Wunderkeys Pop 2: Wolf

  

Wolf in Bflat Major-GMinor from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book includes changing clefs, augmented chords, inner voicing and frequent hand crossovers.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Penny Session and F Sharp Minor

 

The Penny Session in F Sharp Minor from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book borrows musical ideas from Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny." Listen to the 2 pieces below and compare their similarities and differences.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Strong Will and Broken Inversions

 

Strong Will in A Major in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book begins with a variation of A Major Broken inversions. 

Wunderkeys 2 Pop: Castle Hill Kick and Looking Ahead

Castle Hill Kick in G minor and B-flat Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book includes large 2 octave left-hand leaps.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Venise Session and LH Pivots

The Venise Session in B Flat Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book includes several left-hand patterns that require a pivot or crossover motion.

Technique

Watch the Pivot Notes Tutorial (first 5 minutes) and pivot rather than stretch on the 1-5-10 left-hand patterns to eliminate tension in measures 1-4 and similar patterns throughout the piece.

Rhythm

Watch the Quick Rhythm tip video about Sixteenth note triplets (similar to those on the last line of this piece).

Improvisation

Choose a backing track below and play the scale along with it or improvise melodies using notes from the B-flat Major Scale. Remember to play all of the B's and E's Flat!

B-Flat Backing Track Ballad Guitar

B-Flat Backing Track Smooth Jazz Guitar

Supplementary Music in B Flat Major

Risoluto by Bach in Piano Adventures 5

When the Sun Rises in Piano Adventures 5

Fanfare on America  in Piano Adventures 5

King Arthur in Piano Town 3

Queen Guinevere in Piano Town 3

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Aisling's Theme Practice Tips

Aisling's Theme in B minor  from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book includes multiple mood shifts. Tap the rhythms as you listen to the performance.

• Even though this piece is written in a minor key listen for how occasional major chord patterns in this piece bring a glimmer of hope and shift the mood.
• Practice feeling the subtle rise and fall of the chords and use your peripheral vision when needed to see the larger chord shifts.
• Remember to add the expressive dynamic changes and ritardando to convey emotion in this piece.
• Watch out for the clef changes/left hand crossovers on the bottom of the first and second page.

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Wunderkeys Pop 2: Sea of Stars and Dotted Eighths

Sea of Stars in D Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book is inspired by themes from Mozart's famous piano sonata.

Watch the first minute of the video below to hear the inspiration behind the motifs in this piece.

Mozart Sonata No 11 in A Major Andante Grazioso

Practice Tips

• Block practice the left-hand chord and interval patterns to prepare for smooth chord shift transitions.
• Tap the rhythms as you listen to the performance video below (Start at 1:45). Think of the dotted eighth rhythms in the right hand as doubled in value (augmented). For example, measure one sounds like  "Shoot the bug Slug bug" in bug rhythm language.
• Play the left hand 2 and 3 note phrases with a down-up motion and light thumb.

Supplementary Music

Piano Pronto Movement 2 Sonata Theme is a simplified version of Mozart's original theme.

Minuet Op 11 No. 5 by Luigi Boccerini in Discovering Piano (Red p. 178)

Minuet in A Minor BWV 120 by Bach in Discovering Piano (Red p. 188)

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Wunderkeys Pop 2: Taefa's Return and Acciacaturas

Taefa's Return in F# Minor from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book begins with a sense of foreboding including many chords in alberti bass style. 

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Minuet Session and Stride Bass

 

The Minuet Session in G Minor from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book begins with simple rhythms with a melodic motif borrowed from Bach's famous minuet but the pedaling and expression are definitely a diversion from Baroque style! 

• Notice the left-hand stride bass on the second page is like a root chord with the root thrown down an octave. Imagine a miniature ball being tossed across the keys as you leap up and down to aim for the roots and thirds.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Blue Stone and LH Crossovers

 

Blue Stone in A Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Bookis a calm expressive piece that includes many flowing 1-5-8-9-10 left-hand patterns and some rolled chords.

• Practice the left-hand broken chord groups "block style" to gain automaticity shifting up and down between chords groups with ease.
• If you are unfamiliar with rolled chords watch this quick video about arpeggiated chords
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• Adding lyrics to a piece can be helpful because it makes the distinct rhythms of the phrases more memorable. 
• If this piece had lyrics, what would it say to you?

