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Posts Tagged 'piano music'

Prelude, Postlude and All That’s In Between: A Guide for the Church Pianist

Patti Drennan is an active composer and arranger with almost 700 piano books, piano/vocal books and choral octavos published with major publishers.

As a former 28-year high school choral director and then Director of Worship/Music Arts Director for almost 10 years, I have been seated at the piano creating music in so many venues. (Once a musician, always a musician, right?) In both the secular and sacred arenas, the pianist is often the glue that holds together a concert, worship service, wedding or memorial service. This is also the case when accompanying a soloist or small group. Because all music is not usually performed a cappella, a confident, quick-thinking accompanist must be ready to sense the soloist’s tempo and dynamics, phrasing and places for breathing, and the dreaded skipped-the-repeat-and-now-on-the-next-page moment! Fast thinking is a must for the church pianist and the goal is to play beautifully, giving not a hint of the soloist’s “mis-fire” to the congregation! When I was serving on staff, one of my duties as Director of Music was to create a meaningful worship service with inspiring scriptures, hymns, anthems (often two), prelude and postlude, and timing it all to when the pastor returned from a contemporary service a half-block away in another building. There were often times when he had yet to arrive and I needed to walk to the piano and extemporaneously play reflective music under a guided prayer time. For those who do not play by ear, this would be an important moment to have a secondary hymn or piano book in reach to provide that quiet music. Continue reading ‘Prelude, Postlude and All That’s In Between: A Guide for the Church Pianist’

Transcribing Keith Jarrett’s “A Melody at Night, with You”

Published May 29, 2020 Composing and Arranging , General , New Releases , piano , Repertoire Leave a Comment
Tags: jazz, jazz piano, music, piano music, piano sheet music, Schott, schott music, schott sheet music, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus

Keith Jarrett

The 1999 recording The Melody at Night, with You is one of Keith Jarrett’s most popular records. Originally created as a gift to his wife, his versions of songs from the Great American Songbook plus the traditional “Shenandoah” are permeated by a special atmosphere that makes the recording one of his most personal audio documents. Jarrett dispenses with the jazz soloist’s conventional emphasis on dexterity, the “clever” phrase and the virtuosic sleight-of-hand, and instead strips these songs to their melodic essence to gently lay bare their emotional core.

After many years of preparation, the sheet music for The Melody at Night, with You has now been published by Schott Music with Jarrett’s approval and the support of Jarrett’s label, ECM.

Continue reading ‘Transcribing Keith Jarrett’s “A Melody at Night, with You”’

Learning to Play Piano for the Very Young: The Perfect Pre-Primer for Preschoolers

Published April 17, 2020 General , Methods , music education , New Releases , Teacher Resources 1 Comment
Tags: music, music education, piano, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano method, Piano method book, piano methods, piano music, piano sheet music, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus

Debbie Cavalier of Debbie and Friends, a music educator and Sr. Vice President at Berklee College of Music/DEO Berklee Online and one of the top children’s music artists in the nation, published Learning To Play Piano for the Very Young to provide a fun, engaging introduction to the keyboard. Cavalier created the book with her grandfather, noted arranger/composer Marty Gold.

With this fun, new pre-primer piano method, young children may:

learn to read the treble clef and note names using colorful pictures
get started playing familiar melodies with their right hand
learn to play seven well-loved songs including favorites such as “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Jingle Bells”
enjoy family sing-alongs with the guitar chord chart and lyrics included

Continue reading ‘Learning to Play Piano for the Very Young: The Perfect Pre-Primer for Preschoolers’

Mark Hayes: Perfect Postludes

Published March 13, 2020 Contemporary Composers , General , piano , Repertoire , Sacred Music Leave a Comment
Tags: church music, Lorenz, Mark Hayes, music, piano, piano composer, piano duets, piano music, piano sheet music, Sacred Music, sacred piano, sacred piano music, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus

The postlude following a service makes creation resound with praise and allows the congregation to leave the church proclaiming God’s greatness. As the signal for the congregation to disperse, it should be a stirring exclamation point to the service that connects the worship experience to the secular world to which the crowd of people is about to return.

