About Us

Santorella Publications’ mission is to provide the best assortment, quality and price of print music in the industry. We have risen from humble beginnings to become a strong competitor in the publishing industry. Starting in 1994, armed with one book, a list of retailers and a telephone, Tony Santorella set out to create a publishing company that was unique in its product diversity and foremost customer care. Out of a small damp cellar room, came a company determined to differentiate itself from the competition. Today, it is our unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and product diversity that has fueled fifteen years of phenomenal growth.

The varied interests and strengths of our talented teachers, authors, editors and arrangers have played a large role in the success of our unique catalog. Piano solos and collections by our multifaceted author Jonathon Robbins range from simple jazz to demanding classical pieces. The Keyboard Kids methods by Carolyn Carson are essential for children venturing into the world of music. Our horn solos and collections by Tony Santorella, Jonathon Robbins and Lee West span various genres, including classical, jazz, patriotic and sacred and far surpass the quality of similar publications in circulation. Our guitar library was established when Roy Clark signed on to create a series of educational books. Fifteen years and nearly 700 titles later, the success of Roy’s methods including his Big Note Songbook sales through television media launched our guitar catalog. Thanks to Robert Tarchara and Jerry George we’ve grown our guitar line to include classical and fingerstyle pieces. Their solos and collections are unquestionably some of the finest arrangements ever written.  

Following the success of these instrumental publications, we were able to expand our catalog into more diverse areas, the first of which was the sparse accordion genre. Accordion music had practically vanished into obscurity, but along with Helene Criscio, Gary Dahl, Frank Mucedola, Henry Doktorski and Jay Latulippe we were able to breathe new life into it. We were commissioned by the Accordion Teachers Association of Massachusetts (ATAM) to develop a new method for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in doing so, established new guidelines for teaching accordion. Santorella’s Beginning Accordion Course by Jay Latulippe is currently one of the best selling methods in not only Massachusetts, but around the globe.

Over the last few years, thanks to the genius of Mr. Larry McCabe, we launched an incredibly successful acoustic string series of “how to” books on playing guitar, fiddle, banjo, ukulele, dulcimer and autoharp. This evolution was natural for our company being that our relationship with Roy Clark has developed immensely. The direct sales generated from television advertising of Roy’s Custom Cutaway Guitar, Custom Banjos, Custom Fiddles and First Lesson DVD have set us apart from anyone else in the music industry.  

The acquisition of JT Publications and the Heartland Product Line gave us a large boost in 2004. Along with so many great quality “bargain books” came a golden prize, How To Play Guitar in Every Key by Howard Wallach. This best selling guitar title has been on the top of our sales graph since we acquired it, consistently finishing #1 or #2 in annual sales volume.   

Our Jazz Piano library exploded after the release of our Jazz Cocktails series from Bob Kail and Craig Stevens which is geared toward a skilled pianist, who reads well, but is no Oscar Peterson when it comes to improvisation. Since its release, Jazz Piano Cocktails, as well as several other Santorella titles, have been selected by the highly respected NYSSMA Organization as a required audition text for all jazz piano students competing in the boundaries encompassing that region.

More recently after observing an obvious void for “fun” violin products we embarked on yet another campaign. We released the “Emerging Violinist Series” that entails Classical, Irish and Appalachian fiddle tunes for violin. Then we sealed the deal with Traditional Christmas, Popular Wedding and Classical Duets with CD recorded in a “music minus one” fashion. Violin players are finally having merriment, thanks to our astute observation and prompt action.

Our history would not be complete without sharing our most recent success with Basses Loaded. “The Basses Loaded Series by Rod Goelz is the industry’s best Bass Method for the budding bass player”. That’s the chant kicking around all the magazine racks, educational string periodicals and musical water coolers across the country.

Our ability to close the gaps in the industry has inspired a large following on five continents in all instrumental categories. Our goal is to listen to your requests and to quickly provide a quality product that satisfies your individual needs. Our quality is exceptional. Our engraving is flawless. Each piece is reviewed with painstaking precision and is examined repeatedly to insure accuracy, alignment and visual clarity.

We are sensitive to a young horn player’s physical limitations, but test the limits of an experienced jazz pianist. We understand that considering range restrictions is crucial, but know how to raise the bar when providing a challenge to an ultra focused talent. Whether your preference is banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, piano, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, flute, saxophone, clarinet, french horn, trombone, accordion, bagpipe, harmonica, recorder, voice or drums, Santorella Publications has the products especially for you.

As we enter the electronic age, the entire print music industry has cause for alarm. We must adapt to technology. Thankfully, there is no substitute for the weight, scent and feel of your favorite text. But at the risk of being stubborn, we must remain aware of the changes ahead. These changes strike the small independent retailer and if not for them, we would not exist. That being said, we will continue to do everything in our power to support those that gave us life. Private lessons, personal relationships and product knowledge are the unequivocal strength of these retailers. We encourage you to call, visit or shop at your local music store before making any on-line purchase.