Although this piece has no religious themes, it brought excerpts from some of my favorite scriptures (Isaiah 1:18, Helaman 5:12, D&C 6:36) to my mind that I loosely strung together to create the following lyrics for the first page. 

"Look unto me in every thought. Look unto me and cast your doubts and fears aside.

Look unto me and ye shall find rest. And when the storms shall beat upon you, you can trust The Rock.

I will take your hand I will guide you home. I will make your sins though scarlet be as wool.

I will take your hand, I will guide you home; back to The Father where he waits with open arms."

Teaching Piano Triads and Seventh Chords with Games

When teaching piano students about chords I find it helpful to create meaningful visuals to represent music concepts in a way that relates to them. What does this image represent?

Keep reading to find out the details!

Chord Visuals

For beginners I introduce the pentascales and chords as "food families" (vanilla, hamburger, oreos, chocolate/killer bs) based on the color of the piano keys with this helpful printable from Layton music. Making relevant connections for kids is so powerful in the learning process. In my studio we start with vanilla ice cream for dessert instead of snowmen!😋

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Ninth Session and Creating Variations

The Ninth Session in B-flat Major is a spinoff of Beethoven's classic Ode to Joy Theme with left-hand syncopated interrupting eighths that sound a bit like the Forrest Gump Theme.

• Tap along with the rhythms as you listen to the performance to prep for the syncopation in the intro and outro.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Rohan Rising Practice Tips

 

Rohan Rising in B minor from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book has a cinematic feeling including dramatic dynamic changes and left hand 1-5-8-5 repeating patterns.

• Watch out for the double treble clefs at the beginning.
• Use a flexible wrist aligning your arm behind the playing finger as you play the repetitive left- hand patterns. 

Improvisation

If you like the melancholy minor beginning of this piece, you might enjoy improvising music using patterns from Create First Quiet Voices.

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Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Road Home Practice Tips

 

The Road Home in D Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book is a tranquil piece with several repetitive cadences. 

Piano Practice Tips

• Label the chords in your music. 
• Which "road is used the most?  vi-V-I or IV-V-I?
• Can you hear and spot the deceptive cadence IV-V-vi?

Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop Piano Performance 2 Review

Have you ever had any teen piano students that feel "stuck" in their method book? While some students really love the classics, I've found that branching out to other genres of their choice can really up their excitement and practice. I recently purchased Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book after one of my teen students was eager to learn more music like Nik Day's "Trust in the Lord" that I had assigned her as a supplementary choice piece. 

She was enthralled with the lyrical pop sound of the repetitive chordal accompaniment with intriguing syncopation and it boosted her rhythmic accuracy to a whole new level as she practiced over and over as an accompanist to the soundtrack. I had difficulty finding many pieces with a similar style in my collection of classical and supplementary music.

Performance Preparation Practices

Performing can be a shaky experience... literally.  That can definitely complicate things when you are a pianist and shaky fingers lead to wrong notes and then your mind starts feeling like a Jenga game where one slip leads to more shakiness and possibly a total collapse. 

I attended an informative UVMTA workshop this week presented by Dr Stephen Thomas including preparation tips for performance experiences to help you avoid freezing up with mental blocks. I loved many of the ideas he shared and mingled them with some of my own in my notetaking. A resource that kept coming to my mind was the book The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston. It is loaded with different gamified strategies for structuring and improving practice quality and I find it especially helpful for children who may not naturally know how to organize their home practice sessions.  

My personal key takeaways were

Beginning Organ Playing Tips for Pianists

Almost every pianist who can play hymns in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will at some point be invited to be a ward organist. Unlike many church organists, this responsibility is unpaid and often comes with little training.  

Although I learned to use the foot pedals in my college organ class, the coupler button has become my best friend as I play the organ for church services! It allows me to play the organ much like I would the piano but transfers the sound of the bass line to the deeper foot pedal stops for a richer sound and a less stressful playing experience for me since I am not an organ foot pedal pro!

Surprise Me Creative Challenge Links

This post includes online links for some of the activities students can choose from for the "Halloween Don't Scare Me Surprise Me" Challenge Sheet.

Elementary

Music History

Listen to the Classics for Kids Stravinsky Halloween podcast to hear spooky music from composers throughout time.

Composing

Compose a melody to go along with the words from a book.