What makes a perfect postlude? Mark Hayes answers this question with his new collection, Perfect Postludes: Hymns and Spirituals to Close the Service, which contains the following ten selections:

Jesus Shall Reign
I’m Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing
Joyful Day
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
To God Be the Glory
Noble March
Lead On, O King Eternal
They’ll Know We Are Christians

Here Hayes himself describes his collection and what makes it so useful for today’s church pianist: Continue reading ‘Mark Hayes: Perfect Postludes’

Darcy Stanley: Seasonal Settings for Worship

Published February 21, 2020 General , piano , Repertoire , Sacred Music Leave a Comment
Tags: Darcy Stanley, hymns, Lorenz, music, piano, piano music, piano sheet music, Sacred Music, sacred piano, sacred piano music, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus, worship music, worship piano, worship piano music

Darcy Stanley

Guest post by Darcy Stanley introducing her new collection of sacred piano music, Seasonal Settings for Worship. Stanley, a composer, arranger, lyricist and orchestrator, has published many choral works, solo and duet arrangements, piano arrangements and orchestrations. As a pianist, she has been designated Permanent Professional Certified Teacher of Music in Piano from Music Teachers National Association, and has served as adjudicator for various music festivals and piano competitions. Stanley worked as adjunct music professor at Faith Baptist Bible College for 15 years, teaching piano and Choral Writing and Arranging. She and her husband, Tim, live in Greenville, SC, where she is pianist and director of orchestra and instrumental ensembles at Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6) I have had the joy of praising the Lord through music since I was a child. As a little girl, I found great joy in playing the piano and singing for anyone who would listen. My sweet grandfather was my favorite and most frequent audience!

Many years have passed since those early days, and I am thankful for the numerous opportunities I have had to serve the Lord and praise Him with music. Serving as church pianist for most of my adult life has given me an appreciation of the importance of music in worship services. Pianists need to be prepared with more than just a few of their favorite hymns. Special services and occasions require music that will specifically enhance the worship service with an intentional purpose. Continue reading ‘Darcy Stanley: Seasonal Settings for Worship’

A Short Foray into Beethoven’s Variations

Published February 14, 2020 Chamber Music , classical , General , piano Leave a Comment
Tags: Beethoven, Beethoven music, Beethoven sheet music, beethoven sonatas, classical, Classical music, Classical performance, classical period, Classical sheet music, composer, composers, duets, flute, Ludwig van Beethoven, mandolin, music, piano, piano duets, piano music, piano sheet music, piano trio music, Romantic composers, Romantic Era, Romantic period

Guest post by Dr. Dominik Rahmer, editor at G. Henle Verlag.

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The formal technique of “variations” played an important role in Beethoven’s work throughout his entire life. Critic Paul Bekker wrote in 1911, “Beethoven begins with variations,” and indeed this is true not only of the character of his oeuvre, but also of its chronological progression: Beethoven’s very first published work was his 9 Variations on a March by Dressler, WoO 63, which appeared in 1782.

Dressler Variations, WoO 63: Beginning of the Theme

Similarly, we could add that Beethoven also ends with variations. The Diabelli Variations, Op. 120, which are amongst his last piano works, not only crown his creativity, but also, in the history of piano variations, are probably equaled only by Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

The panoply of variations within his multi-movement works also indicates how fundamental this technique is in Beethoven’s musical thinking. Consider, for example, the profound closing movement of the last piano sonata, Op. 111, or the grand finale of the 3rd Symphony.

Though the themes of these movements were usually Beethoven’s own inventions, here we will focus on the pieces composed as independent variation sets on popular melodies. This vantage point reveals some interesting finds. Continue reading ‘A Short Foray into Beethoven’s Variations’

Sightreading. Solved.

