Willard A. Palmer Favorite Solos

Dr. Palmer was a world renowned musician, scholar and music teacher. With 789 published works, his name is familiar to students and teachers alike, most notably associated with Alfred’s Basic Piano Library. This new series contains a nice collection of his original piano solos for students of all ages. There is a variety of styles, sounds and moods, and the music is laid out beautifully, suitable for the youngest students as well as the older beginners. There are no childish pictures to put off the older beginners, and the music engraving is large enough that the younger students may be able to follow easily.

Book 1 Early Elementary/Elementary

The first volume contains 8 solos. They are very accessible for your beginners, yet the music sounds surprisingly sophisticated. I am especially impressed by the following features:

1. Very clear, precise pedal markings – some are understandably optional in this volume.
2. Hand crossing – beginner students love to show this off!
3. Using different registers of the piano keyboard – changing the register is the easiest way to create variation, and this is used a lot in repeats, to create echos, at endings of phrases, or for dramatic effects.
4. Performance instructions are mostly in English – this is very appropriate for beginners. As the music becomes more difficult, more and more Italian terms are introduced.
5. Optional duet part – The first five pieces have optional duet part; they sound great both ways.
6. Melody is sometimes in the left hand, sometimes shared by both hands – great to see this concept introduced in the first volume.
7. Major/minor twist in melody – musical interest and complexity is achieved without making the music overly difficult.

Book 2 Late Elementary/Early Intermediate

This volume contains 9 solos. They introduce many important concepts and terms found in classical music, most appropriate for your developing students:

1. Titles such as Bagatelle, Ballade, Caprice, Theme and Variations
2. Alberti bass accompaniment figure
3. Key change
4. Tempo change

Book 3 Early Intermediate/intermediate

This volume contains 8 solos. All of the features in Book 1 and 2 continue to be explored. There is now almost an exclusive use of Italian terms, and we see titles such as Baroque Bourree, Prelude in D Minor, and Serenade in G. New concepts introduced include use of optional third staff, chromatic scale, whole tone scale, and ornaments. More modern sounds and styles such as syncopation, swing rhythm, and ragtime are also represented.

Alfred also publishes the Favorite Solos series for other composers: Dennis Alexander, David Carr Glover, Martha Mier, and Catherine Rollin. These best-loved piano solos of each composer have been compiled into graded collections for students to enjoy playing and teachers to enjoy teaching! I will have to check them all out in detail.

Signature Series

If you are looking for just that one more piece to compliment your student’s audition program, or would like to try a new contemporary (living) composer, then the Alfred Signature Series is for you! This is modern sheet music at its best. Each piece is printed on one large sheet: page-turn and budget friendly! Numerous composers are featured. If you want to be safe, go with familiar names such as Melody Bober, Dennis Alexander, Martha Mier, Robert Vandall, Catherine Rollin, or Wynn-Anne Rossi, or be pleasantly surprised by Betty Sutton, Ted Cooper, Mike Springer, Mary K. Sallee, or W.T. Skye Garcia. Better yet, on the Alfred website you can view a sample page before purchasing, to make sure you like the particular composer’s style. Oh, and the artwork on the sheet music cover is carefully selected to reflect the level of each solo – “cutesy” for the elementary pieces, and more “artsy” for the more advanced!

How do you select audition music for your students? Do you have a favorite series? Do share in the comments below!

Over the years, I have come across a great variety of holiday music for students. My favorites include: Music for Little Mozarts Little Mozarts Perform the Nutcracker, Famous and Fun Christmas by Carol Matz, Christmas Jazz, Rags & Blues by Martha Mier, and Especially Popular Christmas by Dennis Alexander – all of which feature fantastic arrangements of some of the most popular holiday classics. They are carefully graded to suit different student levels, musically appealing, and provide a good deal of pedagogical merits.

While I always enjoy teaching holiday music to my students and playing the teacher duet parts, every now and then I want to play those beautiful, familiar tunes, too! There are countless Christmas songbooks out there, but most of them are collections for voice/guitar/piano. I am not a big fan of these fakebook-style anthologies – the piano part is usually not very pianistically written, either it is too simple and boring, or it is awkward with big leaps and stretches. I want pianistic, musical solos that sound sophisticated, have a bit of an improvisational nature, do not sound juvenile, and are “showy” enough to play for friends and family! This year, I have found three books that fit the bill!