Sample Book Melody: The Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

Choose a song you know how to play and disguise it by changing it to minor.

Sample Video:

Improvisation

Watch the 4 sample improvisation videos below from Leila Viss's Halloween Hocus Pocus at the Keys.

Then choose your favorite style, follow the 3 boundary rules, and improvise your own short Halloween piece during piano lab. Choose a fun title that matches the mood of your piece.

Caramel Apple Jack

Grumpy Jackson

Jack on a Wicked Ride

Jivin' Jack Blues

4 Types of Scales Video

Intermediate

Improvisation 

Explore the improvisation videos and activities below to get inspiration for creating your own improv.

Spooky Halloween Improvisation Instructions and Videos

Create First Moonrise

Create First Secret Dance

Create First Twilight Zone

Create First Shark Music

Rhythm

Addams Family Triplety Tap Music Video

Visit the Halloween Bach Toccata and Fugue Listening Lab to hear Bach's famous spooky music and learn more about Baroque-era music styles.

Watch a Pianote "Halloween Song" Tutorial Video to help you learn to play this piece with an unusual time signature.

Thanksgiving Turkey Blues Improvisation

Jazzy Turkey Blues Improv

While Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for people, it might give a turkey the blues! For this improvisation, imagine a turkey is singing his Thanksgiving blues song. Use these lyrics or come up with some of your own.

Distant Bells by Streabbog and Hand Arcs

This post includes activities that correlate with Distant Bells by Streabbog in Keys to Artistic Performance or Piano Adventures 4 Performance Book.

Distant Bells by Streabbog in Keys to Artistic Performance

Musicianship Tips and Free Printables

Musicianship is the key to creating beautiful music instead of robotic flat performances. 

It's similar to the difference between hearing an engaging speaker reading your favorite book versus hearing the artificial intelligence robot voice chant with a monotone voice and little expression.

Following a few of the simple tips below can help you play with more expression and musicality.

Teaching Note Reading Games and Free Posters

 Sometimes cleaning out my piano files pays off! 

This week I browsed through old files and found some treasure ideas that will be great for our September group lesson focused on note reading. 

There are many approaches to teaching note-naming to music students.  I've found that although the "Every Good Boy Does Fine" approach worked for me, it is not ideal for a lot of transfer students who come to piano lessons with confusion about which sentence goes with treble or bass.

These fun posters and activities can help clear up that confusion!

I prefer to focus on landmark notes, musical chants, intervals and games to really help piano students to have strong note recognition skills.

BASS Lines Music and Movement Game

I'm eager to try this mashup of Bingo, Simon Says and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes at group lessons next week. Start by singing the lyrics below to the tune of Bingo while you and your students chant the bass lines and touch their body "head shoulders knees and toes" style, but backwards.  

Piano Pronto 5 Online Activities

 Piano Pronto Movement 5 Supplementary Activities

Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with Piano Pronto Movement 5.

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 Victory Theme from Beethoven's Symphony 5 and E flat Major

#2 Autumn Theme No. 1 by Vivaldi and Voicing Thirds

#3 Battle Hymn of the Republic and LH Stride

#4 Brahms Waltz in A Flat Major

#5 Mexican Folk Medley and Spanish Music

#6 Vivaldi Violine Concerto in Am and 32nd Notes/Turns

#7 Radetzky March and 9th Intervals

#8 Chopin Prelude in Cm and Grave

#9 Pastoral Symphony Theme and Leggiero

#10 Pavane  and F minor

#11 Maple Leaf Rag and Ragtime Style

#12 O Mio Babbino Caro and E Major

#13 Come Back to Sorrento and Parallel Keys

#14 Sonata in C and Trills

#15 Wayfaring Stranger and Una Corda

#16 The Barber of Seville and Tempo Review

#17 Pavane and Impressionistic Music

#18 Bach Prelude No. 1 in C and Fractional Pedaling

#19 Autumn Theme by Vivaldi

#20 Russian Dance by Tchaikovsky and Tension Free Playing

#21 Pathetique Sonata by Beethoven and Cantabile

#22 Spring Theme and Fast Passage Practice

Piano Pronto 5 Spring Theme by Vivaldi and Fast Passages

 This post includes activities that correlate with Spring Theme by Vivaldi in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Vivaldi Spring Line Rider

Listen to Classics for Kids About Vivaldi or Sound Effects in Spring.

