HAMMONTON, NJ – Aspiring musicians at Hammonton High School and Hammonton Middle School will benefit from the donation of 85 copies, valued at over $2,500.00, of Getting Music: The Basics For Rock, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop & Country by co-author Vincent Giannini of McLean, VA. At its meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2015, the Hammonton Board of Education approved adding Getting Music to the district curriculum.

“I’m a native of Hammonton and want to give back to the fine community where I grew up,” Giannini said. “Joseph Martino, who supervises the music program, reviewed the book and brought it forward to the music faculty for consideration. I’m pleased the Board of Education accepted my offer to contribute to music education in a town with a vibrant interest in threading all forms of performing and visual arts throughout the community.”

Music instructors at both Hammonton High School and Hammonton Middle School are looking forward to integrating the books in their classrooms. Mr. Matthew Engle, who teaches at the middle school, appreciates the non-elaborate style of writing that text uses.

“Music theory is a very difficult and complex topic,” he said. “But now, we will use this book to supplement what we already do in the classroom and offer students a new fresh approach and add in different viewpoints.”

Mr. Tim White, music instructor at the high school, explained that many students find music theory difficult to grasp.

“Most students that have garage bands or make music have no interest in listening to the drab dull talk of music theory,” he said. “This tool will allow students to become more engaged and appreciative of the art of music.”

Engel is optimistic that the book will appeal to students, saying that the book will hit a large target population: “our students.”

According to its Press Release, Getting Music: The Basics For Rock, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop & Country fills a gap in music books for teenagers and adults by focusing on the essential concepts modern musicians depend on. The audience ranges from beginners to semi-pro musicians who never had formal music training, as well as anyone just interested in how music works.

Getting Music uses a conversational tone and everyday language that make it easy to understand. Getting Music makes learning more connected to the modern musician’s interests. Its unique content ties music concepts to how they fit in popular styles, without bogging-down readers with the huge amount of classical-music theory not used in popular music. But Getting Music does not water down music theory; it focuses it.

Writing Getting Music was motivated by Giannini own experience as an adult music student. He explained, “I wanted a straightforward explanation of the end-to-end concepts and musicians’ jargon that performers of popular music need to know. I looked through at least 100 publications trying to find a book like Getting Music, but never found one. So I wrote it.”

Mr. Joseph C. Martino, the district art supervisor, is not only looking forward to a positive outcome in the classroom but also in the community.

“The whole idea of paying it forward is refreshing,” he said.  “One of our own [alumni] giving back to the district is a wonderful thing.”

Martino hopes this will inspire other alumni to do the same and give back to the community and the district. He explained that one small selfless action can make a tremendous difference in an individual’s daily life. Gianni’s example is a testament to this.

Giannini is a graduate of Cornell University, where his studies ranged from physics, mathematics and engineering to ancient art, classics and archaeology. He has over 30 years experience writing to make complicated topics easy to understand for non-experts, and describes much of his work as English-to-English translation.

Giannini’s co-author of Getting Music is professional musician Dennis Wells Benjamin. Their collaboration added a performer’s expertise to a newcomer’s perspective of what aspiring musicians want and need to know to understand and perform popular music styles.