2026 Call for New Music Reading Session Music

ASTA members are always looking for new music to add to their repertoire. Don't miss this chance to have your works featured during our national conference and through our eLearning webinars. In addition, your work may also be featured in the Music Reviews published quarterly in American String Teacher (AST).

ASTA is collecting submissions of works including pieces categorized by grade level, eclectic styles pieces, and works by historically excluded and women composers for both K-12 string orchestra and applied studio. Submissions will be reviewed by committee and selected to be included in ASTA events including the 2026 National Conference, 2026 Virtual String Teachers Summit, and in virtual new music reading sessions.

ASTA has partnered with the Institute for Composer Diversity to manage outreach and logistics to make certain historically excluded composers and publishers are invited to participate.

Timeline

• August 13, 2025: Call for Reading Session Music Opens
• October 1, 2025: Call for Reading Session Music Closes
• November 1, 2025: Committee Reviews of Submissions complete
• mid-November 2025: Notifications Sent
• December 15, 2025:  Deadline to submit hard copies by mail (if piece selected for National Conference; other events will use the score PDF and audio file submitted)

Criteria for Music Submissions

The criteria for repertoire in each reading session is included below. To avoid an overlap in multiple reading sessions, a composition may only be submitted for a single reading session. In the instance when a composition may qualify for multiple reading sessions, the publisher must choose a single reading session in which to submit the composition. Submissions should be new works, arrangements, or editions available. Pieces should not have been submitted for an ASTA Music Reading Session within the last 10 years.

*No Full or Symphonic Orchestra music including instruments outside the string family should be submitted, including chamber music.

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire in Grades 1-2

• Submissions must have a copyright date of 2024 or 2025
• Submissions should only include grade 1-2 repertoire (along with 0.5 levels up to 2.5); please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the 0.5 and 1 grade levels.
• Submissions can also include repertoire by women and historically excluded composers

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire in Grades 3-4

• Submissions must have a copyright date of 2024 or 2025
• Submissions should only include grade 3-4 repertoire (along with levels up to 4.5)
• Submissions can also include repertoire by women and historically excluded composers

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire in Grades 5-6

• Submissions must have a copyright date of 2024 or 2025
• Submissions should only include grade 5-6 repertoire (along with levels up to 6+)
• Submissions can also include repertoire by women and historically excluded composers

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire in Eclectic Styles

• Submissions must have a copyright date of 2024 or 2025
• Submissions can be any grade level; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.
• Submissions can also include repertoire by women and historically excluded composers

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire by Historically Excluded Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works
• Submissions can be any grade level; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.
• Submissions should be by historically excluded composers only

K-12 String Orchestra: Repertoire by Women Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works
• Submissions can be any grade level; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.
• Submissions should be by women composers only

Applied Studio: Solo and Chamber Music for Violin and Viola by Historically Excluded Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works.
• Submissions should be by historically excluded composers only
• Submissions can be for any level, based on the ASTA String Syllabus; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.

Applied Studio: Solo and Chamber Music for Cello, Double Bass, Harp, and Guitar by Historically Excluded Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works.
• Submissions should be by historically excluded composers only
• Submissions can be for any level, based on the ASTA String Syllabus; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.

Applied Studio: Solo and Chamber Music for Violin and Viola by Women Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works.
• Submissions should be by women composers only
• Submissions can be for any level, based on the ASTA String Syllabus; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.

Applied Studio: Solo and Chamber Music for Cello, Double Bass, Harp, and Guitar by Women Composers

• Submissions can have any copyright date, preference given to more recent works.
• Submissions should be by women composers only
• Submissions can be for any level, based on the ASTA String Syllabus; please note that ASTA members have requested repertoire at the lower grade levels in this submission category.

ASTA reserves the right to place submissions into sessions based on the volume and instrumentation needs of pieces received to ensure the opportunity for every piece to be read and heard in a session, whether live or virtual. In the submission process, you will be asked for your preference of session placement, which will be taken into consideration.

For chamber music with instrumentation that spans the Applied Studio sessions listed above, the composer/publisher may select which session to submit the piece to, keeping in mind that ASTA may move the submission based on the number of submissions received and overall instrumentation needs of the reading sessions.

ASTA will provide a list of accepted music submissions to all who attend the conference reading sessions, as well as post the list on the ASTA website as a member resource.

How to Submit Music

All music publishers and self-publishers are encouraged and welcome to submit music for consideration. Additional opportunities to exhibit, advertise, and sponsor during the conference are also available!

Publishers and self-publishers may send up to 10 selections with no more than 1 piece of music per category. If you publish multiple labels, you may submit up to 10 selections from each label.

For those pieces selected for the National Conference, hard copies will need to be sent to compile the music reading folders ahead of time (DUE December 15, 2025)

K-12 String Orchestra

• Please provide each piece that is for string ensemble in a Set B or Set C instrumentation. Specifically, we are looking for the instrumentation to be 8 first violin, 8 second violin, 5 viola, 5 cello, and 3 double bass parts plus score. Please also include piano, harp, and percussion parts, if applicable.
• For Eclectic Styles selections, you may submit pieces from beginner (grade 0.5) through advanced high school groups (grade 6+). Pieces with and without solo sections are acceptable. The solos may be either written out or improvised solo sections. If the solo is to be improvised, please include chord symbols in the part. Specifically, we are looking for the instrumentation to be 8 first violin, 8 second violin, 5 viola, 5 cello, and 3 double bass parts plus score. Please also include piano, guitar, harp, and any drum/percussion parts. Piano and guitar parts should preferably include chord symbols in the parts.

Applied Studio and Chamber Music

• Solos: include the solo and piano (if required) parts
• Chamber Ensembles: include all individual parts and a score (if available)

In the case that your submission is selected for a virtual event, we will use the score pdf and audio file that you originally submitted in the call. Please acknowledge by checking the box:

1. ASTA has your permission to use and display these files (score PDF and audio file) in the virtual presentation, and
2. ASTA has your permission to display the presentation video recording on our platform. Attendees must register for the event to gain access to the recordings of the sessions.

Include the following information for each piece on the submission form:

• session selection
• title
• composer/arranger
• publisher's suggested grade level
• publisher
• publication date
• price
• duration of piece
• score pdf and mp3 for review and clinician preparation
• link to piece listing online

The deadline for music submissions is October 1, 2025

• Complete the 2026 ASTA New Music Reading Session Submission Form
• Once you submit your form(s), you will receive an email from ASTA confirming receipt.
• After the review process is complete, you will receive additional communications about shipping information in November.

Questions? meetings@astastrings.org