Piano Pronto 5 Pathetique Sonata by Beethoven and Cantabile

 This post includes activities that correlate with Pathetique Sonata Theme by Beethoven in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Pathetique Sonata Piano Adagio Cantabile performed by Yundi

Piano Pronto 5 Russian Dance by Tchaikovsky and Tension Free Playing

 This post includes activities that correlate with Russian Dance by Tchaikovsky in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Trepak Russian Dance Line Rider

Label the form in your music as you watch the Trepak Animated Form Video.

Learn more about the Tchaikovsky's famous music as you listen to the Classics for Kids Podcast about the Nutcracker.

Technique

Watch the Pianistic Video About Tension Free Playing  (Taps, Lateral and Circular Movement)

Focus on playing tension-free with a flexible wrist to play the quick 3 note phrases in Russian Dance.

Related Posts

#19 Autumn Theme by Vivaldi

#21 Pathetique Sonata by Beethoven and Cantabile

#22 Spring Theme and Fast Passage Practice

Piano Pronto 5 Autumn Theme by Vivaldi

 This post includes activities that correlate with Autumn Theme by Vivaldi in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Samples and History

Vivaldi Autumn Theme No. 3

Piano Pronto5 Bach Prelude No 1 in C Major and Fractional Pedaling

 This post includes activities that correlate with Prelude No. 1 in C Major by Bach in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Prelude in C Major by Bach performed by Lang Lang

Piano Pronto 5 Pavane by Ravel and Impressionistic Music

 This post includes activities that correlate with Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte by Ravel in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample and History

Pavane for a Dead Princess

Piano Pronto 5 The Barber of Seville and Tempo Review

 This post includes activities that correlate with The Barber of Seville in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Barber of Seville - Bugs Bunny vs Elmer Fudd

Piano Pronto 5 Wayfaring Stranger and Una Corda

 This post includes activities that correlate with Wayfaring Stranger in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Listen to the slower tempo that the performers use to create a solemn feeling for this piece.

Wayfaring Stranger Piano Guys and Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

Piano Pronto 5 Sonata in C and Trills

 This post includes activities that correlate with Sonata in C by Mozart in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Listen to Mozart's Sonata C Allegro Movement 1 performed by Lang Lang and listen for the trills and other ornament embellishments that he adds to the melody line to make it more interesting on the repeat. 

Piano Pronto 5 Come Back to Sorrento and Parallel Keys

 This post includes activities that correlate with Come Back to Sorrento by de Curtis in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Browse some of the different performances of the Italian Song "Come Back to Sorrento" below.

Come Back to Sorrento Vocal Pavarotti

Piano Pronto 5 O Mio Babbino Caro and E Major

 This post includes activities that correlate with O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

O Mio Babbio Caro - Renaud Capuçon Violin and Piano

Blues Piano Free Resource Roundup

This month at group lessons piano students learned more about blues style and the 12 Bar Blues Pattern as we improvised melodies using some of the resources below.

Piano Pronto 5 Maple Leaf Rag

 This post includes activities that correlate with Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin in Piano Pronto 5.

Technique

Watch the videos to learn about the piano techniques you will use to play this piece.

PA Drop and Follow Through Video

PA Video Weighted Tone/Empty Fingers

Music Samples and History

Maple Leaf Rag

Piano Pronto 5 Pavane and F Minor

 This post includes activities that correlate with Pavane by Faure in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Pavane by Gabriel Faure Orchestra

Piano Pronto 5 Pastoral Symphony and Leggiero

This post includes activities that correlate with the Pastoral Symphony Theme by Beethoven in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Pastoral Theme Orchestra

Intermediate Piano Teaching Videos for Flipped Learning

After several years of music study, music I understood the basic rules of rhythm, note reading, and chords to tackle new pieces. I quickly learned that playing piano is much more of an art than a science with plenty of nuances and exceptions to the rules.

When is it OK to Break the Rules?

Keep your eyes on the music.

Lift the pedal at chord changes.

Keep your wrist level.

Play with a steady beat.

Make sure to follow the fingering in your music.

These rules can be helpful guidelines for beginners but intermediate playing requires the ability to fine-tune skills and adapt to the style of the music or even "break the rules" to achieve more artistry and avoid tension. 