1. Jazz Performer Holiday Inspirations, arranged by Paul Johnston

Jazz improvisation is not my forte, but after playing through this book, I feel I have taken a crash course on improvisation! Every piece in the book contains a written-out improvisation solo, so even if you are not a jazz musician, you can “fake” it by just learning the notes as written! The amazing thing is, after a while, you can not help but experiment with your own improvisations! This book contains some of the most well known of all holiday music, you can not go wrong with the following titles: Angels We Have Heard on High * Away in a Manger * Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella * Deck the Halls * God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen * It Came Upon the Midnight Clear * Jingle Bells * Joy to the World * Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming * Silent Night.

2. A Jazz-Inspired Christmas, arranged by Craig Curry

This book comes with a CD, performed by the composer. This is helpful if you are not familiar with some of the sacred selections. The CD also contains PDF files for bass and drum parts, with guitar chord symbols, should you wish to play the arrangements in an ensemble setting. I find the harmonies here to be very original and refreshing, and there are also plenty opportunities to hone my improvisation skills further! A prominent feature in many of the arrangements is the walking bass line in the left hand, which can be omitted if playing with a bass. Titles: Sing We Now of Christmas * The First Noel * O Little Town of Bethlehem * Jingle Bells * What Child Is This? * God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen * Silent Night * Go, Tell It on the Mountain.

3. Popular Performer Christmas Classics, arranged by Mark Hayes

This book contains some of the most timeless and memorable popular songs for the holiday season; if you are tired of Jingle Bells and Silent Night, this one is for you! The piano writing here is more “classical”, and there are many showy, pianistic figurations – extended arpeggios, scale passages, hand crossing, white key glissandos, black key glissandos, and even a black key double glissando! The arrangements here are sure to impress any party crowd: The Gift * Grown-Up Christmas List * Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas * I’ll Be Home for Christmas * It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year * Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! * Let There Be Peace on Earth * The Little Drummer Boy * Sleigh Ride * Toyland.

All three books are for advanced piano solo. After playing through all the arrangements, I feel I have become more fluent in jazz harmonization, improvisation, and rhythm. I have even surprised myself a few times while accompanying students during lessons – those 7ths, 9ths,suspensions and chromatics seem to want to take over, and I find my fingers reharmonizing the more traditional duet parts! We are sure to have a jazzy Holiday Recital this year!

While you shop for holiday music for your students this year, don’t forget to try something new for yourself, too! If you have a favorite holiday music collection, please share in the comments below!

Let’s be honest–why do we work? Because we love it? Perhaps, but back in the fast-food-job days, I worked for that paycheck. With the demanding, repetitious practice required during the “transformation period” an incentive or a “paycheck” can prove helpful. Music Money, created by TCW Resources, sparked my curiosity years ago and I continue to see the benefits of paying students for practice and progress (and so do my students!)

 Ways to Pay that Can Make Huge Dividends

1. All students receive $20 each week IF all 5 bubbles in front of each assignment on the assignment sheet are colored in.  This shows me my instructions were followed and practiced 5 times since the last lesson.

2. If there is a new concept to master I like to challenge with cash. For example, when working with Kyle to make lovely shaped phrases, he was offered $5 for softening the end of each slur. After listening to my example, Kyle rose to the challenge, watched for the end of every slur, softened them with a gentle wrist lift and added $35 to his stash.

3. A favorite office supply product–post-it arrows–proves profitable for all. These are placed near a measure on the page that is tricky or error-prone and warrants discussion at the lesson. When the student returns for the next lesson, the pianist must remind me what the arrow signified and play the section/note correctly. Each arrow is worth $5 and sometimes a page can be plastered with arrows so the payout is big!

4. Once a piece is mastered and error-free, it needs to stay that way. To build reliability, students are asked to play a piece (or section) 20 times perfect. Students keep a tally on a post-it and if they return with 20 tallies, they earn $50.