Published January 17, 2020 General , Methods , music education , piano , Practice & Performance , Teacher Resources Leave a Comment
Tags: apps, Faber Piano Adventures, method book, method books, music, piano, piano method, Piano method book, piano methods, piano music, piano sheet music, Randall Faber, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus, sight-reading, sightreading, technology

Nancy and Randall Faber are pleased to announce the release of their newest digital support tool, the Piano Adventure Sightreading Coach. This innovative technology provides immediate feedback and assessment, making it the perfect companion to the Piano Adventures Sightreading books.

The Sightreading Coach “listens” to the student play along with the score, and instantly grades rhythm and pitch by highlighting incorrect notes and rhythms. Students can practice the exercise as often as they wish, and upload their best performance to the teacher in between lessons. Teachers can monitor student progress without using valuable lesson time, making at-home practice more accurate and efficient. Continue reading ‘Sightreading. Solved.’

Tim Topham: The Ultimate Piano Teaching Conference

Published January 8, 2020 Business , conferences , continuing education , Entrepreneurship , events , General , piano , Small Business Leave a Comment
Tags: conferences, Entrepreneurship, events, music, music business, piano, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano music, piano pedagogy, Piano Pivot Live, piano studio, piano teacher, piano teachers, piano workshop, Small Business, Tim Topham

Guest post by Tim Topham, host of the popular Creative Piano Teaching Podcast.

PPL2020Banner

Well, this is super exciting news. After months of planning, we are just weeks away from Piano Pivot Live, my very own piano teaching conference here in Melbourne.

I’ve spoken and been to conferences for years now.

If you’ve been to a piano teaching conference, chances are you probably learnt quite a few things.

But there was probably room for even more professional growth.

Meet the speakers: Here are my fabulous keynote speakers for Piano Pivot Live

That’s why I’m going to do things a bit differently at Piano Pivot Live 2020.

It’s going to be a two-day conference that features the lot — workshops, teaching and of course tips on how to run your business.

I’ve hand-picked each presenter, and I’ve seen them all speak before so I know they’re fantastic. I’ve also included masterminding sessions so that you can make action plans right away…and much more.

Dual Focus: Business and Teaching

One of the big differences I think at Piano Pivot Live is going to be the dual focus on piano teaching and also business.

As teachers, we often start with that early on. We feel more comfortable teaching and being at the piano than we are with running a business.

This is where we let ourselves down — we can be a bit lazy with the administrative side or just don’t know enough about how to run a business and can actually miss out on maximising our income.

That’s why at my piano teaching conference, I want to put a big focus on piano teaching business as well as creative teaching techniques.

A well-paid, happy studio owner makes a happy piano teacher.

You will leave this conference excited and with actionable ideas you can implement RIGHT AWAY.

It’s unlike any conference you’ve been to before!

One-Stream, Group Learning

If you’ve been to a multi-day piano teaching conference, you know how crazy it can be trying to fit everything in

Sometimes, you just can’t.

Sessions clash or you don’t have the time to fit it all in.

Well, at Piano Pivot Live you won’t be forced to pick between presentations!

Our one-stream event setup means we all share two days together, and listen and learn from each other.

Also, the presentations will not be passive.

Learn by listening and by doing. Experience workshops, live teaching, masterminds and implementation sessions.

Rub shoulders with some of the world’s most creative and innovative teachers.

Speakers and Presenters

As you might have guessed, I will be your host!

But I’ve also enlisted the help of some of the world’s brightest music minds to bring you the best in music pedagogy.

I have amazing keynote speakers in Samantha Coates, Carly McDonald, Philip Johnston and Anita Collins.

The wonderful Nicola Cantan, Joyce Ong, Paul Myatt and others will also be speaking and presenting at the event.

There are a few different types of presentations you can expect at Piano Pivot Live from these wonderful speakers.