Different fingerings might work better for one player than another, pedaling can be utilized more like a dimming switch than the flip of a light.

Just like a teenager is allowed a bit more freedom than a toddler, approaching music rules at the intermediate level requires more flexibility. On some topics I've discovered that not even the "experts" can agree on the rules. I think the best rule is a principle taught by my moral development teacher in college. Does it help or hurt?  

Piano Flipped Learning

The videos below address intermediate-level concepts such as rubato playing, fractional pedaling, levels of staccato, developing speed with clarity, and what to listen or look for during practice. I love the specific tips from the experts that help student practice sessions to become more effective so they can learn new music more quickly and play with expression, fluency, and attention to detail.

I embed these videos as part of my piano lab flipped learning lessons that correlate with method book pieces so students can learn specific tips relating to the pieces they are currently working on each week before they meet with me for private lessons.

Fingering and Speed

Switch fingering on repeated notes? 

Switch Fingering on repeated notes? or not?

Pianistic Tips for Playing Fast Passages (Finger Independence, Staccato, Micro Wrist Circles, Rhythms,

Graham Fitch Masterclass on Runs and Fast Passagework (Specific Practice Strategies to Prepare Fast Scalar Melody Lines)

To Look or Not to Look at Hands (Jumps, Muscle Memory, Mental Mapping, etc.)

Articulation and Technique

Graham Fitch Four Types of Staccato (Finger, Wrist, Forearm, Shoulder)

Graham Fitch and Wrist Movements (Position, Lateral Movements, Staccato, Drop-Roll, etc.)

Graham Fitch Masterclass on Arpeggio Playing Tips (Thumb Tuck Under or Shift Over, Target or Pivot Practice, Mountaineers Footstep, Arpeggio Bouquet, etc.)

Video tips about Accurate Jumps 

Pianistic Tension Free Playing  (Taps, Lateral and Circular Movement)

Pedaling

Pianistic Pedaling Rules (Hearing Clear Pedal Changes, Fractional Pedaling, Finger Pedaling, etc.)

Piano Pedaling in Baroque and Classical Music  by Graham Fitch (Clinging Fingers, Finger Pedaling)

Graham Fitch and Fractional Pedaling (Flutter Pedal, Half Pedal, 10 Levels of Pedal, etc.)

Graham Fitch and Una Corda and Sostenuto Pedaling (Explanation and Examples of Using Pedal)

Sight Reading

5 Steps for Accurate Sight Reading

Kate Boyd Sight Reading "RICE"

Expression

Pianistic Techniques to Shape Your Music (Dynamics, Melodic Contour, Singing, Timing, Rubato, etc.)

Memorization

Pianistic How to Memorize Music without Hearing or Playing It (Analysis of Chords Form, Patterns, Audiation, 

Piano Pronto 5 Prelude in C Minor and Romantic Pedaling

 This post includes activities that correlate with Prelude in C Minor by Chopin in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Listen for the dynamic variation in this performance of Chopin's Prelude in C Minor (Original Form).

Piano Pronto 5 Radetsky March and 9ths

 This post includes activities that correlate with Radetzky March by Strauss in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Samples

Radetsky March by Strauss

Piano Pronto 5 Violin Concerto and 32nd Notes/

 This post includes activities that correlate with Violin Concerto in A Minor by Vivaldi Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Listen to the first few minutes of Violin Concerto in A Minor by Vivaldi.

Listen for the phrase endings or melodic ideas and divide your music in to small practice sections.

Piano Pronto 5: Mexican Folk Medley and Fast Passages and Latin Music

 This post includes activities that correlate with Mexican Folk Medley in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

As you listen to the music for Mexican Stamping Dance, stamp on the accents and clap on the quarter rests in your music.

Piano Pronto 5: Waltz by Brahms and A Flat Major

 This post includes activities that correlate with Waltz in A Flat by Brahms in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Listen for the waves of tension and resolution and rubato in this performance of Brahms' Waltz in A Flat Major.

Piano Pronto 5: Battle Hymn of the Republic and LH Stride

 This post includes activities that correlate with The Battle Hymn of the Republic in Piano Pronto 5.

Music Sample

Choose a version of the Battle Hymn of the Republic below to listen to and tap the rhythm of the melody.

Battle Hymn of the Republic Tabernacle Choir