5. Lessons are always filled with questions so if a question is answered correctly OR if the pianist speaks with particularly amazing intelligence (!) $5 is added to the stack of bills.

6. Each time a pianist participates in a studio performance opportunity or performs at school, church, etc, they receive $50-$100.

7. Group lessons are filled with games and opportunities to reward with cash and bonuses.

8. Each bill features a picture of a great composer providing opportunities to introduce great musicians of the past.

9. When drilling a tricky phrase it is fun to place a bet. Once students hear “Twenty bucks if you can play that phrase with zero errors” they eagerly rise to the challenge and drill the phrase until it is perfect.

10. Dynamic markings are often overlooked.  Offering $5 for each one I hear in a performance heightens awareness in the eyes and ears of the performer.

Meant to be Spent

If there’s money burning a hole in an assignment binder pocket, it must be spent. So, once a quarter I set up a store stocked with candy, toys, sheet music, jewelry, gadgets, etc. Students arrive unaware of market day and drop their music bags to eagerly count their money. A timer is set for 5 minutes to browse as the shopping experience for some can take a great deal of time. Some enjoy bargaining, others always seem to overspend (and ask for financing!) and the misers save their dough.

It Doesn’t Grow on Trees

Invest in Music Money and see long term results. You can find your cash at  TCW Resources, published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company.  The company crafts countless creative even “wacky” games and theory books that enage students in fun and theory! (FYI: You’ll get a kick out of the origin of the acronym “TCW“)

I use many TCW Resources materials and recommend them all. Their products are packed with a delightful sense of humor, dynamic illustrations and solid theory tools that are SOUND investments for your studio.

This series is part of Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, designed to provide students familiar music from Disney cartoons, movie hits, jazz and popular songs, while reinforcing concepts introduced in the lesson books. Each piece correlates page-by-page with the materials in the lesson books; teachers may assign them according to the specific instructions, use them as review material, or to supplement another method.

Although I am familiar with the lesson books of Premier Piano Course, I have not tried the Pop and Movie Hits in my studio, so I decided that I will play through the entire Level 5 and Level 6 books and see. My verdict? Worth every penny! Here are some of the reasons why I think this series is superior in the field of popular music arranged for piano students.

1. Great value

Each book contains 14 pieces totaling 40 pages, retail price $7.99. That is pretty “beefy”!

2. Great selection

In the past I have avoided buying method books with popular music, because although there may be one or two really good arrangements, the rest is “filler” – less popular songs that no one wants to play! The Pop and Movie Hits series contains such a nice selection of Disney classics, jazz standards, popular songs and familiar movie themes, that it was hard to put down!

Here are the song tiles contained in each volume:

Book 5 * And All That Jazz * Anything Goes * At Last * Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Dancing Queen * Don’t Stop Believin’ * How High the Moon * Maple Leaf Rag * Moondance * Rhapsody in Blue™ * Summertime * Take the “A” Train * Under the Sea * The Wind Beneath My Wings

Book 6 * Beauty and the Beast * Hero * I Got Rhythm * Love Story (Where Do I Begin?) * Theme from “New York, New York” * The Notebook (Main Title) * The Prayer * Sealed with a Kiss * Swinging on a Star * The Syncopated Clock * Take Five * Tiger Rag (Hold That Tiger) * What a Wonderful World * You Raise Me Up

3. Great arrangements

Ever had a beginner student enthusiastically bring a new book s/he got as a gift from a well-meaning parent/relative to the lesson? The title usually goes something like “Best Loved Songs” or “Easy Classics”. These thick anthologies, although great value, are usually way too difficult for the average beginner student, involving awkward leaps, frequent (and often unnecessary) changes of chord positions, crude harmonic progressions, and overly complicated rhythm. They are often unpianistically arranged, and a real torture to teach! Every piece in the Pop and Movie Hits has been carefully arranged for piano. They provide enough challenges for each level, without superfluous rhythmic and accompaniment complexities. They really “fit under the fingers” and kind of play themselves! (Click to see sample pages of Book 5 and Book 6)

4. Great layout

Most popular music books are designed for not just pianists, but also vocalists and guitarists; they contain too much information on the page, including chord symbols and guitar tabs, making it way too cluttered and difficult to read for students. Another common problem is page turning – multiple repeat signs, D.C., D.S., multiple verses, Coda, etc, it can be really confusing. The songs in Pop and Movie Hits are very cleanly laid out, and usually involve no more than one page turn; occasionally there is D.C. or D.S., but they are easy to spot, and there are no multiple back-and-forth flips.

