Recently, I received an e-mail from Elizabeth Wellburn, author of the colorful and captivating book Echoes From the Square by Elizabeth Wellburn. It is the beautiful story of cellist Vedran Smailovic, retold in this heartwarming children’s book. The video below is a recording of Ms. Wellburn reading the story, accompanied by images from the book […]
Resource Reviews
Review of Modern Harmony Methodology
Michael Griffin, author of Music and Keyboard in the Classroom and developer of the helpful website Music Education World has produced another great resource for music teachers and students. His newest book, Modern Harmony Methodology, describes itself as being “of value to all students of composition and musical arrangement, and also to classically trained pianists […]
Review of Twister and 6 Steps for Teaching a New Piece
As soon as I played through this hot-off-the-press piece from Hal Leonard, I thought of several students who would love it! Twister by Wendy Stevens is fast and it sounds flashy, but the patterns make it accessible for an ambitious elementary student. The quick left hand position changes add to the excitement, but could easily […]
Review of Reflections of My Childhood
From the moment I heard the first track on the CD, I was hooked! I don’t know a word of Armenian, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this “collection of traditional Armenian children’s songs, rhymes, and poetry” one bit. The beautiful book and accompanying CD were produced by Houry Yapoujian Schmeizl in an effort […]
Review of Teaching Musicians – A Photographer’s View
What makes a great musician? What makes a great teacher? You will find a panorama of answers to these questions in this beautiful book – Teaching Musicians: A Photographer’s View into the Art of Music Teaching by Diane Griliches (Bunker Hill Publishing). Every teacher is unique. Each one manifests his own philosophy in his approach […]
Review of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 4
Go to Review of: Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 This latest volume of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora that I’ve just finished reviewing definitely fits the Advanced designation it is given! Like each of the three previous volumes, this one begins with a short biographical sketch of each composer […]
