Daily Sight-Reading for 20251210: "Isabella's Lullaby" Arranged by Memoranda Music
Executive Summary
Reading books daily builds both vocabulary and reading comprehension: working the brain builds it just as you would build the body's muscles by lifting weights. Likewise, sight-reading mastery is gained by sight-reading from a diverse body of sheet music on a daily basis. I have two primary sources of new sight-reading material: saxophone etudes that I've written myself, and sheet music written by other people that I've downloaded from MuseScore.com.
Today, I found a wonderful piece that I've added to my inventory of practice music: "Isabella's Lullaby" arranged by Memoranda Music. The piece was originally written in 5 flats for violin: I transposed it to 2 flats for alto saxophone. In this short article, I'll talk about the history of MuseScore, the history of "Isabella's Lullaby", and my approach to mastering the short piece on the alto saxophone.
Keywords: Sight-reading, Alto Saxophone, MuseScore, The Promised Neverland, Isabella's Lullaby, Takahiro Obata, Memoranda Music, Music Practice, Transposition, Anime OST
Glossary of Terms
├── Music & Instruments
│ ├── Alto Saxophone: Woodwind instrument used for the etude.
│ ├── Etude: Short composition designed to improve technique.
│ ├── Lyrical Playing: Performance style focusing on melody/emotion.
│ ├── Sight-reading: Performing a piece upon first viewing.
│ ├── Tempo: The speed at which the music is played.
│ ├── Time Signature: Beats per measure (e.g., 3/4, 4/4, 7/8).
│ ├── Transposition: Changing music to a different key/pitch.
│ └── YDS-150: Digital wind instrument used for initial practice.
├── Software & Technology
│ ├── Finale/Sibelius: Proprietary commercial notation software.
│ ├── Free Software: Software that respects users' freedom.
│ ├── GPL (GNU General Public License): License used by MuseScore.
│ ├── Linux: Open-source operating system (MusE origin).
│ ├── MusE: Linux sequencer from which MuseScore was forked.
│ ├── MuseScore: Open-source notation software & repo.
│ └── Ultimate Guitar: Company that acquired MuseScore in 2018.
└── Works & People
├── Amanda Sze: Arranger known as "Memoranda Music".
├── Isabella's Lullaby: Theme song from "The Promised Neverland".
├── OST (Original Sound Track): Recorded music for a media production.
├── Takahiro Obata: Original composer of the piece.
└── The Promised Neverland: 2019 anime series featuring the music.
The History of MuseScore
For a Free Software advocate like myself, the history of MuseScore is a fascinating case study in how open collaboration can disrupt a closed industry. The MuseScore project began in 2002, not as a standalone application, but as the notation capability within the MusE sequencer for Linux. Werner Schweer, the project's founder, eventually decided to fork the code to create a dedicated, cross-platform notation editor. Released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), it stood as a direct challenge to the expensive, proprietary monopolies held by Finale and Sibelius.
The software steadily matured, reaching its milestone version 1.0 release in 2011. However, the most pivotal moment in its history occurred in 2018, when the project was acquired by Ultimate Guitar. This acquisition bifurcated the ecosystem: the desktop editor remained true to its Free Software roots (free as in freedom), while the online platform, MuseScore.com, became a commercial repository for user-generated content. This unique hybrid model is exactly what allowed me to find the "Isabella's Lullaby" arrangement today. The Free Software/open-source tool lowered the barrier to entry for arrangers like Memoranda Music, while the commercial platform provided the infrastructure to host and distribute their work to musicians around the world.
The History of Isabella's Lullaby
"Isabella's Lullaby" is a beautiful piece that was written as the emotional core of the 2019 anime The Promised Neverland. Composed by Takahiro Obata, the piece is designed to sound like a gentle folk song, yet it carries a devastating weight within the show's narrative. In the story, a young boy named Leslie writes the song for his friend Isabella before they are separated by the orphanage's dark secrets. Isabella, who grows up to become the "Mother" of the house, hums the tune constantly as a tether to her lost humanity and her memory of Leslie. Musically, it transforms from a sweet childhood memory into a haunting motif of regret and survival.
I downloaded the specific version for this practice session from MuseScore, arranged by Memoranda Music. Memoranda Music is the handle for Amanda Sze, a Canadian musician known for her faithful violin covers of anime soundtracks. Her arrangement perfectly captures the bittersweet waltz feeling of the original composition.
For my December 10, 2025 sight-reading challenge, I specifically sought to play something different than the 4/4 and 7/8 time signatures that I most commonly practice. Honestly, I don't play in 3/4 time that often, so this was a very refreshing and melodic piece to play. Because of the way that I transposed it to fit into the best range of the alto saxophone, it had some very near-octave jumps and dips that will help to improve my technique.
My Approach to Mastering Isabella's Lullaby
Normally, I start all pieces that I'm learning at 50% tempo, but I found Isabella's Lullaby in 2 flats to be easy enough to play at 100% tempo. I could play it all the way through with almost no errors, but I played it several times in a row until I could play it without errors.
I normally master pieces on my YDS-150 electronic saxophone first before I master them on the "real" analog alto saxophone. This is because the YDS-150 is generally easier to play, and it prepares me well to play the piece on the analog saxophone.
I think that playing this piece improves my lyrical melodic playing, which is perhaps the most important part of a saxophonist's abilities. Lyrical and melodic playing is probably going to move audiences more than any other aspect of your playing, so it's very important to practice and play pieces like Isabella's Lullaby.
Conclusions
Developing a consistent sight-reading habit is the single most effective way to maintain musical fitness. Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, the daily challenge of decoding new music sharpens the mind and the ear. Today's session was particularly rewarding because it combined the technical utility of Free Software with the profound emotional depth of Takahiro Obata’s composition.
Tools like MuseScore make it possible to access a global library of music instantly, but it is up to us as musicians to breathe life into those dots and lines. Mastering "Isabella's Lullaby" was a reminder that while technical precision is necessary, it is the ability to convey a story, even a heartbreaking one, that truly defines saxophone mastery. Our job is to tell musical stories that enrich the lives of those who listen to our playing.
20251210: "Isabella's Lullaby" Arranged by Memoranda Music
├── 1. Executive Summary
│ ├── Philosophy: Sight-reading as "weightlifting" for the brain.
│ └── Sources: Self-written etudes & MuseScore community downloads.
├── 2. The History of MuseScore
│ ├── Origins (2002): Forked from MusE Sequencer (Linux).
│ ├── Philosophy: Free Software (GPL) vs. Proprietary (Finale/Sibelius).
│ └── Evolution (2018): Acquired by Ultimate Guitar.
│ └── Hybrid Model: Open-source editor + Commercial repo.
├── 3. The History of "Isabella's Lullaby"
│ ├── Context: Emotional core of "The Promised Neverland" anime.
│ ├── Narrative: Leslie's song of love becomes Isabella's motif of regret.
│ └── Arrangement: Adapted from Memoranda Music (Amanda Sze) violin cover.
├── 4. Approach to Mastery
│ ├── Tempo: Attempted immediately at 100% (2 flats simplicity).
│ ├── Workflow: Mastered on digital YDS-150 before analog saxophone.
│ └── Technique: Focus on lyrical phrasing & large interval jumps.
└── 5. Conclusions
├── Technical utility (MuseScore) meets emotional depth (Obata).
└── The ultimate goal: Storytelling over mere precision.