Heidi’s Piano Studio: June 2024

Friday, June 28, 2024

Bastian Piano Lit 1 Lesson Plans and Activities

Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with Bastian Piano Literature Volume 1. The theory, improvisation, and music and movement activities can be done in private lessons, group lessons, piano lab, or assigned for at-home practice.

Baroque Piano Literature

Minuet in G Minor by Bach 115 and Fingering Choices 4

Minuet in G by Bach 114 and Practice Steps 4

Minuet in G by Bach 116 and Baroque Articulation4

March in D by Bach 122 and Musical Interpretation and Cut Time 4

Classical Piano Literature

Minuet in F K2 by Mozart and Cadences 4

Ecossaise in G by Beethoven and Bouncing Octaves 2

Sonatina in G by Beethoven and Acciacatura 4

Romantic Piano Literature

Sonatina with Tarantella by Spindler and Modulation 3

The Merry Farmer by R Schumann and Voicing/Balance 3

The Wild Horseman by R Schumann and Finger Staccato 3

Soldier's March by R Schumann and Hover Hand Shifts 2

Modern Piano Literature

Dance by Kabalevsky 1

Quick March by Kabalevsky 2

A Little Song by Kabalevsky 3

Waltz by Kabalevsky 1

March by Shostakovich 2

A Winter Tale by Bartok 3

The Lonely Traveler by Bartok 3

Colored #s represent the Rastall Level of Difficulty

Bastian Piano Lit: Sonatina in G Beethoven

This post includes activities that correlate with Sonatina in G by Beethoven in Bastian's Piano Lit Volume 1.

Music Sample

Bastian Lit 1: Sonatina Spindler 157 #1 and Modulation

This post includes lesson plans and activities that correlate with Sonatina Allegro by Fritz Spindler in Bastian Piano Lit Volume 1.

Music Samples and History

Music Style Videos by DaveWave

Learn about different music styles in the videos below as you hear some fun samples.

Piano Pronto 4 Online Activities

Piano Pronto Movement 4 Supplementary Activities

Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with Piano Pronto Movement 4.

The theory, improvisation, and music and movement activities can be done in private lessons, group lessons, piano lab, or assigned for at-home practice.

#1 Medley of Patriotic Songs and Binary Form
#2 Heroic Symphony Theme and Double Treble
#3 Solace and Grazioso
#4 Rage Over a Lost Penny and Shifts
#5 Russian Composers Medley and Key Signature Review
#6 Flying Solo and Ternary Form
#7 Melody in F and Espressivo
#8 Turkish March and Giocoso
#9 Ragtime Medley and Style
#10 Serenade and Term Review
#11 La Cumparsita and Tango
#12 Arietta and E Flat Major
#13 Arabesque and Scherzando
#14 To a Wild Rose and A Major
#15 Spinning Song
#16 Verdi Medley and A Major Review
#17 The Beautiful Crystal and C Minor
#18 Tchaikovksy Medley and Cantabile
#19 Hungarian Dance No 5 and Energico
#20 Habanera and Quarter Note Triplets
#21 Sonatina in C and Rhythm Review
#22 Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg

Piano Pronto 3 Online Activity Plans

Piano Adventures 4 Online Activity Plans

Piano Pronto 4 Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg

This post includes activities that correlate with Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Examples

Listen to the first 2 minutes of Piano Concerto in A minor by Grieg (Auckland Orchestra) as you follow along in your music. This piece was written for piano with orchestra, but has been arranged for just piano in your method book.

Listen the Classics for Kids podcast About Edvard Grieg to learn more about this Romantic era composer's life.

Improvisation

Watch the sample improvisations below. Then choose your favorite style to improvise using notes from the a minor scale.

Optional: Write your favorite improv down using the Glimmer Printable or Arabian Printable.

Create First Glimmer of Hope

Create First Endless Road

Create First Arabian Nights

#20 Habanera and Quarter Note Triplets
#21 Sonatina in C and Rhythm Review

Piano Pronto 4 Sonatina in C by Lynes and Rhythm Review

This post includes activities that correlate with Sonatina in C by Frank Lynes in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Examples

Listen to the First Movement of Sonatina in C by Frank Lynes (until 1:00) as you tap the rhythm of the piece.