5. Great pedagogy

I love music that does “double duty”. The pieces in Pop and Movie Hits actually teach many pianistic and musical concepts, so students learn something useful while playing something they (and their parents) will recognize and enjoy.

6. Great markings

I like the use of very meaningful tempo and expression marks at the top of each piece, often in English (for example: “Slowly, with expression”, “Slowly, with tenderness”, “Moderately, with spirit”, “Moderate Rock Beat”). This ensures that students approach each piece in the correct tempo and mood, without having to guess the meaning of an unfamiliar Italian word (of course, students should know the common Italian terms when playing classical repertoire, but I find the employment of English words highly appropriate for these Pop and Movie Hits). Fingering is well indicated throughout, and many of the pieces also have suggested pedal markings.

As the holiday season approaches, it is a great time to incorporate some of these Pop and Movie Hits in your studio teaching. The students will love to practice these familiar tunes to show off to their friends and family!

I downloaded the free version and found it to be very useful and not too limited, as many ‘lite’ versions can be. The lite version of the app covers Intervals, Major & Minor Triads, Cadences & Chord Progressions and Scale Recognition. The app contains information explaining each of the concepts that it covers, with links to websites more information if required. There is a section where students can track the statistics of their progress, which would be great for teachers to check in with how their students are doing as well. Exercises can also be slower down (a must for any ear training app I believe) and you can also limit the exercises to certain keys. A small keyboard can be activated for students to work on during the exercises also, although none of my students used this feature.

The Interval training is set up so that students choose between two intervals, which I think would be fantastic for beginner students, where you might only introduce one or two intervals at a time. There are options to play melodic intervals both ascending and descending, as well as playing them as harmonic intervals. The same options are given for major and minor triads.

I like the versatility of this app, the ability for it to be used by students of all levels, and of course, the price (free!). I think it will definitely be recommended to my students who haven’t already discovered it and exploring the full-priced version also. If you have a favorite ear training app I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I always love to go to these publisher workshops. As an independent piano teacher in the 21st century, I feel it is very important to know the variety of method books and teaching resources that are available through many fine publishers of educational materials. While some methods are tried and true, and I certainly have my favorites that I stock up throughout the year, it is always refreshing to see what’s new. I also strongly believe in supporting living composers. By using a variety of books and music from different publishers featuring different contemporary composers, I know that come recital time, the students will all have different and interesting pieces to play, and the lessons are more fun for me as well, as I get to listen to a variety of pieces instead of the same things over and over!

However, it can be quite time consuming to get to know all the different resources out there. I make an effort to attend publisher workshops because I know they are usually jam packed with information, and I can get to know more about the latest products than if I just browse the catalogs. The fact that attendance qualifies for half a point for MTNA professional certification renewal is also an incentive. Did I mention it is free to attend and they give you a free book?!

Dr. Kowalchyk’s presentation was very informative, fun to listen to with many memorable personal stories, and I especially enjoyed her beautiful live performance of many of the pieces featured in Alfred’s latest catalogs. She also demonstrated what some of the practice CDs sound like through her iPod, showing orchestral accompaniments for some tracks, and the availability of two different tempos – performance tempo and practice tempo. The bulk of the workshop was dedicated to introducing the Premier Piano Course from Levels 1A-6, consisting of Lesson Book, Performance Book, Theory Book, Technique Book, Flash Cards, Assignment Book, as well as Christmas Book and Pop and Movie Hits. Other “product lines” were also promoted: Music for Busy Teens, Music for Little Mozarts, Creative Composition Toolbox – Wynn-Ann Rossi, Piece by Piece – Tom Gerou, Musical Snapshots – Martha Mier, Grand Trios for Piano, Generations, to name a few.

