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 […]
Resource Reviews
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 […]
Review of Practiceopedia: The Music Student’s Illustrated Guide to Practicing
The moment it arrived, I was captivated by this full-color mammoth guide to practicing – Practiceopedia:The Music Student’s Illustrated Guide to Practicing. The 376 pages are chock-full of creative ideas to help students learn to practice effectively and conquer those tough spots in their pieces. I found myself reading through page after page, unable to […]
Glorious Christmas Music CD!
Wow! If you want to hear some of the most amazing Christmas music ever recorded, click on over to Nelidova Records and listen to the sample clips from the Christmas Fantastique CD! I love to have Christmas music playing around the house between Thanksgiving and the New Year, but sometimes I have a hard time […]
Review: Folksongs for Piano – A Classical Interpretation
Billed as “an alluring blend of folk and classical music that celebrate the wonderful melodies found in folk songs,” I enjoyed playing through this delightful collection of six folk songs. The book is arranged by Cheryl Shantz and the cover indicates that it includes “Graded Pieces at the Intermediate Level.” I must confess, though, it […]
Review of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 2
This 53-page second volume of Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora is definitely more challenging than the first volume! It is labeled Intermediate, but I struggled a good bit with some of the complicated rhythms and dissonant harmonies myself. The layout is the same as the first volume, with the first several pages […]
