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Staff Picks: August 2026
- 17 Aug 2026
Welcome to Schott Staff Picks, a monthly roundup where our ragtag team of musicians, music lovers, and afficionados pick out their favourite sheet music titles, both old and new. Whether it's beloved classics, contemporary soundtracks from our film fans, jazz standards from icons, or folk tunes from all sorts of composers and artists, our selection aims to cover every style, instrument, and difficult level.
So have a look at our picks for August 2026 below, and expect our honest, personal takes, including anecdotes, historical context, tips, and whatever else we think of as we recommend whatever might be piquing our interest!
RECOMMENDED BY ALISON
Easy Piano Pieces and Dances
Bohuslav Martinů
This volume of piano pieces by Martinů is a lovely selection, including little pieces focussing on rhythm, and exercises on patterns entitled ‘Crotchets and Quavers’. His harmony is always interesting and slightly unexpected! There are pieces inspired by dances of the early 1900s- the Foxtrot, the One-Step and the Black Bottom, which was a dance similar to the Charleston.
Martinů was a prolific composer and composed many works for piano solo. This collection is a great introduction to his musical language, harmony and style.
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My Neighbor Totoro
Joe Hisaishi
For August, I’ve chosen the full score of the beautiful Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro. This publication is the only Joe Hisaishi full orchestral film score (in print) that I can think of, and it’s such a lovely, well-made book. It presents a rare opportunity to study Hisaishi’s masterful composition and orchestration skills in action. I also just love the cover drawing of Totoro with his little flute!
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RECOMMENDED BY ELLE
6 Little Pieces
Nikolai Kapustin
Kapustin might be one of the biggest mountains for a pianist to climb. The jazz style he writes is complex and unpredictable, but also deeply rooted in virtuosic classical techniques. His pieces are fun and wild and interesting and unique unto him. But also, incredibly intimidating! For years, I’ve been trying to find in myself the bravery to learn any of his pieces.
After a bit of research and chatting with some shop regulars, it seems that if there’s any place to start it’s his 6 Little Pieces Op.133. While these are some of his easiest works, they are not ‘easy’. So, if anyone else wants to climb to at least 'base camp' of this jazz mountain with me, let’s buddy up and finally learn some Kapustin!
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Mikrokosmos Vol. 1
Béla Bartók
After finishing my degree in Music, I realised I'd never really taken the time to learn an instrument I'd loved listening to from the start. The piano seemed simple enough from an outsider's perspective; hit the right keys at the right times to play, more straightforward conceptually than, say, the guitar I'd been playing for years at that point. Alas, would that it were so simple...
Coming to terms with a slower start than anticipated, I looked around at pieces and method books to get started. Scouring some internet forums, I read about Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos. The composer wrote these pieces with the intention of exploring various aspects of music, namely: rhythm, melody, harmony, and problems more specific to the piano. Across six volumes, the works grow progressively more difficult, until you reach the 5th book, at which point you're playing concert-ready pieces. That said, give yourself a bit of time to get there.
An excellent resource for getting started with the piano, and worth a look as the Back to School season begins.
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