Students acting like sloths this summer? Luckily, we have just the thing: Havana by Camila Cabello, a Latin-inspired pop hit that fits nicely with students working their way through major and minor pentascales. It’s fully in the key of D minor, and grooves through a basic i – V7 progression. The harmonies are nothing extraordinary, […]
This month we are happy to share our newest publications, FunTime® Piano Disney and BigTime® Piano Disney. This exciting series is now complete with six graded levels. FunTime Piano Disney features current and classic Disney hits arranged for the Level 3A-3B pianist. Students will explore swing rhythm, play showy cross-hand arpeggios, shape the phrases of […]
The holidays are nearly here. In November we caught a breather by relaxing for a bit with that easy-going Thousand-Year waltz. But the scurry-hurry of December is now reflected in the lists, boxes, recipes, wrappings, and lights that seem to be everywhere. For many, December also means a gathering of relatives. And here they are […]
Some of us may still be regretting (but happily regretting) October’s Sugar overload. November, however, gets serious. There is so much to prepare for! Thanksgiving, of course. But soon after, the holidays, and maybe holiday recitals. If we had a thousand years to plan and prep, we might not be fully ready. But wait—we do […]
October days can begin to seem grayer. The leaves, the ground, the sky all herald change. The Canadian novelist, Joy Fielding, calls October “the least dependable of months.” Yet, in October, we are bombarded with a single enticing message: Halloween! Sweets ahead! So now’s just the right time to sample Sugar, a bouncy arrangement of Maroon […]
Ready for this? Camille Saint-Saëns, born on this date in 1835, began composing less than a decade after the death of Franz Schubert, and only a smidge over that from the death of Beethoven. Yet this brilliant and prodigious composer lived to rebelliously storm out of the premiere of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in 1913. […]
September brings mixed feelings. Reluctance—summer’s disappearing. Eagerness—the possibilities in a new school year. “What About Us?” We’re thinking of all of you who are with us in the adventure of reaching minds and hearts through making music. And what about you? Still in the flurry of launching your new schedule? Still planning? Still choosing? Time […]
“Feel It Still,” in FunTime Piano Hits, gives students a perfect chance to stretch out the pleasures of summer. Those friendly relatives, this time D Minor and F Major, are captured in a kicky bass that includes a visit to G minor before settling back to D Minor. When the melody joins in, the bass […]
In the words of Walt Disney, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island.” This collection, arranged by Nancy and Randall Faber, offers musical treasure from contemporary to classic for today’s piano students. Enjoy teaching Disney hits from Coco, The Lion King, Frozen, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, […]
Summertime, and the feelin’ is… relax. Maybe “get lost” a bit. Is there, perhaps, a lost boy—or girl—in your studio? There are many ways to define that kind of loss: attention, practice, motivation, interest. But instead of going to Neverland, let’s take a trip into FunTime® Piano Hits and amble along a leisurely bass line […]