I have been a member of Alfred’s Premier Support since last September, and so was already familiar with the early levels of Premier Piano Course. I have found it to be truly outstanding. Co-authored by Dennis Alexander, Victoria McArthur, Gayle Kowalchyk, E. l. Lancaster and Martha Mier, the series is designed for today’s students, with sound pedagogical approaches and relevant music that “students will love to play” – subtitle for the method. In her presentation, Dr. Kowalchyk said that one of the feedbacks she has received from many teachers is that the teacher accompaniment parts in the lesson books are so nice – I could not agree more, and would even go as far as saying that they are indeed the nicest among method books! They make great recital pieces for beginner students.

If you have not tried Premier Piano Course, Alfred is giving each teacher the opportunity to nominate one student to receive the series for free! All you have to do is register online. Hurry, enrollment ends September 1.

If you are interested in attending an Alfred workshop, you can find out more on their website.

The coach has a UK accent which is always soothing to my American ears, and I liked that they were challenging at first, but proved to help my vocal chords become more flexible over time. I even began using some of the tracks in my voice lessons.

For the past 3 months, I have used this CD daily. I notice my range becoming higher and my tone more controlled and flexible. As teachers it can be really hard to make time for our own practice, and I have found this CD to help my voice stay fit and strong. I have even moved onto the advanced CD in order to make my practice last for an hour each day. I highly recommend it!

The six categories of song, as posited by Levitin, are: Friendship, Joy, Comfort, Knowledge, Religion and Love.  Songs of Friendship are songs of camaraderie, togetherness and creating a functional large group.  The selective advantages (Levitin talks of evolutionary advantages) of being in a group that works together for a collective whole are obvious.  Society as we know it could not exist if we were unable to get along within larger collectives of people.  A big way of getting a group to work as a unit is through music.  Think of the last time you were at a baseball game and everyone sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”  The entire stadium is able to work together as a unit.  Also, “Music has historically been one of the strongest forces binding together the disenfranchised, the alienated.” (61)

Songs of Joy release oxytocin in the brain.  “Oxytocin has just been found to increase trust between people.” (98) This, obviously, would help in creating a group of people who can work together to create a larger society.  Levitin quotes new research that suggests that music, especially joyful music, affects our health in fundamental ways.  Music also modulates levels of dopamine (the “feel-good” hormone) in the brain.  Levitin suggests “we have the relationship with music we do because those of our ancestors who found it enjoyable to be musical were those who were successful at passing on their genes.” (109)  He continues on to state, “Fundamentally, we have joy songs because moving around, dancing, exercising our bodies and minds is something that was adaptive in evolutionary history.  Stretching, jumping, and using sound to communicate felt good because our brains – through natural selection – developed rewards for those behaviors.” (109)  Joy helps us to connect to what matters in our lives and helps to recall that connection when we need reminding.  Joy songs also help us to communicate our emotional states with others.

Songs of Comfort are fundamental to growing up.  Mothers the world over sing lullabies to their children.  What teenager would have made it through high school without the consolation of music (even if, to others, the song would not be of comfort)?  Music helps to bring a consistent energy to a room and again, bring cohesiveness to a group working together.  Many children learn to self-comfort by singing to themselves songs that their mothers sang as lullabies. “Singing can soother and comfort infants in ways that other actions cannot, and this is in part because of how different auditory stimulation is from other senses.”  (126) Sound travels through space and is an indicator, even when there is no visual or physical contact available.  Lullabies share structural similarities, as well. (126)

Songs of Knowledge are ubiquitous in all societies.  How do children learn their alphabet (The Alphabet Song)? How do children learn songs of physical knowledge about their world (“The Wheels on the Bus” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”)? How do children learn to work together (“Everybody clean up, clean up, clean up”) and take care of their belongings? How do children learn to count?  Memory songs involve learning sequences (“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”).  Most of these songs are learned through oral tradition – children at young ages do not yet read.  Schoolhouse Rock is a fabulous exemplar of remembering complicated information made easy by being set to memorable music.  “The mutually reinforcing, multiple constraints that help us to remember song lyrics are principally rhyme, rhythm, accent structure, melody, and clichés, along with various poetic devices such as those we saw in Chapter I, including alliteration and metaphor.” (156)

