At what point do you discontinue using method books with more advanced students? What does their curriculum consist of (i.e. what do you do for repertoire, technique, etc)?

Wow! Like my Introducing Baroque Music post, I’m afraid this will reveal my lack of structured lesson planning when it comes to the higher levels! Just don’t report me to the pedagogy police, ok?

If a particular student really thrives on sequence and structure, then I’ll keep them in the method books (Lesson and Technique and Artistry) through all the levels, but otherwise, usually after the second or third level of the Faber series, we transition into early classics and other supplemental music. I’ve used a whole variety of early level Classical repertoire books over the years. Usually when a student gets to that point, I spend some time at the music store pouring over the new releases and looking back through the previous series’ I’ve used, trying to pick the books that I think will be just right for that student.

I look for books that have representative repertoire from each of the time periods so that I can incorporate stylistic techniques and tidbits of music history along with the learning of the pieces. The Exploring Piano Classics series is my newest favorite! I’m not very good at remembering book titles, but here are a few others I really like that come to mind:

Essential Keyboard Repertoire edited by Lynn Freeman Olson

Masterwork Classics by Jane Magrath

Beautiful Etudes by Victoria McArthur

Expressive Etudes by Suzanne Guy

Succeeding with the Masters Festival Collection by Helen Marlais

I’m sure there are other great ones as well, so hopefully some others will chime in! What are your favorite repertoire and technique books for advancing students who are moving out of method books? Also, at what point do your students move out of the method books?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Yes, I know it’s not Monday, but I have a backlog of questions, so I thought I would take a week to try to catch up a bit!

What do you think about jazz music and popular music? Do you use it in your studio?

Honestly, it depends a lot on the student. I don’t make a special point to include jazz or pop music in lessons, but if a student requests it, I will try to help them find something appropriate for their level of playing. Also, tend to evaluate or determine what I teach based on the individual piece rather than the genre. If I like a piece, I will eagerly recommend it to a student and help them work on it. Same goes for if they bring in their own piece that they are interested in learning. But if I don’t like a piece of music, I figure that I won’t be very effective or encouraging in helping the student work on it.

For example, if a student is interested in learning jazz music, I don’t just give them a book of pieces at their level, I’ll play through numerous books until I find a piece that really grabs me and then I’ll introduce that one to them. Same with pop music, although it’s a little harder to be picky with these because the options are more limited if you’re looking for a particular song!

Incidentally, I use the same approach with classical music, method book pieces, hymns, etc. I am always open to learning new music, finding out about different composers and arrangers, and looking through newly released books, but if I don’t find the song/arrangement appealing, I usually pass it up and look for something else. I tell my students the same thing, if they don’t like a piece of music (because of the sound, not because it’s too hard!), we skip it and move on to something that they do like. There’s too much music available to spend our time playing music we don’t like. That’s my philosophy, anyway.

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Those of you who are church pianists, or those who just enjoy playing sacred arrangements, should check out these free arrangements at KoertsMusic.com. So far, there are three arrangements available: For the Beauty of the Earth, Praise to the Lord, and Joy to the World. And while you’re there, you should click over to the page for the CD Wondrous Love and listen to the tracks. The CD is described as “Christian music with piano and orchestra.” Amazingly, you can listen to the whole track for each song, and you can download the entire album for $9.99! So far, I’m loving all of it and have added it to my universal wish list!

HT: The Church Pianist

When our local music teachers association dubbed our first meeting of the year a “New Music Review” I knew exactly what I wanted to play. I had recently received Wendy Stevens’ newest book, How Sweet the Sound, and fell in love with the first arrangement – Day of Arising. It’s a gorgeous setting that just makes the piano sing (of course, it helps that the teacher’s studio where I performed it is the new home to a magnificent Kawaii grand piano!).

Each of the other intermediate/late-intermediate arrangements are also enjoyable, offering the fresh, vibrant, elements that players of Wendy’s music have come to expect and love.

In How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds and Amazing Grace, I was pleasantly surprised to experience an arrangement of Amazing Grace that didn’t leave me feeling disengaged due to overuse, as often happens on those songs that have almost become too familiar.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence exhibited a somber character with lots of open 5ths and a pretty drawn out feel, complemented nicely by the passionate, thicker-textured section toward the end.

Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said was, like a number of the hymns in this collection, unfamiliar to me. This is a fun, lively arrangement in 3/2 with a quick triplet figure and crisp staccatos leading the way into the theme. You can almost feel a bit of suspense or mystery in the sound as you play that grabs the attention and keeps the listener engaged.

There Is a Balm in Gilead was a pleasant and easy read with an overall soothing quality, set in large part in the upper register of the piano.