Keynote presentations: You can’t have a conference without some keynote speakers sharing their wealth of knowledge with you.
Live teaching: Watch me teach a student live on stage! You will see exactly how I teach creatively on stage for 30 minutes.
Masterminds, Fireside Chats and Panel Events: Connect with other teachers and share your knowledge in our mastermind sessions, guided by a topic expert. Ask your questions to our panel of experts. We’re here to help you.
Practical workshops: Sometimes you just have to DO things. After learning a variety of pedagogy and business techniques, you will brainstorm ways to implement them so you can leave the conference with an action plan.

More Information

To find out more about Piano Pivot Live 2020 and to grab your ticket, just click on the button below.

I’m so excited for you to share in what will be an incredible learning experience.

Tim Topham has one mission in life: to stem the tide of children quitting music lessons by helping teachers maximise student engagement through creativity, technology and innovation. Tim hosts the popular Creative Piano Teaching Podcast, blogs regularly at topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as pedagogy, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, Californian Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.

Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas: The New New Testament of Piano Repertoire

Published December 6, 2019 classical , General , New Releases , piano , Repertoire Leave a Comment
Tags: Baerenreiter, Baerenreiter Verlag, Beethoven, Beethoven music, Beethoven sheet music, beethoven sonatas, Ludwig van Beethoven, music, music notes, piano, piano music, piano sheet music, sheet music, Sheet Music Plus

BeethovenVonRichardWagner 1870 marked the 100th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. After denying the invitation from the “Beethoven Committee of Vienna” to appear onstage together with Liszt, Joachim and Clara Schumann to celebrate the event, Richard Wagner decided to write an essay instead. While this essay is notable as a broader investigation of Wagner’s aesthetic philosophy and ideals, it also remains an insightful exploration of both the artistic significance and enduring popularity of Beethoven’s music. For Wagner Beethoven’s music isn’t merely beautiful, a concept that is for him constrained by convention and subject to changing tastes and fashions, but sublime. Beethoven reveals a sort of Platonic ideal of melody, thereby liberating it from its historical moment, and connecting his listeners with a timeless, universal human truth. For Wagner it is Beethoven’s radical defiance against tradition and his intense emotional expressions that make his music a vehicle for revelation.

Though these strains are apparent across Beethoven’s entire oeuvre, it is in his piano sonatas that Beethoven’s boldest thoughts and gestures shine most brightly. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Beethoven was widely known as a brilliant pianist in his own right, giving him the natural freedom to stretch the boundaries of the instrument. Perhaps, though, it is also due to the nature of the piano itself: a solo instrument that lends itself to the realm of the personal and inward, even the diaristic, and one that, by allowing tones only to be struck and not sustained or driven forward, abstracts music into its most intellectually pure form, making it a prime medium for musical exploration and innovation.

Ludwig van Beethoven

To explore Beethoven’s piano sonatas is to explore Beethoven’s musical innovations. In these 32 pieces, we see the concentrated version of the familiar trajectory guiding us from the Classical era into the Romantic: the experimental mimicry of his early years, the ego-driven defiance of his middle years where, at the height of his compositional powers, he most fully challenges convention, and finally his late years where, fully deaf, he introspectively explores the mysteries of life and death. Continue reading ‘Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas: The New New Testament of Piano Repertoire’

Play It Again: A New Piano Book Aimed at Returning Players

Published October 4, 2017 General , Methods Leave a Comment
Tags: Melanie Spanswick, piano, piano method, Piano method book, piano methods, piano music, piano sheet music, schott music, Sheet Music Plus

Did you used to play the piano? Would you like to play again? Aimed at returning players who have spent some time away from the keyboard, Play It Again: Piano by Melanie Spanswick gives you the confidence to revisit this fulfilling pastime and go beyond what you previously thought you could achieve. This book is designed to get your fingers speeding comfortably across the keys once again.

Continue reading ‘Play It Again: A New Piano Book Aimed at Returning Players’

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