by Angela Miller-Niles

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• Pieces with clear distinction between melody and accompaniment, like Robert Schumann’s Melody, op. 68, no. 1.
• Pieces with multiple voices in one hand, like Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Op. 39 Nos. 1 or 16 or Cornelius Gurlitt’s Op. 140, Nos. 5 or 11.

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• Start with the composer so students have an idea of the historical setting of their piece. Cécile Chaminade was a French female composer who lived 1857-1944 and enjoyed huge success during her lifetime. Her works are tuneful, accessible and fun to play. Have students do some research on her to find out about her personal life and what things were like when she lived.
• An aubade is a morning love song, and can have a variety of subtexts. It can mean something sung to a loved one when leaving for the day or simply a greeting of the dawn. Students should remember that it is a type of song, as that will remind them to have a singing tone in the melody throughout.
• Translate any markings, as Chaminade sometimes gives longer instructions in French. Students should know the translations of all markings before they get started. In Aubade, point out that the markings tell us to emphasize the ‘song’ and that the melody should be clearly projected.

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• The LH plays the melody in the A section, which may be new to some students. Have them play LH alone, trying to phrase the melody. It might be helpful to have the RH play the melody so they can hear how they want it to sound and then transfer that to the LH.
• There are no fingerings in most versions of the score. Depending on the student, you may need to work through fingering together or write it in advance before giving the score to the student.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• In the B section, the RH has two voices with different functions. The melody is in the top voice, and the bottom voice is part of the chordal accompaniment with the LH. Start by playing just the soprano melody. Then, try all the accompanying voices with LH and the bottom of the RH. Finally, add all voices together and make sure the melody is singing out.
• M29 is a tricky moment to isolate for both voicing and physically jumping. Play just the LH melody, then add the RH harmony notes, and finally add the low E in the LH to put it all together. Practicing the LH alone to focus on the jump can also be helpful.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• It’s essential to bring out the melody wherever it happens to be in the piece. Phrasing expressively is also important to show that this is a type of song.
• The B section is marked dolce. Discuss with the student what that means in terms of sound and brainstorm ways to bring out that character.

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• Chaminade gives very specific dynamics, often separate ones for each hand. Make sure students are really playing what’s written.
• There are specific pedal markings in the score that are sometimes different than students might usually do. For example, some are held for two measures to sustain harmonies. Check that students are paying attention to their pedaling and doing what’s marked. Depending on the instrument, some markings may have to be adjusted.
• Point out the different articulation markings throughout the piece. There are tenuto markings, accents and many slurs. Consider showing the student to use a more sustained, legato touch for the chords with tenuto markings.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Put words to the melody to keep it fresh and think about phrasing. Have students sing along with the melody.
• Have students imagine characters while playing to help show changes in sound and color. Have them work out a story or scene that they can imagine to help stay focused.

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• B section, m17-24: Practice the soprano melody, then the accompaniment chords in LH and bottom of RH; then put all parts together. Once this is comfortable, students should look at the transition into this section as it is such a big change from what was before.
• Practice the timing of the last several measures to make the ritardando in m. 30 and the a tempo in m. 31 make sense to the story and feel comfortable.

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts makeup the whole

• Discuss how the A and B sections are different. Ask the students to think of each section as a different character in the conversation and think of ways they can highlight the differences.

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• When choosing the tempo, remind students that this is a song and not a dance. It should be slow enough to be expressive, but still feel in cut time.
• Discuss the use of rubato in transitions between sections. Remind students to bring out any tempo changes (poco rit., etc) marked by the composer.

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• Chaminade asks for the una corda in the B section with her use of “2 Ped,” but never says when to release it. Discuss with your student when they want that transition to take place. The mf at m. 21 could be a logical place or the return of the A section at m. 25.
• Have students develop their own story or conversation for the last few measures. This will help them develop the timing of the ritardando and a tempo without it feeling too forced.

