For Piano Teachers
A while back, I was advised by a local pianist and music educator to write a short verbal description for each piece in order to give students a head start in understanding what the music is about. These descriptions are necessarily vague and subject to broad interpretation, but I provide them here. Also provided are some notes to piano teachers in which I try to indicate what technical skills students might develop by learning to play these pieces. Most of these compositions are for more advanced students, but a few are relatively straightforward. Although some would be too long for any competitions, approximate levels using MMTA designations are given as a guide.
Punchinello – A little clown gets carried away with his own antics and revs up until he crashes. A little bird comes to help him out.
Level – Senior A
Technical Skills – Detailed finger work.
Jazz Hands − A night of jazz in a big city basement club. The next day, a breezy afternoon on the avenue, then another night of cool music and dim lighting. The bass fiddle knows just when to come in.
Level− Intermediate B
Technical Skills – Not too technically difficult, but has some rhythmic complexity.
The Grasshopper – This is a piece for children. Simple and hoppy. I wrote this one when I was twelve and decided to record it so others could hear it in case they wanted to teach it.
Level− Junior B
Technical Skills – Easy, but has some good practice for right hand skips. Can be played across a wide range of tempos.
Bedtime for a Microprocessor − The baby microprocessor won't go to sleep. The grownup does its best to initiate shut down without an outright ctrl-alt-del. After some back and forth, the baby microprocessor is finally in sleep mode.
Level − Senior A
Technical Skills – The main melody line is produced by alternating hands working together. This is a chance to inject some humor into a performance.
Reminiscence − Gothic columns surround a brightly lit courtyard. The peace and quiet stirs remembrances of times past.
Level− Senior A
Technical Skills – Challenging in spots, but not necessarily related to any one particular skill. Sound balance is a good lesson here.
The Butterfly − A butterfly flits from flower to flower. Maybe it's being chased by a kitten.
Level – Senior B
Technical Skills – This piece requires precise finger work, but can be taken at a variety of tempos depending on abilities.
Night of the Mountain Trolls − Gremlin-like creatures dance and play around a bonfire in a mountain clearing at night. The flickering fire illuminates only part of their mischief.
Level− Senior B
Technical Skills – Some shifting time signatures, left hand melody played against a right hand accompaniment in the middle section.
Daydreams − This piece reminds me of a quiet spring or summer walk in the park, perhaps on a wooded path around a lake.
Level− Intermediate B
Technical Skills – Technically easy, but requires some real musicianship. There are a few chords that may not work for small hands, but some notes here or there could be omitted if that's what it takes to play the piece.
Moonlight Ritual − Sneaking out of the cabin late at night through the forest to a clearing…a ritual is performed under the moonlight, perhaps at a stone altar… then a secretive return home.
Level − Senior A
Technical Skills − Legato intervals in the left hand, and rich and complex chords in the middle section.
Corn Ball − A little grandeur. A little goofiness. Just for fun.
Level − Senior B
Technical Skills – Somewhat challenging. Rapid skips in the left hand and some rapid repeated notes in the right hand. Strenuous to play, but fun for a suitably advanced performer.