Originally conceived as school presentations to expand students’ knowledge of music and increase their interest in musical development, the Mr. McSymphony series has been presented to over 25,000 children in over 16 elementary schools in California, Oregon and Washington. The books and teachers guides that are now available for purchase were written by Stephen Battaglia […]
Resource Reviews
Review of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 3
I was thrilled when I received the announcement that this third volume of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora is now available! I quickly made the arrangements to get a review copy and didn’t even care if I disliked every other song in the book, because I knew it had the one I’ve […]
Quotes from Music and Keyboard in the Classroom Teacher’s Manual
In the course of reading the Teacher’s Manual for my review of the Music and Keyboard in the Classroom curriculum, these are some quotes that I found particularly helpful and/or thought-provoking: “To further shape a music curriculum it is essential to know what we believe, as educators. Otherwise we will be irresolute in the delivery […]
Interview with Michael Griffin
Today I am pleased to welcome Michael Griffin, author of the Music and Keyboard in the Classroom curriculum, to Music Matters Blog for an exclusive interview. Music Matters Blog (MMB): What prompted you to write your own classroom curriculum for your music classes? Why did you choose to emphasize keyboard studies? Michael Griffin (MG): For […]
Review of Music and Keyboard in the Classroom
It took me a while to get through it, but wow was it a lot of fun reviewing this Music and Keyboard in the Classroom curriculum by Michael Griffin. Even though I am an independent music teacher and this curriculum is designed to be used in a Middle School general music class, I found myself […]
Review: Legends and Lore
Composer Library Series: … This collection of Elementary-Early Intermediate Piano Solos is lots of fun! Composer Christine Donkin does an excellent job capturing the imagery her titles inspire. Here are my comments on each of the pieces: Royal Fanfare – A piece composed entirely of parallel 5ths, once the fingering is solidified this piece should […]
