Category: Repertoire

Free Christmas and Winter Repertoire Lists

11/12/2019

One of the projects I like to have my students do during November and December is to create a list of all of the fun holiday music they are learning. I think this is especially important for my younger students, who are very motivated to see their repertoire lists grow as they learn more and more pieces. It is also a great way to create a performance goal for all of my students--I encourage them to use the music on these lists to perform for their families over our holiday break!

Today I am sharing these repertoire list templates with you. Feel free to print these out and use them with your students this holiday season! There is one list for Christmas repertoire, and a second list for winter repertoire that can be used by students who don't celebrate Christmas or by those who want to continue their repertoire lists into the new year.

Click HERE or on the photos below to download both of these repertoire lists in a single PDF file. Happy holidays!

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The Christmas Music Round-Up!

10/19/2019

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Can you believe that Christmas is only two months away? Hooray...and eek!

For me, that means it is officially time to break out the Christmas music in my studio and get my students prepared for some holiday fun!

Today I am rounding up my own Christmas arrangements for students at every level...from beginner to advanced.

Are you and your students tired of the traditional holiday tunes? (I'm looking at you, "Jingle Bells"!) Don't worry--I've got you covered! From medleys and mash-ups, to rockin' arrangements, to your favorite pop Christmas songs--find holiday music to please even your pickiest student right here.

Click on the pictures below to see sample pages and to listen to any of these pieces. Or, click HERE to search my catalog for your favorite Christmas songs.

Elementary Level

Looking for a duet or trio? This ain't your Mama's "Jingle Bells!" Check out this rockin' version of the familiar tune, suitable for two or three elementary students (the terzo part is optional).

10 beginner arrangements for students in primer or level 1.

This Christmas classic features a fun, drum-inspired intro and coda.

9 easy arrangements for students in level 1 or level 2.

Who doesn't love "A Charlie Brown Christmas?" A super easy arrangement of a holiday favorite!

Check out my Free Stuff page HERE for even more elementary Christmas arrangements!

Late Elementary Level

Each piece from this beloved suite arranged for late elementary piano!

Early Intermediate Level

"Medley Magic" features 9 mash-ups of traditional carols in a variety of fun styles. Great for recitals and holiday performances!

Intermediate Level and Beyond

"Medley Magic Volume 2" features 9 mash-ups of traditional carols with famous classical pieces by Rachmaninoff, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and more! Appropriate for student performances or for church services.

Have a rockin' Christmas with these 10, one-of-a-kind holiday arrangements in rock, pop, and blues styles.

(also available for "easy piano")

What do you think? Are you ready for Christmas music? Have you tried any of these arrangements with your students? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

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Choosing the Right Piece of Music for Every Student

9/20/2019

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One of the best things about being a twenty-first century piano teacher is the abundance of musical choices. Never in the history of music have we had more sheet music or a wider variety of styles and genres at our fingertips. We can browse online from a seemingly endless selection of music for our students and even print on-demand!

However, one of the most difficult things about being a modern piano teacher is--you guessed it--the abundance of choices! It can be tough to balance our desire to find new, exciting repertoire for our students to play with the desire to use high quality materials that will make our students feel successful and sound fabulous. With so much music to choose from, how can we tell if a particular piece is well-written and a good fit for our students?

Today, I’d like to share my own suggestions for how to assess a piece and decide if it is right for your student. Every student has different tastes and abilities--so hopefully these ideas will help you to find the right piece for every student in your studio!

First, know your levels. Choosing a piece at the right level for your student is the first step in making sure that your selection will set your student up for success. You will see a variety of terminology used by different publishing companies to describe the various levels of piano music. However, here is a general guideline that shows the most commonly-used name for each level, along with its corresponding method book levels and the designation publishers use for popular music at that level (in quotation marks):

Elementary (Beginner) - primer, level 1 - “five-finger”
Late Elementary (Late Beginner) - level 2-3 - “big note”
Early Intermediate - level 3-4 - “easy piano”
Intermediate - level 4-5 - "easy piano"
Late Intermediate - level 5-6 - "piano solo" or "piano-vocal-guitar"
Advanced - out of method books - “piano solo” or "piano-vocal-guitar"

Most publishing companies try to make a teacher's job easier by clearly listing the level of a piece of music on the front cover. However, if the level of a piece isn't clearly marked, here are a couple of resources that can help you determine it:

The Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature by Jane Magrath
This is an excellent resource that covers thousands of the most-taught piano pieces from the beginning to early advanced levels. Although you won't find the most recently composed pieces listed here, it is a must-have for leveling and choosing repertoire written around 1990 and earlier.

Sheet Music Plus Level Guidelines
Sheet Music Plus is a large, online music retailer. They have created a chart that lists characteristics of pieces at each level with examples from the standard piano literature. It will give you a good overview of what musical elements you can expect to find in pieces at each level. You can also click on a level to browse all the music they have available at that level--which is very helpful!

Next, I like to ask myself three important questions to judge whether a piece is well-written and appropriate for the student I have in mind.

1. Is the piece fun to play? A piece that feels good under the hands and matches your student's current technical abilities will be fun to play! You might ask:

Does this piece fit the hands well, with no awkward maneuvering or excessively tricky fingering?
Does this piece take into account the hand size, finger dexterity, and technical abilities of your student?
Does this piece use a tempo that is attainable for your student?
Does this piece use rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic patterns that your student will recognize?

2. Is it fun to listen to this piece? Students (and parents) enjoy music that sounds good, no matter what level your student is currently at. You might ask:

Is it catchy? Would your student be excited to play this piece?
Is it unique? Does it contain elements that would make it interesting to a non-musical listener (i.e., a parent) in a performance setting?
Does it tell a story, communicate an emotion, or paint a picture for the listener?

3. Does this piece teach the student something? Although we want our students to enjoy the music they are playing, we also want the pieces we choose to contribute to our students' overall musical growth. You might ask:

What will the student learn by playing this piece? Does this piece reinforce your student’s current piano skills?
Does this piece stretch your student in some small way, either artistically or technically? (My rule of thumb is that a piece can have one or two new ideas--beyond that and there is potential for a student to be overwhelmed.)
Does this piece serve as a stepping stone to other works you hope your student will study in the future?

What do you think? How do you assess a new piece and determine if it is a good fit for your students? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Free Christmas and Winter Repertoire Lists

The Christmas Music Round-Up!

Choosing the Right Piece of Music for Every Student

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