Piano Pronto 4 Habanera and Quarter Note Triplets

This post includes activities that correlate with Habanera by Bizet in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Examples

Imagine all the melody note values in are cut in half and chant "BEE-tle, RASP-ber-ry" as you listen to Habanera from Carmen Animated Up

Piano Pronto 4 Hungarian Dance No 5 and Energico

This post includes activities that correlate with Hungarian Dance No 5 by Johannes Brahms in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Examples

Hungarian Dance No 5 Animated Pigs in a Polka

Choose a Classics for Kids podcast to listen to below:

About Johannes Brahms

Brahms Hungarian Dances

About Hungarian Dancing

Supplementary Music Energetic (Energico)

Turbocharged by Christopher Goldston

Tarantella Viva! by Melody Bober - Sheet Music

The Matador by Carolyn Miller - Sheet Music

Energico in Piano Adventures 3B

Fiddle Tune by Martha Mier in Solo Spectacular Book 2

Brave Sea Captain by Kevin Olson in My Kind of Music Book 3

Spiderdance by Kevin Olson in Imaginations Book 4

Babysitter Boogie by Dennis Alexander in Especially for Girls

Piano Pronto 4 Tchaikovsky Medley and Cantabile

This post includes activities that correlate with Overture Theme from Romeo and Juliet and Theme from Piano Concerto No 1 by Tchaikovsky Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples and History

Overture Theme from Romeo and Juliet (Start at 8:50)

Piano Pronto 4 The Beautiful Crystal and C Minor

This post includes activities that correlate with The Beautiful Crystal in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Sample
Kristallen den fina (Vocal and Harp)

Piano Pronto 4 Verdi Medley and A Major

This post includes activities that correlate with La Donna e Mobile and Anvil Chorus by Verdi in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

La Donna e Mobile

Piano Pronto 4 Spinning Song

This post includes activities that correlate with Spinning Song by Albert Elmenreich in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Sample and History

As you listen to the performance of the original version of Spinning Song color the accents red in your music. (Note: The Piano Pronto arrangement does not include the B section).

Piano Pronto 4: To a Wild Rose and A Major

This post includes activities that correlate with To a Wild Rose by Edward McDowell in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Listen to the music samples below and imitate the peaceful mood as you practice.
To a Wild Rose (Piano)

Piano Pronto 4 Arabesque by Burgmuller

This post includes activities that correlate with Arabesque by Burgmuller in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Sample

Arabesque by Burgmuller

Piano Pronto 4 Arietta and E Flat Major

This post includes activities that correlate with Arietta by Grieg in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Arietta performed by Ayako Fujiki

Piano Pronto 4: La Cumparsita and Tango

This post includes activities that correlate with La Cumparsita in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples and Style

Choose a music sample to listen to below and tap the rhythm of the theme.

La Cumparsita Accordion by M Rodriguez

Piano Pronto 4 Serenade and Term Review

This post includes activities that correlate with Serenade by Schubert in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Serenade (Rousseau)

Piano Pronto 4: Ragtime Medley

This post includes activities that correlate with Hello! My Baby and Alexander's Ragtime Band in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Hello My Baby! (Animated) start at 2:54

Piano Pronto 4: Turkish March and Giocoso

This post includes activities that correlate with Melody in F by Rubinstein in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Listen to a few excerpts of Beethoven's famous Turkish March below. It was composed for orchestra but has been adapted for piano and electronic instruments in some of the examples below. Which is played the most giocoso (humorously)?

Turkish March Line Rider (Orchestra)

Piano Pronto 4: Melody in F and Espressivo

This post includes activities that correlate with Melody in F by Rubinstein in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Listen to the original version of Melody in F by Rubinstein and imitate the expressive rubato as you practice this piece.