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Play the A sections back to back. They are the same until m. 29 in the return of the A section. At that point, the crescendo and ritardando can be used to help the student remember that they aren’t repeating all of the A section. This can help with both expressive performance and memory.
• Make sure students have memory jump spots throughout the piece. Have them practice jumping to different sections so they know they can recover from mistakes.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• Have students perform in front of family and friends to get comfortable in a lower stress setting.
• If students have a public performance, try to get them access to that instrument so they can test it out.
• Record your students playing and have them listen to whether they can really hear all the details in the score.

by Ricardo de la Torre

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• Edvard Grieg: “Album Leaf,” Op. 12, No. 7 or “Solitary Traveler,” Op. 43, No. 2.
• Frederic Chopin: Preludes Op. 28, Nos. 4 and 6 or Waltz in A Minor, Op. Posth., Kk4B No. 11.
• Edward MacDowell: “Idylle” Etude, Op. 39, No. 7.
• Amy Beach: Arctic Night, Op. 64, No. 1 or Exiles, Op. 64, No. 3.

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• Read about the composer, especially if they are unfamiliar to the student. The Wikipedia entry on Ponce is not a bad place to start.
• Listen to multiple recordings on YouTube to become familiar with the style and get a feel for the piece. After listening, forget about them for a while so they do not become too influenced. Choose recordings by pianists who may be familiar with the tradition the piece comes from, such as Mexican pianists Jorge Federico Osorio, Guadalupe Parrondo, and Abdiel Vázquez.
• Map out the form of the piece with a general diagram of how long each section is and where the main harmonic areas are.
• Sing the tenor line at mm. 16-21 before learning the notes to find a natural way to phrase it and get it in their ear.
• Review the concept of a circle of fifths progression, which is a sequence at mm. 24-28.

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• Figure out the different layers of the texture and their importance relative to one another. The melody is mostly in the repeated thirds in the RH, which should generally be louder than the LH. An exception is in mm. 16-21 and 48-53, where the LH should be brought out.
• Practice the melody in the middle of the texture at mm. 16-21 with two hands in order to get an aural image of what it should sound like. Then look for a way to produce that sound image with just the LH.
• Choose a fingering for the RH thirds, determining when to use the 3rd or 4th finger along with the 5th in the upper ones. For a supple wrist/forearm, have the student use lateral motions that allow them to align their fingers and forearm with the keys. Practice playing the thirds without repeating them to more easily find the melodic contour. See the above video for a more detailed explanation of this point.
• While practicing without pedal is useful, the pedal is an integral part of the sound of the piece and should be brought in early in the preparation process. It’s a good opportunity for the student to use their ear to decide where to clear it. Encourage students to pay attention to harmonic changes and use their intuition.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• Practice mm. 33-38, marked sciolto (loose, in the sense of free or nimble), in groupings. Practice in pairs of short-long and long-short, as well as in groups of three: short-short-long and long-short-short. Eventually, group all six notes in one gesture. These figures should have absolute clarity and evenness.
• Pay attention to dynamics. The pp at the return of the A section at m. 40 should have a softer and more melancholic color than the p at its first appearance in m. 8. Look for a different color at the beginning of the B section in m. 24 and be careful to place and voice the ppp chord at the end.
• To pedal m. 39, let the full harmony of the previous bar sound for a fraction of a second in m. 39 and then clear it, letting only the LH B ring and fade away. One can either then clear the pedal and restart, or let the theme come out of what is left of the resonance of that long B. Experiment with ways of eliding or separating this juncture by means of the pedal and resonance.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• The vocal element was very important to Ponce, who had a gift for melody and wrote many songs. Think of this piece as a song without words. Look for ways to phrase in a vocal manner. Practice singing while you play.
• Aim for a beautiful tone quality. The coda is good practice, as it may be harder to achieve in the higher registers.

