Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum "Student Saver" pieces, late intermediate

I think I'm running into an impasse with a student. He's very intelligent, loves music in general, is very respectful and polite, but does not have time to practice . He is playing at the level between hard sonatinas and easy sonatas. He is in high school.

I need to assign him some "student saver" pieces." He does not like jazz, blues, or rags. Some of the boogies I have are way out of his league. He likes stuff by Melody Bober. Late intermediate stuff with beautiful melody lines--i.e., stuff heard on those Korean soap operas. Not my cup of tea. Can people recommend some popular works to save this student? He is a keeper.

AZNpiano,

Are you familiar with the Preludes Book 1, 2, 3 by Robert D. Vandall? There may now be a complete (1,2,3) book now. I enjoy teaching and listening to his Book 1, and have used it several times. I'd call them neo-classics.

I know you said he does not like jazz etc, but Mike Springer (sheet music) has written some great rhythms (exciting, fun)that young men especially like.

One of my student's is having a ball with Tarantella by Piezonka.

And, I think the Preludes in E minor, A, and C minor, being short, are a must do for early teens. (They play beautifully for emotional depth and expressiveness which speaks from the soul if you are so lucky to have a student with that capacity in addition to the music skills).

I would say the reason I assign any of these recommendations is for enjoyment of playing. I would want the student to have good sightreading and analysis skills before doing any of these - you would not want to burden them with groping through the music.

Betty

Dennis Alexander's With These Hands book has a beautiful song "Sunset Soliloquy" (I haven't checked out the others yet, but I'm sure they're in the same caliber). It's got a new agey feel to it, but very beautiful.

Also, it looks like George Winston finally has released a book of his music, so maybe he would get into that? Might be a bit advanced for him, but if he really likes it, it would challenge him to get to the next level.

There's a piece called "Le Onde" by Ludovico Einaudi, which I think you can buy the sheet music online now (when I bought it a few years back, I had to buy the whole book, which was an import). This song can be heard here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkHOcQZbdvU

(I think it's performed a bit slow, but you get the idea anyways).

For easier boogies, Eugenie Rocherolle has a book of boogies called "Boogie Bonanza" which are very accessible and fun.

Hope this helps!

He's playing a toccata by Vandall right now. It's the only piece he plays well.

One big problem is with the CM test. It requires the student to play pieces from four different periods. The student likes classical sonatas, but won't touch anything baroque.

And there's no way I can make the technique requirement (scales, chords, cadences, modes, and arpeggios) more interesting.

I agree with the suggestion that short pieces are better for him at this stage of his life.

AZNpiano,

Toccata's and Toccatinas are lots of fun and there are many by music education writers. I've liked Susan Ogilvie's Toccatina very much, because I, too, look for "teacher dazzler" pieces for my lapsing kids from time to time. John Chagy - Toccatina and Kabalevsky's Toccatina and his Waltzes gets results too.

Mike Springer: Sunset Serenade, Gossamer's Groove, Waterfall at Midnight

Denes Agay: Concerto Baroco (On Themes by Handel)

Melody Bober: Sleighride Fantasy (Great piece! Just in time for the holidays) Sundance Canyon (Incredible SW feel to it!)

John Burson: Watch My Fingers Rock! (50's sound)

Robert D Vandall: Pianist on the Prowl (I assign this one basically at Halloween for fun.) Robert Vandall is one prolific writer of quality music.

I look for "show stoppers" and things that bring applause in recitals. Don't forget duets with the students that can be a very satisfying experience for both of you.

Find your favorite composers from among the music education composers. Get thee to a music store - I could spend hours there. I basically only look at new publications now.

Betty

I really like the pieces they've put together in Fabers' Developing Artist Series Book 4, which is for late intermediate. You can check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/2woepg

Have you tried showing him Scarlatti? Sometimes those who don't care for JS Bach like Scarlatti becuase of his syncopations and flashy crossing over of hands.

I do have a student who likes to play only jazz, but he needed to learn a lot of the technique and theory before going to college for jazz. So when I agreed to teach him, we made an agreement with one another, that I would try to help him progress in jazz, and he would try to progress in classical training bearing in mind that it is for his future in jazz.

I don't know that you student is looking to go into music as a profession, but perhaps if you can 'tease' him with pieces that you know he will love but are out of his reach right now, then you can say you'd lov eto teach him this, but he must be able to do A, B, C, etc. before he can play that, and that this scale, this piece, etc. will help in in that direction. Not everything we learn needs to be personally gratifying right away, but can be toward achieving a certain goal.

AZNpiano,

Here are a few choices my boys like;

1. Kiss of Fire
2. Fantastic Dance - Schumann
3. Boulavard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
4. Solfeggietto - CPE Bach
5. This is the Moment - Alfred Adult book
6. My Immortal - Evanescense

Have to add that the boys do like stuff I thought only girls would like and boys wouldn't touch! Like you said, some boys actually like beautiful melody lines.

Go figure!

Well, what about the Croatian Rhapsody!

You mentioned he liked Melody Bober pieces. Maybe this is too easy, but sounded nice.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Su5dTirdwMU

Just going to add other pieces boys like to play are;

In A Hurry - by Christopher Norton
Little Prelude in C Major - JS Bach

Christopher Norton actually has an eight book series out called "Christopher Norton Connections". Lots of great pieces in his new series Grade 1 to Grade 8. In Canada we can use them for List C pieces in exams (starting 2009).

Some pieces that saved me in high school were Mozart's Alla Turka, Christofori's Dream, A Windham Hill book which had an arrangement of Satie's Gymnopedie.