“The criticality of time and place is a hallmark of ritual songs.” (204)Songs of Religion are found throughout world religions.  My family recently changed churches, specifically because the music was not speaking to us.  At the first service at our new church, I found myself crying because I was able to emotionally connect to the music during the service.  ”Ceremonies with music reaffirm the propositions, and the music sticks in our heads, reminding us of what we believe and what we have agreed to.  Music during ritual is designed, in most cases, to evoke a “religious experience,” a peak experience, intensely emotional, the effects of which can last the rest of a person’s life.  Trance states can occur during these experiences, resulting in feelings of ecstasy and connectedness.” (222)  Music is able to motivate repetitive action and to bring closure, lessening the human tendency to obsess over the unknown.

Songs of Love again help to communicate emotion.  When someone hears “their song,” it brings to mind a specific time, place and emotion.  Even many years later, people are able to travel back in time through memory, when a certain song is heard.  The reason this would be selective for human evolution is that it recalls times when two people felt very close, even if at the moment they are not in close emotional resonance.  “Love for one’s partner and children evolved, culturally (and perhaps biologically), into the capacity to love life and fairness, goodness and equality, and all the ideals we associate with society.” (263)  Through music, we are able to symbolize something that is not there – be it a loved one who is out of our sight or recollection of an emotion we may not immediately feel.  Music also serves as an “honest signal” (279).  Our brains perceive information received through musical means as more honest and true.

Levitin concludes with “Although the important functions of music can be described in these six categories, the specific ways that people from different musical cultures have found to make music are very diverse.” (281)  This book lays out a compelling case for the evolutionary (natural selective) reason that we are hard wired to be musical beings (as evidenced by neurological studies – see Dr. Levitin’s 2007 book This is Your Brain on Music).  I found his arguments to be very persuasive and the book to be entertaining.  Although it deals with what could be a dry subject, it is well written, has many interviews with musicians (from Sting and Paul Simon to Joni Mitchell and David Byrne) and historians, anthropologists, and evolutionary biologists.  One of my favorite quotes from the book involves music of Religion:  Levitin’s friend, Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla, states “So what if there’s a center in the brain that makes people think of God? Why wouldn’t there be? Maybe God put it there to help us to understand and communicate with him.” (196)

I highly recommend this book for insight into sociological and evolutionary reasons we are hard-wired for music.  Music is in everything we do as human beings, and this book explores how we may have gotten to be that way.  The only thing I felt lacking in the book was that the musical examples are very North American-centric.  The book is clearly written for those living in North America, with familiarity with popular culture (song selections mentioned in the book can be heard at www.sixsongs.net), and I would have really liked to have had a broader world view presented.  But, overall, I really enjoyed the book and found it thought provoking and informative.

Levitin, Daniel J., The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature. New York, NY.  Dutton/Penguin.  2008.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/World-Six-Songs-Musical-Created/dp/B002RAR126/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

Visit www.sixsongs.net for the musical examples that are prevalent throughout the book.

Wow–that phrase “set me apart” got me thinking about my teaching style and how my studio may differ from others.  Below is a list of the dominant traits that have risen to the top to make mY brand of teaching unique.

PhilosophY

This statement was crafted years ago but is frequently revisited to help me stay focused on what’s important and what’s not:

Students at any age will be encouraged to develop independence at the piano so that music can be enjoyed on the bench for a lifetime.

This mission statement determines what organizations to join, if/when I may enter students in competitions, what materials to use, and most importantly what students will “fit” within my style of teaching.

PsychologY

I play all of these roles but enjoy some more than others: hostess, entertainer, policy enforcer, accountant, administrator, disciplinarian, cheerleader, coach, musician, teacher, bar tender, bill collector, confidant, therapist and friend.

In general, I often ask myself–is this a bench or a couch? I count it a privilege and honor to “be there” when needed.

