The Summer 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is here! Not yet a subscriber?Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Summer Issue.
Calling all Piano Inspires Kids readers;
we want to hear from you about you!
What is a Student Spotlight?
You can share about your interests, what inspires you, what music you enjoy, and how piano is a part of your life. Visit the online form to discover the wide variety of questions you can answer as part of a student spotlight. Selected responses will be featured in upcoming issues of Piano Inspires Kids.
Read this recent student spotlight from Rachel in California.
Looking for other ways to submit and get involved?
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
The Summer 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving the print issue in their mailboxes in the coming weeks. Not yet a subscriber?Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Summer Issue.
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
Attention budding composers! Piano Inspires Kids invites students to submit a piano solo for our first composition contest! Winning compositions will be featured in the Summer 2024 issue and on our website, kids.pianoinspires.com. Read below for all the details!
1. The composition must be a fanfare.
A fanfare is a short and usually brilliant piece used to announce the arrival of an important person or the beginning of an important event. Movies and TV shows often begin with a title theme, the national anthem signals the start of sporting events, and celebratory sounds fill the air as a newly wedded couple turns to walk down the aisle together.
The Summer 2024 issue will explore music and the Summer Olympic Games. Write a fanfare that could be used as the athletes walk into the stadium!
2. Need ideas? Get started with our downloadable Rhythm Creator!
3. The contest is open to students aged 7-18, divided into four age groups: 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18.
There is no limit to the number of compositions a student can submit. The student composer may receive assistance notating their work, but we want the ideas to be all student generated!
4. Give your composition a title, dynamics, articulations, and other musical markings.
Show us all of your creative and expressive ideas so others can play your work with style!
5. The contest deadline is April 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific.
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
Attention budding composers! Piano Inspires Kids invites students to submit a piano solo for our first composition contest! Winning compositions will be featured in the Summer 2024 issue and on our website, kids.pianoinspires.com. Read below for all the details!
1. The composition must be a fanfare.
A fanfare is a short and usually brilliant piece used to announce the arrival of an important person or the beginning of an important event. Movies and TV shows often begin with a title theme, the national anthem signals the start of sporting events, and celebratory sounds fill the air as a newly wedded couple turns to walk down the aisle together.
The Summer 2024 issue will explore music and the Summer Olympic Games. Write a fanfare that could be used as the athletes walk into the stadium!
2. Need ideas? Get started with our downloadable Rhythm Creator!
3. The contest is open to students aged 7-18, divided into four age groups: 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18.
There is no limit to the number of compositions a student can submit. The student composer may receive assistance notating their work, but we want the ideas to be all student generated!
4. Give your composition a title, dynamics, articulations, and other musical markings.
Show us all of your creative and expressive ideas so others can play your work with style!
5. The contest deadline is March 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific.
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
The Winter 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving the print issue in their mailboxes in the coming weeks. Not yet a subscriber?Click here to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Winter Issue.
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: click here.
The Winter 2024 Issue of Piano Inspires Kids is coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving the print issue in their mailboxes in the coming weeks. Not a subscriber? Subscribe by Thursday, December 14 at kids.pianoinspires.com/subscribe to receive the issue and give the gift of music to the musicians in your life! Keep reading for a sneak peek into the Winter issue.
1. The Winter 2024 issue of Piano Inspires Kids celebrates the music of Florence Price.
Readers will learn about the life and music of Florence Price, find out more about the recent discovery of her music in an Illinois home, and listen to a performance of Piano Sonata in E Minor, performed by Karen Walwyn. A guide is provided to give listeners a deeper understanding of this fascinating piece.
2. Play new music by Artina McCain!
Add new music to your repertoire with Artina McCain’s new solo David, Plays! Based on the spiritual Little David, Play on Your Harp, students will have fun learning this energetic solo with its syncopated rhythms, quick dynamic changes, and playful use of rests.
3. Learn how to host a Silent Film Recital.
Looking for new recital ideas? Learn how to host a Silent Film Recital in your studio! Students will be excited to choose a film, turn down the sound, and create their own musical score. A link to the Utah Silent Film Celebration will give teachers and students the inspiration they need to get started.
Dr. Sara Ernst, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Piano Inspires KidsDr. Andrea McAlister, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Piano Inspires Kids
4. Join our community through student submissions.
Students from around the country wrote in to tell us about their musical accomplishments, how they prefer to practice, and showcase their artwork. Now it’s your turn! Read the magazine and go to kids.pianoinspires.com/submit to send us your thoughts on memorizing, performance videos to share, or tips to help other students in their piano learning. Responses will be shared in the Spring 2024 Piano Inspires Kids issue.
5. Calling all composers! Write a fanfare to be featured in the Summer 2024 Piano Inspires Kids.
Help us celebrate the Summer Games by writing a fanfare, to be featured in the Summer 2024 issue! Read the Winter issue to get tips on style, form, and notation programs and go to kids.pianoinspires.com/submit to read more about submitting your composition. We look forward to hearing and sharing your fanfares!
