11.    The First Official STORMDirector of 2002 is David Wilson from University of MS.
    12.    The First Official STORMDirector of 2003 is John Dorn from Concordia University of Seward, NE.
    13.    The FIRST International STORMDirector to get an entire Piece... O Come Holy Night... as PDF over EMAIL is Scott Rogers from Sandefjord, Norway! (Talk about saving some shipping costs! Way to go, Scotty!)
    14.    The FIRST OFFICIAL STORMDirector is Steve Olsen from Eden Prairie HS in Minnesota! Thanks, Steve!
    15.    The FIRST EUROPEAN OFFICIAL STORMDirector is Jack Haasnoot of The Netherlands.
    16.    The FIRST JAPANESE OFFICIAL STORMDirector is Takuo Ohtsuki of Kyoto.
    17.    The FIRST STORMDirector to get Music as PDF over EMAIL is Bob Casperson from Hastings HS in Minnesota! He also makes STORMPizza every Sunday! WOW!
    18.    The FIRST STORMDirector to invest in STORMQuest on CD-ROM is Wesley Russell from Joliet, Illinois! (Little did you know it then, Wes, but you made History. You were the Real first to get Music this way!)
    19.    The FIRST STORMDirector to invest in the COMPLETE STORMQuest (Hard Copy) is Frank Tracz from Kansas State University!
    20.    The FIRST STORMDirector to successfully make STORMSauce is Doug Fletcher from Indiana. Way to go, Doug!
    21.    The FIRST STORMDirector to invest in the COMPLETE LIBRARY, accompanying sets of Parts and all Teaching Tools is Keith Hodgson from Mainland High School in New Jersey! WO! Thanks, Keith!
    22.    The FIRST STORMDirector to invest in A WISH to the WORLD! on CDR, not one note heard... and do it without touching the Music Budget... is the completely *up-to-speed*... *oh yeah, he totally gets it*, Mr. Todd Statler from Eureka, Illinois. Way to go, Todd.
    23.    A New STORMWORKS record! FIVE Minutes from Commission announcement to Contract! This was achieved by synchronous email watcher and True STORM Aficionado, PHIL MIN formerly of Vestavia High School, Alabama, and now Professor of Music at the University of Southern Mississippi. WOW!
    24.    The FIRST AUSTRALIAN OFFICIAL STORMDirector is David Polain.  STORMRecord to send SCORE & PARTS (to Australia) 1:32!