Piano Pronto 4: Flying Solo and Ternary Form

This post includes activities that correlate with Flying Solo in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Theory

Binary and Ternary Form- hear examples of phrases, sections and form in music

Piano Pronto 4: Russian Medley and Key Signature Review

This post includes activities that correlate with Russian Composers Medley in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Piano Pronto Movement 4 Free Piano Lesson Plans

Music Samples and History

Listen to part of each of the Polovetsian Dance and Young Prince and Princess videos below to hear the different moods created as composers arrange version of the same melody in different styles and timbres.

Polovetsian Dance by Alexander Borodin (Vocal and Orchestra)

Piano Pronto 4: Rage Over a Lost Penny and Sudden Shifts

This post includes activities that correlate with Rage Over the Lost Penny in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Listen to Rage Over a Lost Penny as you label the form in your music.

Piano Pronto 4: Solace and Jazz Rags and Blues

This post includes activities that correlate with Solace by Scott Joplin in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples

Choose a performance of Solace below to listen to and see if you can hear when "the theme excerpt" that the arrangement in your book is based on is introduced.

Solace performed by Phillip Dyson

Solace performed by Geoffrey LaDue

Listen to the podcast to learn more about ragtime composer Scott Joplin or listen to the podcast to learn more about ragtime music.

Supplementary Ragtime Music

Listen to the supplementary Ragtime Pieces below and choose one you would like to learn if you love ragtime style.

Ragtime Do-Si-Do in Martha Mier Jazz Rags and Blues Bk 1

Downright Happy Rag in Martha Mier Jazz Rags and Blues Bk 1

Peacherine Rag in Marlais Jazz, Blues and Rags 3

Echoes from the Snowball Club in Marlais Jazz, Blues and Rags 3

Classical Rag Simply Jazzy Bk 2

Yodeling Rag Simply Jazzy Bk 2

Jazz Rags and Blues Festival Listening

#2 Heroic Symphony Theme and Double Treble
#4 Rage Over a Lost Penny and Shifts
#5 Russian Composers Medley and Key Signature Review

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Piano Pronto 4: Heroic Symphony Theme and Double Treble

This post includes activities that correlate with Heroic Symphony Theme by Beethoven in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples and History

Follow along in your music and listen to this sample performance of Heroic Symphony as if you were a piano teacher. Can you name 2 things the performer did well and make one suggestion for improvement? (Fingering, Expression, Notes, Rhythm, BAPDARP).

Piano Pronto 4: Patriotic Songs and Binary Form

This post includes activities that correlate with Medley of Patriotic Songs in Piano Pronto Movement 4.

Music Samples and History

Choose a sample of each piece to listen to below as you tap the rhythm of the piece.

Anchors Away

Piano Adventures 3B: The Gathering Storm and Hand over Hand Arpeggios

This post includes lesson plans for "The Gathering Storm" by Nancy Faber in Piano Adventures 3A Technique.

Music Samples

As you listen to The Gathering Storm label or color the primary chord arpeggios in your music (i-red, iv-blue, V-yellow).

Supplementary Music

Spooky Town by Chris Owens

Piano Adventures 3B: Loxodonta Africana and Technique Review

This post includes lesson plans for "Loxodonta Africana" by Nancy Faber in Piano Adventures 3A Technique.

Music Samples

As you listen to Loxodonta Africana, Ghost tap the rhythms on your lap with more weight on accents, bounce on staccatos.

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Piano Adventures 4: A Midsummer Night's Dream

This lesson plan includes activities and tips for playing "A MidSummer Night's Dream" in Piano Adventures 4 TECHNIQUE Book.

Music Sample

Listen to both performance videos below. Watch for 3 good examples of technique or artistry in each and watch/listen for differences in expression. Is there anything you think might make the performance more expressive, accurate, or interesting?

Comparetto A Midsummer Night's Dream

Mr Piano Boy A Midsummer Night's Dream

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Piano Adventures 4: Caspian Sea and Balance

This lesson plan includes activities and tips for playing "Caspian Sea" in Piano Adventures 4 TECHNIQUE Book.

Listen to the melody sing over the soft left-hand patterns in Caspian Sea.

Use a paintbrush stroke for the left hand 1-5-10 patterns to avoid tension and release the left-hand eighth notes after the first beat of most measures instead of trying to hold out all 3 notes.