Want to learn more about Piano Inspires Kids? Watch our webinar, “Inside Piano Inspires Kids: A New Publication of the Frances Clark Center” with Co-Editors-in-Chief Sara Ernst and Andrea McAlister: https://pianoinspires.com/webinar/10-11-23-webinar/.
The Co-Editors-in-Chief of Piano Inspires Kids, Andrea McAlister and Sara Ernst, recently answered some questions about the new magazine for young pianists. Find out more about the magazine below and go to kids.pianoinspires.com to join our community of inspired music makers!
With the recent launch of Piano Inspires Kids, I have been looking forward to incorporating this new publication into my studio. It is exciting to see all of the quality resources in a kid-friendly format.
Group Class Materials
At The New School for Music Study, we have arranged for all group classes that include students ages 8-14 to have a subscription to the magazine through their annual materials fee. The magazine will be used in group classes. In each class, students will explore a different area of the magazine with their classmates and it will serve as a “class text.” The opportunity to use this magazine as a class text, gives the teachers–and our school–a structure that we are confident provides a rich and comprehensive approach to music learning.
Holistic Approach to Music
I love that this magazine embraces my personal philosophy of teaching the whole child. In this magazine, our students are not just learning about a piece of music by an Argentinian composer. Instead, they are also learning about the country itself. This approach will encourage students to make connections across disciplines and result in a fuller and richer experience for our students.
Opportunities for Students
Our students will have performance opportunities through the magazine. I would like to see each student submit a video of their playing throughout the year. Many of our students are looking for additional performance opportunities and this magazine provides them! Additionally, there are other ways for students to showcase their talents. They can submit poetry or artwork, which is a wonderful way for our students to highlight their other talents and interests.
Resources for Teachers
I already have had great fun exploring the resources for teachers on the website. Over the summer, I used the scavenger hunt with several groups of students, and they had a great time with this activity. It also led to an engaging and enthusiastic discussion about musical terms as the students enjoyed discovering many different terms in the pages of their music. I was so pleased that this resource provided a fun way for students to look more deeply at their music. As a school, we have also enjoyed exploring the trio by Louis Sanchez that is a resource with the first issue. We have three different groups of students working on this ensemble.
Rebecca Mergen Pennington, Administrative Director, New School for Music Study
Studio Themes and Ideas
I am particularly excited about the way the magazine inspires me in thinking about my studio (or in my particular case, our school). It has given me ideas for school-wide projects or incentives, and even decorating! This September, the magazine inspired me to create a wall featuring “Piano Inspires” in languages from around the world. Within that space, there is an interactive place for students to respond with how piano inspires them. Next month, I am planning to feature music by Argentinian composers in the waiting room, as well as an exploration of Latin American countries. I also plan to create a space for students to respond to the polls when they come to their lessons. It can be difficult to come up with new ideas for a studio each season and I love that this magazine provides that inspiration!
Rebecca Mergen Pennington has been a member of the faculty of the New School for Music Study since 2007 and currently serves as the Administrative Director. She holds a DMA and MM in Piano Performance from the University of Kansas, and a BM in Music Education from Concordia College.
The Co-Editors-in-Chief of Piano Inspires Kids, Andrea McAlister and Sara Ernst, recently answered some questions about the new magazine for young pianists. Find out more about the magazine below and go to kids.pianoinspires.com to join our community of inspired music makers!
The Autumn issue of Piano Inspires Kids explores Argentina; the dances, composers, and performers that have contributed to a rich musical heritage. Alberto Ginastera is one of the composers highlighted in the magazine. Readers will not only learn about Ginastera and his compositional style, they can also listen to 12 American Preludes performed by Alejandro Cremaschi and follow along with the provided listening guide, which we are pleased to share below. Subscribe at kids.pianoinspires.com/subscribe to read more about Ginastera, see practice tips from students in Argentina, and access more listening guides!
Listening Guide
Each of these twelve short preludes is like an etude, a piece that focuses on a specific musical or technical challenge. Arpeggios, octaves, and quick hand movements are found throughout Ginastera’s preludes.
No. 1, “Triste” (Sadness) is in the style of Argentine folk song.
No. 2, “Para los acentos” and No. 3, “Danza criolla” feature hemiola, a shift in rhythms from two groups of three to three groups of two, or vice versa.
No. 4, “Vidala” is a slow and reflective song that uses modal scales (scales with a unique arrangement of whole and half steps).
No. 5 “En el primer modo pentáfono menor” (In the First Pentatonic Minor Mode). Listen for the pentatonic (five note) scale and the canon. A canon occurs when one hand performs a melody and the other hand enters later with the same melody.
No. 6 honors Argentine composer Roberto García Morillo with a dramatic piece of octaves and arpeggios.
No. 7, “Para las octavas” (Octaves) is one of the most difficult preludes because of the leaps and octaves, both at a very fast tempo.
No. 8 is a nostalgic tango and a tribute to Argentine composer and conductor Juan José Castro.
No. 9 is a jazzy piece paying homage to his friend Aaron Copland, a famous American composer.