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• Think about the function of the introduction. Try to find a sound and character that prepares the appearance of the main theme. It can be quite blurry and use very subtle rubato.
• Continue to look for smoothness and consistency of attack when playing all the repeated thirds. Voicing the top note of the third more than the lower note will provide more definition in the sound.
• Pacing the accelerando in the middle section, mm. 25-31, in a natural and gradual way can be tricky. Move in two-measure phrases and do not start pushing too soon.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Start at different spots in the piece, either from memory or with the music, to test and maintain focus. At first, choose obvious places like the beginnings of sections, and gradually choose more and more difficult places to begin.
• Purposefully create distractions while playing to be ready for the out-of-control events that might happen during a performance. For instance, ask a family member to make noise at some point during the run-through, such as turning on the radio or having a phone ring.
• Experiment with wildly different interpretations to keep the piece fresh and discover new possibilities in the piece.

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• Take mm. 31-38 and practice them in groups or rhythms, then apply a similar procedure to mm. 24-32. Then, practice the entire section as written, starting a couple of bars before and ending a few bars later.

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts makeup the whole

• Create a formal diagram as discussed in the Preparation and Presentation document.

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• To find a good basic tempo for the whole, play or sing mm. 16-21 and get the pulse for the quarter note. Then, apply it to the theme at m. 8. Choose a flowing tempo that is not too slow but still allows you to speed up in the middle section while executing the sextuplets clearly.
• Apply subtle rubato at the “micro” level. Discreet small pulls and pushes of the tempo, aiding the anacrusis-like nature of the theme, will fit the music well. Avoid exaggerations or extreme fluctuations in the tempo. Ponce’s own playing was quite straightforward when it came to tempo matters.

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• Listen to the piece and live with it for a little while before starting to work on it, then forget about the recordings.
• Get to know more of Ponce’s early piano music, like the first few mazurkas or some of his songs to help form an interpretation of this piece.

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Memorize the LH alone. This is not too hard, as it has fewer notes than the RH and follows strong harmonic patterns.
• Block and be  conscious of the circle of fifths progression in mm. 24-28.
• Be able to start at any of the major junctures of the piece by memory.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• Once the piece is in the performance-ready stage, play complete run-throughs to test the grasping of the whole, endurance, and concentration. 
• Play several run-throughs in a row to improve stamina and readiness. Experiment with spontaneity and changing things on the spot, if it feels right. Follow this with a “clean-up” session to fine-tune places that did not go as desired.

by Ziyue Gao

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• Any piece that has fast staccato notes under level 5.
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Album for the Young to play lyrical pieces with difficult phrasing.
• Any piece in 6/8 under level 5.

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• For rhythm, teachers can have students play 6/8 rhythm patterns with instruments such as drums, bells, and tambourine. These patterns can consist of eighth, sixteenth, and dotted quarter notes.
• Show students a video of a smith working.
• Have students design their own exercises in various five finger patterns with different articulations and dynamics.
• To practice leaps, have your student play a leap on the piano and then freeze. When the teacher claps, the student will need to move quickly to the next position.

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• ABA form.
• Alternating between eighth and sixteenth notes.
• Hand position changes.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• Staccato, which can be practiced in five finger patterns.
• Voice a single note of an interval. Practice it as a melodic interval first, playing the two keys at different depths.
• Unconventional accents, which can be tested by tapping on the piano lid.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• Transition clearly between different characters.
• Bring out all accents.
• Highlight dynamic changes like crescendos.

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• Practice with a metronome: in the refining stage, students will need to speed up.
• Train your fingers every day. Students need specially designed exercises to target staccato, double thirds, and voicing chords. 
• Use interleaved practice to memorize. There are similar parts in this piece, such as the beginning and the end. Students can practice them back to back instead of practicing in the order of ABA.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Choose a goal for every practice session.
• Include three things in practice: define the problem, choose strategies for solving it,, and evaluate your practice. Consider whether you made progress.
• Vary your practice techniques.
• Creativity in practice sometimes comes when you are not playing piano, and sometimes comes when you are. Grasp it whenever it comes.

