Show Notes
This week, I continue our journey through Chris Caine’s A Year in Twelve Keys with October- Modulations of Seasons and Time, a calm, expansive piece whose shifting pulse rewards careful counting with a wonderfully natural flow.
Then, Wendy Stevens’s Autumn’s Awakening offers an autumn-inspired companion at the early intermediate level. Cascading hand-crossing arpeggios give way to a yearning melody and lush harmonies, creating an expressive sound that feels bigger than its difficulty might suggest.
Alongside performances of both pieces, I discuss their teaching possibilities and reflect on how contemporary repertoire gives students room to find their own interpretations, make musical discoveries, and become explorers at the piano.
Two pieces at very different levels, each finding something beautiful in the changing seasons.
October (from A Year in Twelve Keys) Chris Caine [Advanced] - https://store.trinitycollege.com/discount/AWM824NEUNKM5?redirect=/collections/a-year-in-twelve-keys-diatonic-studies-for-piano/products/a-year-in-twelve-keys-diatonic-studies-for-piano&aff=182
Autumn's Awakening Wendy Stevens [Early Intermediate] - https://composecreate.com/product/autumns-awakening/
More from Piano Pedagogy Playlist
Major and minor scales are the foundation of Western music- but what happens when you step outside them?
This week, I’m taking a little three-act adventure at the piano with music from Jason Sifford’s Beware the Jabberwock, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky” from Through the Looking-Glass.
This week’s episode is a Halloween episode. Sort of. The three pieces I play don’t involve costumes or trick-or-treating, but they each feel right at home in October- and they’ll still be worth playing in November.
You can sense when a child’s enthusiasm and interest is beginning to wane. It could be for a variety of reasons, some of which we have no control over. But finding just the right repertoire for a student, that has the highest chance of making them eager to keep reaching for that next step- that is something we can influence.
A school day in five piano miniatures: a beautiful September morning, a little studying, some blues on the playground, one kid who’s much too cool- and a daydream about the summer just past.