No. 10, “Pastoral” (Pastorale). Can you hear the layers? 1) A right-hand melody, 2) a left-hand bass line, and 3) a repeating accompaniment in the middle, shared between the hands.
No. 11 is a tribute to Brazillian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Listen to the bass chords for syncopation, a shift of rhythmic accent from a strong beat to a weak beat.
No. 12, “En el 1er modo pentáfono mayor” (In the First Pentatonic Major Mode). Ginastera described this as “a slow Inca processional march…connected with the worship of the sun.” The Inca were a group of South American native people living in the Andes mountains.
The Co-Editors-in-Chief of Piano Inspires Kids, Andrea McAlister and Sara Ernst, recently answered some questions about the new magazine for young pianists ages 8-14. Find out more about the magazine below and go to kids.pianoinspires.com to join our community of inspired music makers!
Why did you start a kids magazine?
Piano Inspires Kids is a print publication designed for today’s students. There are young pianists all around the world, and we want to help them discover the amazing community of musicians that share a love of the piano. Readers will find unique, engaging materials, musical ideas from other students, and opportunities to submit their own content. It’s important for students to see themselves and their peers represented in this magazine, as we build a global community of young music makers.
What is in each issue of Piano Inspires Kids?
Through each quarterly issue, readers explore piano playing, composers, music from around the world, and music theory. The format is engaging and varied with listening guides, interviews, student submissions, music in the news, and games. The magazine includes an array of musical styles and genres, both from the past and present day. In addition, creative skills like improvisation, playing by ear, and composition are explored in step-by-step processes. Young pianists are directed to curated online content to deepen their engagement with the piano community. Each issue contains QR codes for videos of the music explored in each issue performed by top pianists. Students are given multiple ways to directly engage with Piano Inspires Kids, by submitting their own ideas at kids.pianoinspires.com by answering the poll, sharing their achievements, creating their own music video to share, and more.
Who is the best person to purchase Piano Inspires Kids for a young pianist? Their teacher? Their parents?
Both!
Teachers will find content and curricular ideas to enrich their teaching and engage students through the many listening activities, games, theory pages, and practice ideas for both private and group study. Discounts are available for purchases of five or more copies to allow students to participate fully in the writing activities and to have their own personal copy to explore at home.
As parents ourselves, we know how valuable it is to engage children with creative, well-researched print materials. So much of their schooling is computer-based, and we appreciate when our children have access to high-quality, engaging print publications. It’s the perfect gift to give to your children – or your grandchildren!
What’s the best way for teachers to use Piano Inspires Kids?
Each page of Piano Inspires Kids offers curricular ideas that teachers can immediately apply to their lessons. The “How-To” page will give ideas that are readily applicable to studios, listening guides and QR codes can be used in private or group lessons to dig more deeply into music, and quizzes are fun ways to challenge your students’ reading and listening skills. From the historical background to the exploration of music theory, each issue contains myriad ways to engage students.
The whole studio can participate in the student submissions! Our students have been excited to submit their ideas on our website, kids.pianoinspires.com. They can’t wait for the next issue to come out to read about what other students are playing, their thoughts on music, and how they are engaging with music in their studios and communities. Your student may end up on a page of Piano Inspires Kids!
Dr. Sara Ernst, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Piano Inspires KidsDr. Andrea McAlister, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Piano Inspires Kids
What kinds of opportunities are available to young pianists who read Piano Inspires Kids?
Piano Inspires Kids has a number of opportunities for students to submit their ideas, videos, compositions, artwork, poems, and more. Regular features in the magazine include the Reader Poll, Piano Inspires You, Student Spotlight, and Questions and Answers. We also have a Piano Inspires Artistry video series that will showcase the favorite pieces of students from around the world! Have your students share with young pianists around the world. Go to kids.pianoinspires.com/submit/ for more information.
What would you say to a teacher who feels like they already have too much to fit in lessons? Why should they add Piano Inspires Kids to their teaching toolbox?
We know how difficult it is to incorporate everything into a weekly lesson! Piano Inspires Kids is the perfect home assignment to learn more about composers, genres, and styles that you don’t have time to discuss in the lesson. It can also be a ready-made curriculum for partner lessons, theory classes, and group experiences. For each issue, teachers are also provided further resources to deepen their own learning and to assist in lesson planning. Explore these at kids.pianoinspires.com/for-teachers.
Is Piano Inspires Kids connected in any way to Piano Explorer?
Piano Inspires Kids is a brand new publication of the Frances Clark Center! The former children’s piano magazine Piano Explorer was published by The Instrumentalist and was known and loved by students and teachers. We know that many teachers and students were disappointed when they stopped publishing the magazine, and we hope that Piano Inspires Kids will bring discovery, exploration, and joy to your music making!
Dr. Andrea McAlister serves as Director of Digital Programming for the Frances Clark Center and a Senior Editor for Piano Magazine. Dr. McAlister is Professor of Piano Pedagogy at Oberlin College and a member of the Yamaha Master Educator Collective.