TechnologY

When prospective students arrive at my studio and see the Clavinova CVP-505PE, the iMac, the PC, an upright and grand piano, the magnetic lure of these “tools” pulls them over my studio door threshold for good. Using iPods, iPhones, iPads, iTunes, YouTube helps me stay connected with their 21st century communication style and learning modes.

Adding a 30-minute lab to a 30-minute lesson allows more time for students to review essentials. A variety of software and web-based programs keep lab times fresh. Lab tools that stand out include:

1) Adventus Children’s Musical Journey Volumes 1-3–Elementary aged students love this series because each lesson is taught by a different famous composer and the games reinforcing concepts are captivating. I value the software because of it’s unique, hands-on-approach (MIDI required) to reading and emphasis on rhythmic ear training and counting aloud. I own the software but good news–now this wonderful learning tool is available through a monthly subscription!

2) Sibelius Auralia/Musitiion–These programs provide the most inclusive review of theory and ear training exercises one could imagine, a must for any lab.

3) www.musiclearningcommunity.com If you have a computer, and WiFi and a subscription to this site you can have a lab with your lesson.

4) Zenph Sound Home Concert Extreme Need an excuse to purchase aniPad? This software program and recently released iPad app(!) uses MIDI files and instruments to provide the score, orchestral accompaniment and hands-free page turning for any level pianist. A must see…

(See my past blogs for specifics on adding a lab to your lessons–Add a Lab to your Lesson, Part 2, Part 3)

What makes your list of studio exclusives? Stay tuned next month for more ways how to, and more reasons “Y”  to set your studio apart.

As I continue on my path towards keeping myself and my students musically fit (see last month’s blog), I continue to seek out musicians/educators who inspire, train, and challenge me–one of them being Bradley Sowash. Inspired by his story above (see link below for entire article), my studio bulletin board exclaims “know your chords, kid”.  All students know we will be hitting chords hard over the next months to build some strong “chord” muscles. Sowash crafts inspiring articles, unprecedented books and videos that help me hone my skills as a musician, teacher AND a jazz player. Of course, many of them will be used this summer to develop students‘ chord playing skills and so much more.

Perhaps you’ve seen Sowash’ series entitled That’s Jazz (can’t help but love the illustrations)? The books provide a gym bag full of workouts for novice to serious jazz players. Sowash understands the need to explain jazz in basic terms and provides “safe” improvisation arenas for musicians who tend to favor the page.

Each piece–a solo gem on it’s own–includes an optional duet part and a swinging’ CD accompaniment. However, what attracted me to the books immediately were the pages entitled “Warm Up” and “Going Further”. The Warm Up page (found prior to an upcoming solo) breaks down an important element of  jazz in a pedagogically pleasing (yes!) format. The Going Further page (found after the solo) gives clear and basic suggestions for improvising like a true jazz player. The soloist is then challenged to play the solo again plugging in any/all suggestions. Sowash is an expert at keeping instructions simple and setting boundaries so that there is little fear of failure and a foundation for creativity to blossom. Students of mine who had never before stepped foot on a “jazz” court  found success unlocking and exploring creative skills fostered by this series. (Note: this series focuses on the jazz style, but instructions are useful to any style of improv.)

Below are links to various resources developed by Sowash so that you too, can make jazz and improvisation accessible to any student.

Bradley Sowash

Check out his wide selection of books, beyond those mentioned above, that should keep any wanna-be jazz pianist busy and satisfied.

http://www.bradleysowash.com/BookThatsJazz.htm

Read a terrific article (mentioned above) penned by Sowash providing ample ideas and basic scale and chord patterns required for building strong improv skills.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/clavier/companion_20110506/#/34

Watch him explain how to use his innovative method on video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bradleysowash?feature=mhum#p/u/1/dpnxkuYNUIs

Find him on Facebook where you can view his work as an educator, composer and

Performer/Composer/Educator

performer.

https://www.facebook.com/BradleySowashMusic

Hopefully, you may find one or all of Bradley Sowash’s (http://www.bradleysowash.com/ ) resources valuable as you continue to train your students to stay musically fit OFF the page as well as on.