Frequently Asked Questions

We would ask that you contact us before making any copies, and remind you that if everyone was to copy the information, the price would go up per page, or else the company will simply stop selling these innovative products that allow you to purchase only what you need.

When you purchase Longbow's pages, you are paying for the research, the score royalties, and information on useful websites that will save you time and money. Our hope is that the time and money saved will encourage consumers to be honest and allow us to continue to develop new topics for new subjects.

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A textbook has a hard cover, colour pages, and usually hundreds of pages. It is a valuable resource, but a costly one for a student who may be only taking one examination. Highlighting and taking notes on the pages of a textbook, which is common, ruins a book which should last a lifetime. Finally, textbooks are rather like purchasing a variety pack of juice - you invariably get flavours you do not want! The History à la carte™ system allows you to purchase precisely what you need and place the pages in a binder, in whatever order you like. It is also a simple way to keep everything else you might want in a single binder - review materials, essays, timelines, quizzes, etc.

Most textbooks depend on new editions to generate sales, but with the History à la carte™ system, you can just add new sections to your collection whenever you want. The list of available topics will be expanding all the time, so be sure to check for new items.

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Unlike a traditional textbook, the History à la carte™ sections draw on a wide range of resources, from music history books to mainstream history texts, to the Internet to conversations and correspondence with university professors all over North America. Quotes by other authors are avoided in the notes as much as possible (except for direct quotes by composers, for example) and every effort has been made to attribute a unique idea, perspective, or specific fact to the appropriate person. The footnotes cite permissions and sources and if anything is found to be missing, please contact us as soon as possible.

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There are three bound History books - Musical Overview, Early Music, and Modern Music - and three loose-leaf packages with the same name. Each bound book has an ISBN, Table of Contents, index, and page numbers. The loose-leaf packages have different colored paper, depending on the era:

Middle Ages: cream
Renaissance: blue
Baroque: grey
Classical: ivory
Romantic: green
20th century: white

Longer sections also have 'page 1 of 9', etc. at the bottom of each page to make organization easier. Loose-leaf packages often have choices for topics that you can add, and the pages are three-hole punched, ready to fit into a standard binder.

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Twice a week, normally on Mondays and Thursdays. We use Expedited Post or surface mail for most U.S. orders - please contact us before you place an order if you require a courier service, signature upon receipt, or other options. Whenever possible, we arrange to send packages from the United States to ensure the fastest service possible.

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So that you are paying only for what you actually need, similar to the bulk food section in a supermarket.

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When you purchase the pages, you receive a resource that is quite expensive to produce - we make our products in small batches to ensure maximum flexibility is given to the customer. Textbooks rely on selling thousands of copies and constantly changing editions with little actual change in content. Longbow's pages are standard which means that you can continue to build the resource, changing the order as you please, and you will never be stuck with a changing edition again. Each page is filled with as much information as possible - you do not pay for the blank back sides that occur at the end of some topics. The initial cost of Longbow's pages, should you choose to purchase most of the sections, is similar to a textbook, but it is a one-time purchase for teachers.

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When you research a topic, the best approach is to use a multitude of sources to ensure you understand the subject, reading several points of view, and gaining a variety of perspectives. That is what Longbow's notes do - save precious research time on the basic facts about a composer or piece. A great deal of time and research has gone into the pages, which include suggestions of where to find scores, listen to music, or learn more about a subject. The language is easy to understand and words are defined throughout the pages. Finally, you are giving complete choice in what you buy and how you arrange it, allowing you to add your own notes, review materials, scores, ect. which creates a unique, integrated study resource!

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If an errors, corrections, or additions are done, they will be listed in the updates section with the date when the changes were made. Check out our complete History à la carte™ list to see what new topics are being added!

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The study notes provide suggestions for websites where teachers and students can listen to legal music and/or download public domain scores. Check out our links page as well for additional suggestions. Some CD sets cover most of the music, such as the W.W. Norton CD set that accompanies The Enjoyment of Music textbook, and the 2 CD set Introduction to Canadian Music by Naxos is an inexpensive and excellent set of recordings. In addition, if studying for an examination, universities, conservatories and schools will usually provide you with a list of suggestions for resources.

We hope to provide scores on CD-Rom by spring 2009 and to work out an agreement with Naxos for online listening.

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Yes. The questions and answers relate to materials covered in the History books. Therefore the Level I Review & Resource CD-Rom corresponds to the Level I 'Musical Overview' book.

For students preparing for a NCMP History exam, be sure to check the Theory Syllabus for exam requirements.

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Yes; please click here to download the list of errati.

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