Piano Adventures 4: Silver Rain Etude

This lesson plan includes activities and tips for playing Silver Rain Etude in Piano Adventures 4 TECHNIQUE Book. 

Listen to  Silver Rain Etude paying attention to how the varying arm weight and tempo changes add expression to the piece.

Bastian Lit 1: Soldier's March and Hover Hand Shift Practice

This post includes lesson plans and activities that correlate with Soldier's March by Schumann in Easy C to M, Bastian  Lit Vol 1, & SWM 1 Romantic.

Music Samples and History

Listen to the performance video of Soldier's March and add small arrows or post-it flags in your music to mark the frequent hand shifts.

Bastian Lit 1: The Wild Horseman and Finger Staccato

This post includes lesson plans and activities that correlate with The Wild Horseman by Schumann  in Easy C to M, Bastian  Lit Vol 1, & SWM 1 Romantic.

Music Samples and History

Watch the performance video. Label the form and identify where the melody line switches from treble to bass in your music.

Bastian Lit 1: The Merry Farmer and Voicing/Balance

This post includes lesson plans for "The Merry Farmer by Robert Schumann in Succeeding with the Masters 1, Snell 3, Bastian Lit Vol 1. 

Music Samples and History

Robert Schumann wrote this piece as a birthday present for his oldest daughter Marie. 

Label the form in your music of The Merry Farmer by Robert Schumann as you listen to the performance video.

Piano Adventures 1: The Juggler and Hand Crossovers

 This post includes lesson plans for "The Juggler" in Piano Adventures 1.

Music Sample

As you listen to The Juggler, tap the rhythm with the correct hand on the fallboard.  Watch out for the Right-Hand crossovers on lines 3 and 4.

Piano Adventures 3A: Morning and Balance/Syncopated Pedal

 This lesson plan includes activities for "Morning" in Piano Adventures 3A.

Music Sample

Listen to Morning and draw a star in your music where the melody switches to the left hand. As you practice focus on playing the melody louder than the chords.

Piano Adventures 3A: Court Dance and Rock Variation

 This lesson plan includes activities for "Court Dance Rock " in Piano Adventures 3A.

Music Sample

What do you notice is different in the Court Dance Rock Variation compared to the Classic style Court Dance?

Piano Adventures 3A: Sakura and Ostinato

  This lesson plan includes activities for "Sakura" in Piano Adventures 3A.

Music Sample

As you listen to Sakura identify the form by adding colored lines above phrases that are the same.

Piano Adventures 4: Wild Flowers and Cadenza

  This lesson plan includes activities for "Wild Flowers" in Piano Adventures 4.

Music Sample

Listen to the 2 different performers play the same piece. Can you hear any differences in their expression, tempo, and dynamics? The cadenza in measure 27 can be played freely without a strict tempo.

Wild Flowers

Wild Flowers

Improvisation

This piece, has an impressionistic style. Impressionistic music evokes a mood, atmosphere, or feeling rather than telling a strict story. The form often includes interesting harmonies and flexible tempos (rubato). 

Listen to some sample improvisations below and then create your own improvisation in impressionistic style. 

Moonrise

Cathedral

Pagoda

Private Music

Ocean Without a Shore

Quiet Voices

Colors of Seven

Supplementary Impressionistic Music

Glistening Willow by Dennis Alexander  in Keys to Stylistic Mastery Book 1

Osaka Castle Garden by Dennis Alexander in Keys to Stylistic Mastery Book 1

Supplementary Music in the Key of F Minor

Swords of Shannon by Andrea Dow in WK Performance Pop 3

Open Spaces by Andrea Dow in WK Performance Pop 3

Supplementary Pieces in A Major

Pronto 4 page 63 Verdi

DP Minuet in A

Michael Aaron 3 Hungarian Dance pg. 56

Related Posts:

45 The Blue Danube and Lead Sheets

48 Gigue in A Major

50 Great Barrier Reef and E Major/Poco a Poco

52 Prelude in C and Baroque Era

Piano Pronto Movement 2: #6 Beethoven's 5th Symphony and Major/Minor Triads

This post includes piano activities for Beethoven's 5th Symphony in Piano Pronto Movement 2. 

Music Samples and History

Choose a video below to watch and hear Beethoven's famous 5th Symphony theme.

Beethoven’s Wig Animated