Once again we arrive at this special time of year. We send to you and your students our warmest holiday wishes! Let’s imagine we are all chatting around the table drinking hot cocoa: What kind of fun things do you and your students do this month? Do you have a…
Read more →
Level 5
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…
Read more →
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…
Read more →
The Music ’Tis madness. Truly. To the Portuguese, who originated this musical form in the late 15th century, La Folia (Foh-LEE-ah) was music for singing and dancing, and the singing and dancing were often so riotous that the participants appeared “empty-headed.” The Folia was a 16-bar melodic and harmonic pattern,…
Read more →
The South’s melting summertime humidity finds its musical counterpart in George Gershwin’s 1935 song “Summertime.” It’s a languid lullaby in the style of an early-1900s African American spiritual. Though the song’s legacy is so potent that over 25,000 artists have recorded it, “Summertime” originally cast its spell as an aria…
Read more →
The music world honors Debussy this year, the 100th anniversary of his death. Pianists have always enjoyed playing one of his most beautiful pieces, Clair de lune. It is the third in a set of four pieces grouped under a title drawn from a poem by Paul Verlaine. The poet…
Read more →
Waves. The word immediately triggers images—motion, undulation, sweep, curve. It’s natural to describe waves as rolling in. The perfect wave is every surfer’s dream, the anticipation of the buoyancy supplied by the wave that carries you into the shore. Surfing the keyboard begins as early as Level 1. Learning to…
Read more →
We are pleased to announce a stunning new collection of contemporary pop hits arranged by Faber & Faber. Students in Levels 3A and above will enjoy a variety of current blockbusters and Grammy winners as performed by pop artists such as Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Justin Bieber,…
Read more →
As we read and create music, we weave through a I-IV-V tapestry of primary chords. At Piano Adventures® Level 5, we ensure that the student can see and feel this structural tapestry for each tonal piece. Scales “Why learn scales?” students ask. Our answer? A scale reduces 88 keys to…
Read more →