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• Since this is an ABA’ form, practice the A sections first. Pay attention to the differences between them for ease of memorization.
• Use interleaved practice: practice A and A’ back to back from memory.
• Practice section B by practicing the staccato notes alone in five finger patterns, as demonstrated in the video.
• Ensure you keep a consistent tempo across sections.

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts makeup the whole

• Practice in sections first.
• To unite the piece as a whole, pay attention to the transitions between the shifting characters.
• Make sure the tempo is steady when transitioning to the next section.

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• Use a metronome for checking tempo.
• Subdivide the beat when playing.
• Staccato notes tend to rush. Practice them in context with the metronome.

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• In late stages, consider taking a break from listening to recordings.
• Make your own decisions around dynamics. 
• Find the climax of the piece and play it in your own way.

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Solid memory relies highly on daily practice with effective strategies.
• Isolate the hard spots, simplify it to the bare minimum, and then gradually add on until it’s in the original form.
• In practice, find patterns and take them out of the piece. For example, practice staccato notes first with five finger patterns.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• In the final stage, continue implementing slow practice.
• Practice with a metronome.

by Ricardo Pozenatto

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• Ferdinand Beyer: Elementary Method for the Piano, Op. 101, No. 10
• William Gillock: Little Flower Girl from Paris
• Dmitri Kabalevsky: Waltz, Op. 39, No. 13
• Italo Taranta: A Starry Night
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky: The Sick Doll, Op. 39, No. 7

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• The teacher plays the piece for the student and the student guesses the time signature. Ask: what dances are in 3/4 time signature? Further discuss dances (e.g., minuet, waltz) and highlight the dance-like feeling of a strong-weak-weak meter.
• The teacher plays the piece for the student while the student conducts. The student’s conduct should reflect the playing expressiveness of the teacher (e.g., emphasizing dynamics, phrasing, and perhaps even small ritardando at end of phrases).
• The student plays the E minor arpeggio, 2 octaves, one hand at a time and hands together.
• The student taps diverse rhythms (e.g., dotted quarter note followed by the eighth-note; eighth-notes) with the RH while tapping a steady beat with the LH.
• The student plays a pentascale demonstrating a legato articulation with the RH while playing staccato/non-legato triads with the LH.

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• Divide the piece into 3 sections where each section is 16-measures long. Discuss the different characteristics of each section, by asking, for example, “Did you notice how the final section is faster than the previous ones?”.
• Most phrases are 4-measures long; therefore, the climaxes of the phrases will most likely occur in the third measure of the phrase. Play the RH alone looking for such shaping.
• Analyze the harmonic content of the piece. Play the LH by itself and discuss how the applied dominant chords will inform the interpretation of the phrases, especially m. 33 onwards.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• Balance between hands is essential in this piece. The student should already feel somewhat comfortable playing a RH cantabile line over a softer LH accompaniment.
• Listen to the two parts played by the LH starting in measure 33. Start by playing the dotted half-notes with the LH and the quarter notes with the RH looking for the different articulation and good balance between parts. Transfer that while playing both parts with the LH only.
• Approach playing the LH accompaniment by using a flexible wrist, moving it from close to the keys during beats two and three, upwards. This will facilitate a non-legato articulation, which is needed for the accompaniment of this piece.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• Although short, this piece is filled with character and expressivity. Students should keep in mind how each section develops the character further. Creating a storyline for the piece could support the student’s connection with the music.
• The student creates words to sing the melodic line, keeping in mind the four-measures phrase structure. For example, the words “The sweet memories I have” fits the first phrase. By singing and then singing while playing, the student will have a better understanding of the shaping of the phrases and will more meaningfully connect with the music.
• Consider the applied dominants in the final section of the piece. Further, analyze the harmonic content and discuss how it will inform the musical interpretation of the piece.

