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Discovering Musical Gems Darlene Irwin

One of the biggest challenges for a teacher can be finding appropriate pieces that students love to play! I’m always looking for interesting, well written music that captures their imagination but also contains sound pedagogical ideas. Finding such a piece is like finding a hidden treasure.

These past few weeks my students have been busy preparing for their first master class and for the Christmas recital. I teach many different levels, ranging from beginners to advanced. Several students are working towards specific goals such as recitals, exams or evaluations.

We currently live in a rural area and all of my students celebrate Christmas. Because of that, most of them have picked a Christmas song for the recital. However, this was not always the case. When I lived in a large city, I had a more multi-cultural program, reflecting the various ethnic backgrounds of my students.

Master classes and recitals are great because students have an opportunity to share their musical gems with others while building confidence at the same time. It’s important to broaden their musical horizons by having them experience all different styles and types of music, from the Classics to Modern to Pop and Jazz. It's also important that we, as teachers, avoid getting stuck in a ‘musical rut’ by always teaching the same material. 

Every year I try to find something new and fresh to share with my students. It makes them feel special because they are playing something unique. They especially enjoy descriptive pieces that paint vivid musical picture.

Regular Pieces

Here are some of the wonderful musical gems that my students have worked on this fall. A few are regular graded pieces, others are Christmas songs, some are pieces that I have taught before and some I am teaching for the first time. 

Elementary (Pre-Grade 1 - Grade 2)

 

Starfish At N
ight (Anne Crosby) from 'Freddie the Frog'
-  very simple and yet very beautiful 
-  have students write a story and draw a picture
-  great piece to introduce descriptive playing to a younger student

Pagodas in the Purple Mist (Faber & Faber) from 'Piano Adventures Performance' 2B
great piece for teaching the pentatonic scale
-  I played the duet with my student while her sisters improvised on a xylophone





To Fly Like an Eagle (Anne Crosby) from 'Freddie the Frog'
-  evokes picture of a magnificent eagle soaring high above the majestic mountains
-  patterns, counting, pedal, phrasing

The Wind (Chee-Hwa Tan) from 'A Child's Garden of Verses'
- another wonderfully descriptive piece
- broken triads, smooth peddling between hands, dynamic contrasts
- can you imitate the wind as it ebbs and flows? Think of a windy, stormy winter night!
- one of my favourite books, based on poems by Robert Louis Stevenson

Intermediate (Grade 3 - 5)


The Stormy Sea (Anne Crosby) from 'In My Dreams'
-  very dramatic piece, fun to play
-  alternating arpeggios, peddling, dynamic changes, 6/8 time

Bedbug Blues (Christopher Norton) from 'Connections' level 4
-  can play with a cool, jazzy audio track (download on the Connections website)
- the password to obtain the audio track is on the inside cover of the book
-  imagine the lazy bedbugs laying around waiting for their next meal!!
- teaches counting and rhythm (swung eighths), listening and staying with the beat

Blue Iris (Teresa Richert) from 'Petals for Piano' (scroll down page on Teresa's website)
- click here to listen to this piece (from the website)
- all pieces based on provincial flowers of Canada
- Blue Iris is the flower of Quebec
- can you visualize a field of beautiful flowers moving gently in the breeze?
- left hand ostinato, melodic projection, fluid flowing lines
- check out Red Leaf Pianoworks for more exciting new piano repertoire

Intermediate/Early Advanced (Grades 6 - 8)


- very descriptive piece with modern notation
- always a student favourite
- many changes of dynamics and mood
-  dream-like story about a castle, bats and wolves in the dark mist

The Irish Washerwoman (arr. by Phillip Keveren) from 'The Celtic Collection'
- great collection of clever and creative arrangements of Irish folk tunes
- fun but challenging piece in 6/8 time
- lots of clef, tempo and key changes, very rhythmic and lively

Star Gazing (Alexina Louie) from 'Star Light, Star Bright'
-  Grade 8 exam piece (RCM Syllabus), uses some modern notation
-  chord clusters and rapid repeated notes to create a shimmering effect
-  lots of dynamic changes and patterns
-  very ethereal, beautiful sound picture

Christmas Arrangements

My students love playing creative arrangements of familiar tunes.
These types of arrangements can sometimes be challenging to find, but they are well worth learning.

Elementary (Pre-Grade 1 - Grade 2)


Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Faber & Faber) from 'Piano Adventures Christmas' 3A
- easy arrangement of a classic song by Tchaikovsky
- relay the history of the piece and explain the use of the celesta

Mary Did you Know? (arr. Dennis Alexander) from 'Christmas Hits'
- Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course level 2 
- beautiful arrangement of this song
- gentle syncopation, chord patterns, melodic projection and balance

Intermediate (Grade 3 - 5)


Away in the Manger (arr. Jerry Ray) from 'Simply Christmas'
- this book contains lots of beautifully simple and elegant arrangements
- clever use of Brahms' Lullaby throughout
- balance, phrasing and rubato

Go Tell it on the Mountain (arr. Martha Mier) from 'Christmas Jazz, Rags and Blues' book 2
- well-written fun, jazzy arrangements of Christmas favourites
- syncopated rhythms and jazz harmonies

O Little Town of Bethlehem (arr Melody Bober) from 'Christmas Encores' book 1
- beautiful, inspiring and interesting arrangements
-book 2 is also a favourite
- gentle syncopation, melodic projection, tricky scale passages

Intermediate/Early Advanced (Grades 6 - 8)


We Three Kings in the style of Liszt (arr. Carol Klose) from 'Bach Around the Christmas Tree'
- classic carols written in the styles of some of the great composers
- creative, fun way to introduce styles and time periods of different composers
- second volume is called 'More Bach Around the Christmas Tree'

The First Noel (arr. Phillip Keveren) from 'A Celtic Christmas'
- this book is truly a hidden gem
- wonderful arrangements of familiar and not-so-familiar carols
- fresh approach using Celtic rhythms and colour

I Saw Three Ships (arr. Phillip Keveren) from 'A Celtic Christmas'
- fun romp in 6/8 time
- changes of time and key signatures

Duets - Early & Late Intermediate


Silent Night (arr. Melody Bober) from 'Christmas Memories for Two' book 1

O Come All Ye Faithful (arr. Melody Bober) from 'Christmas Memories for Two' book 1

Angels from the Realms of Glory (arr. Melody Bober) from 'Christmas Memories for Two'  Book 3
- 3 wonderful volumes in this series
- lovely arrangements, great for recital programs



Our first master class of this year was a HUGE success. Everyone loved sharing their special songs and hearing new and interesting pieces. After each performance, I asked them what they liked about the piece. Here are some of their varied and insightful comments....I loved the dreaminess of that piece, I closed my eyes and imagined that I was flying over the mountains, I loved the sounds of the different chords, I could clearly hear 2 voices in the right hand, it sounded very dramatic, the balance was GREAT, I LOVED the story!

Don’t be afraid to try something different. My students love playing imaginative and descriptive pieces. They also enjoy playing creative arrangements of old favourites. Have fun exploring some of these musical gems with your students. 

**Feel free to share your Musical Gems in the comments below.**

♥︎ Remember - Great Music Comes From the Heart ♥︎