The collection finishes out with arrangements of Thine Is the Glory, This Is My Father’s World, ‘Tis So Sweet, and We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight. As is often the case with unfamiliar melodies, a couple run-throughs are helpful for assimilating the style and drawing out the character of each arrangement. But I found them all to be very accessible and a welcome addition to my collection of sacred piano solos. I look forward to incorporating them into my Sunday music selections and know that many other church pianists and congregations will also enjoy them!

How do you introduce baroque period music or any music with counterpoint to a student for the first time?

What a great question! However, I’m afraid my answer will reveal my total lack of structure when it comes to intermediate level students, so I’m hoping that others will share their thoughts on how to approach teaching Baroque music.

I hardly ever follow a systematic approach when working with intermediate – advanced students. I’m working on improving in this area, but at the same time I recognize that every student is different and has diverse interests and goals. I’m always on the lookout, though, for great materials that will capture students’ interest, introduce them to different styles, and help facilitate a good understanding of the various historical periods and composers. Here are a few of the books that I really love for Baroque emphasis:

Exploring Piano Classics by Nancy Bachus – This is a relatively new series and I’ve only used the first book so far with a student who is just getting into early-level Classics, but I absolutely love it! In fact, I just ordered another one for another student. The layout is clean, with wonderful illustrations and bullet points discussing historical information and brief  biographical sketches of the composers.

Spotlight on Baroque Style by Catherine Rollin – This is obviously not original Baroque music, but it is full of delightful pieces and performance notes that will introduce students to the different styles of the period.

The Baroque Spirit Books by Nancy Bachus – Chock-full of everything you could possibly want to know about the Baroque period, even discussing other cultural aspects beyond music, these books are wonderful for the student who really wants to learn more about music history!

Succeeding with the Masters, Baroque Era by Helen Marlais – These books don’t contain as wide a variety since they just include three key composers of the Baroque period (Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti), but they include great practice tips (both written and verbal via an accompanying CD) that will help students grasp how to learn and play the pieces with appropriate interpretation.

A few general things that I am always discussing with students in relation to Baroque music:
* Instrument history – harpsichord as the forerunner to the piano
* Dynamic leveling – more of a terraced dynamic approach
* Technique – non-legato touch, contrasting articulation between different rhythmic values of notes
* Cultural Elements – architecture, clothing, etc.
* Compositional Techniques – polyphony vs. homophony; listening for the different voices

Baroque music can be very complex, but I love it! And I do what I can to help instill a love for it in my students as well!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

In continuing yesterday’s theme of finding music, today I wanted to share some links I’ve found for free Christmas Music:

Making Music Fun – A variety of levels, simple/straight-forward melodies, rather than arranged pieces.

Music for Music Teachers – simple melodies; not very exciting musically, but good for those who just want to play familiar tunes.

Sheet Music Plus – All the new issue Christmas music from method publishers this season.

Sally DeFord Music – I downloaded all the solo piano arrangements and made a book out of them. They are really lovely!

Susan Paradis Piano Teacher Resources – Includes a variety of early level holiday sheet music, including several pre-reading arrangements (which are hard to come by!).

Jennifer Cook, The Church Pianist – Has a nice selection of free arrangements that you can download. There are only a couple Christmas posts, but perhaps more will be added in the future!

If you know of other websites with free Christmas music, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list!

You seem to have plentiful sources of repertoire at your fingertips.  I am having a hard time finding good supplemental music for my small, beginning studio.  The closest music store is about an hour away, so I rely heavily on internet searching and shopping.  However, I find it difficult to know the level of the piece I’m considering and would especially like to “see” part of the piece to judge its appropriateness and sound.  Do you have any websites that you think do a good job of making this information available and clear?  I am most immediately interested in Christmas sheet music at the elementary level.  Any suggestions?

Yes, I have managed to accumulate a large collection of printed music over the years. My first rule now when I need a new piece for a student is that I have to go “shopping” through my own books before I can go to the store. We actually have two fabulous music stores in our area, so I do have the opportunity to play through lots of music before I purchase it, but here are a few suggestions for those who don’t have easy access to music stores:

1. Subscribe to a New Release Club for music teachers to get a nice selection of new books at a discounted price. (Additionally, if you get on the list for some of these publishers, periodically throughout the year you will receive a sampler, often accompanied with a CD.)

2.Visit the publisher websites. I’ve noticed that Hal Leonard in particular has developed a very user-friendly site that allows you to view and listen to samples from many of their books.

3. Attend national conferences. I’ve attended both the Music Teachers National Association conference and the National Center for Keyboard Pedagogy conference, and in both cases came home with enough free music to more than cover the registration fee. Publisher showcases at these conferences are a great way to listen to composers discuss and play their own music.

4. Use on-line databases. If you’re looking for good Classical repertoire, the PianoWorks website is a great resource! The 20th Century Intermediate Piano Literature database may also be helpful.

5. Get together with other music teachers and have everyone play some of their (and their students!) favorite pieces. We’ve done this on a number of occasions with our local associations and I always come away with some new ideas. (Here’s a link to a Student Saver Pieces handout I put together for a workshop I did at one of our meetings.)

6. Subscribe to a music teacher magazine. I enjoy receiving the Clavier Companion (combination of the former Keyboard Companion and Clavier). I read through it, underlining and making notes and bookmarking pages for future reference – both teaching ideas and insights, and repertoire suggestions.

These are a few general ideas about finding music. Tomorrow I’ll specifically address Christmas music. If anyone has other suggestions for finding appropriate music when you don’t have access to a music store, please do share!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Rebecca W. just alerted me recently to this fabulous Musopen website! Have you seen it yet? They have an enormous selection of music (audio) and sheet music that can be accessed for free, played from the site, downloaded, and embedded into other websites. In fact, as I type this, I am enjoying listening to a recording of the Dvorak Cello Concerto, Opus 104, I Allegro performed by the Davis High School Symphony Orchestra (pretty good for a high school group!).

The people behind Musopen are also working on a public domain music theory textbook. Sounds like a great concept and an interesting project! From the comments on this post, I also found out about a free music theory course by Catherine Schmidt-Jones that looks like a great resource!

After reading about the success of your incentive programs I decided to come up with my own for this fall. I’m still working on it, but it’s going to be about exploring the mystery of music. I’m wondering if you have any pieces that come to mind for recitals? (So far I have Agent X, Super Sleuth by Melody Bober, and Our Detective Agency from the Faber method books.)

I’m definitely going to need some help with this! I love finding really cool-sounding repertoire for my students to learn and play, but I’m terrible at remembering piece titles and composers. I’m hoping that there are some other teachers who can help answer this question – what mystery-related music have your students played that you would recommend to this teacher?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Attaching the tag line, “stylish arrangements” to a collection of early elementary hymn solos may seem like a bit of a stretch, but composer Wendy Stevens manages to pull it off! I recently played through each of the hymn arrangements in her new three-book collection of Easy Hymn Solos published by Hal Leonard and was delighted with them. Early-level arrangements of this caliber are hard to come by, so I know they are going to be well-used among my students! In fact, truth be told, I’ve already parted with a couple of the books because I just couldn’t wait to let my students get started on some of the pieces.

Just to give you a taste of what you’ll find in these books, here’s an annotated list of the contents of Book One:

Amazing Grace – The damper pedal is sustained for the duration of the piece, creating a sweet overarching mood and leaving lots of room for expressive playing.

Brethren We Have Met to Worship – A syncopated rhythm (well-notated for the beginning student) in the introduction gets this piece off to a lively start! A brief legato, lyrical section in the middle provides a nice contrast. The performer of this piece will need to have good counting skills and a great sense of pulse!

Come, Christians, Join to Sing – Probably the first thing you’ll notice about this piece is the character created by the rests that appear frequently on the first beat of the measures. Along with the well-articulated staccatos, this piece will be lots of fun for a student to tackle!

For the Beauty of the Earth – Students will love the mature sound they can achieve with the harmonic thirds and fifths that adorn the opening of this reverent hymn. They’ll also get a brief chance to explore voicing left hand melodic notes while the right hand supplies the harmony.

Doxology – This is one of the two pieces in the collection that utilizes harmonic pedaling, so this could provide a great introduction to pedaling techniques for an early level student. A lovely left hand inverted arrangement of the melodic notes provides an echo effect throughout that can be a great lesson in balance between the hands.

God is so Good – Lovely and simple, with a very open sound – perfect for this song. No doubt a few reminders to count all the notes for the full value will be necessary with this arrangement, but it will be a great experience in counting and listening to the sound of the music.

How Firm a Foundation – A few surprising harmonies dot the landscape of this familiar hymn, giving added color. Played up to tempo, this well-articulated and lightly syncopated piece will have you tapping your toes!

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee – What would an early hymn book be without this song? Open fifths comprise much of the harmony, giving this a nice cheery sound. A straightforward melody with a few register changes, combined with the familiarity of the tune, would make this a great first choice for a student playing from this book.

Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho – A super fun arrangement! It will probably take a while to master, but will be well worth the effort for any precocious student who wants to have an exciting, impressive-sounding piece to play!

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us – Tender and expressive, with mostly a single melodic line split between the hands. Written in G-Major, this is the only piece in the book in a key other than C-Major or a-minor, but all the F#s are notated individually, rather than in the key signature.

The other two books in the series are equally varied, with a mixture of both lively, fun arrangements, and gorgeous, lyrical arrangements. I love seeing my students get inspired and excited to reach new heights in their musical endeavors, and music like this often provides the impetus they need to launch into that adventure. So, whether you have students who could use a little inspiration to take the next step in their musical studies, or whether you have students who would love some easier stylish arrangements to bring out their musical expressiveness, these Easy Hymn Solos books are sure to be a hit!