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• From the early stages of practice, students need a light touch for the accompaniment part. Encourage them to be aware of the weight difference between their arms while practicing each part— accompaniment and melody—of the piece.
• Although not staccato, encourage students to play the LH quietly and shortly from the beginning. That will facilitate the coordination of articulation between hands. As the student is accustomed to the light touch, encourage them to play the accompaniment not as short, developing a non-legato articulation instead.
• From measure 33 onwards, play the RH melody along with the LH dotted half-notes only. Listen to the long LH notes while shaping the phrases. Later, quietly add the LH quarter notes on beats 2 and 3. This will train the student’s ears to listen for the different layers of the music texture.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Encourage students to listen to varied interpretations of this piece. Notice how flexible this music is, which allows diverse interpretations.
• Encourage students to decide where to place rubato and other expressive features, such as rallentando at the of phrases. Later, encourage them to change the placement of these features and discuss how that modifies the interpretation of the music.
• The final section of the piece indicates “Mais depressa e brilhante” (faster and sparkly). Instead of choosing a single faster speed, try a range. Then, discuss the student’s preferences and how it changes the interpretation of the piece.

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• The phrase structure of each section follows a pattern. Practicing the shaping of one phrase will help the student understand the next. Practice one phrase at a time, then combined for musical continuity and flow.
• Break up the accompaniment part in the final section with both hands. Have the LH play the dotted halves and the RH the double quarter-notes of beats 2 and 3, listening for balance. Then, play the accompaniment with your LH with the same balance and legato. Finally, add the melodic cantabile line. 
• Add a small rallentando at the end of each section. After practicing each section in isolation, practice the transition between sections (e.g., measures 13-20 and measures 29-36) looking for a well-lengthened rallentando followed by a tempo.

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts make up the whole

• This piece is composed of three distinctive sections: measure 1-16; measure 17-32; measure 33-48. Therefore, the form ABC seems appropriate. Notice how the increased rhythmic activity between sections supports the character development of the piece.
• Take time to listen to how the repeated notes of the initial phrases are unique while belonging to different harmonies. The first two B notes, for instance, appear as part of an E minor followed by a B major harmony in measures 1 and 2. Discuss the role of these notes (and other repeated notes in the music) within the harmonic context.
• The texture is thickest in the final section. Break the texture apart during isolated practice to support the student’s development in hearing how each part makes up the whole when put back together. 

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• Encourage students to dance the waltz style, perhaps even with the teacher. This will support the student’s experience with the strong downbeat of each measure and how the phrases are structured.
• The phrase contour of eighth-notes in the B and C sections suggests the use of a flexible wrist motion during the playing: a counter-clockwise circular motion. Keeping a free arm and elbow is essential for maintaining an artistic flow and better shaping these phrases.
• In sections B and C, the appearance of chromatic intervals is intensified. Have students warm up by playing chromatic scales to develop a natural feeling for the small hand shape generated when playing those intervals.

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• While choosing specific places for rubato and rallentando throughout the piece, have students record the same passage with diverse placements. How do these placements change the interpretation of the piece? 
• Encourage the student to experiment with a variety of tone colors for each section. Discuss how different approaches to the touch will create diverse tones and sounds from the piano.
• Discuss with the student what feelings or emotions this piece evokes from them. Ask: Was there a visual memory or a story attached to these emotions? How could you share them with the audience as you perform this piece?

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Analyze the piece from multiple perspectives: musical form, phrase structure, thematic content, texture development, and harmonic analysis.
• Analyze the harmonic content of the C section to reinforce its memorization.
• Explore how the phrases and melodies of each section provide sequential materials.
• Notice how the phrases in the B section are a development of the phrases in the A section. Point out how the initial and final notes of the phrases between sections are the same in addition to the same accompaniment part.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• Remind students about interpretation possibilities. Encourage them to be in charge of their choices, especially with rubato, and remind them that their placements will result in a unique performance of the piece.
• Exaggerate the dynamics in practice to prepare to play at a piano that the student might not have a chance to try beforehand.
• Since all three sections are independent, encourage students to play them out of order. This will reinforce their knowledge of each section, generating confidence in their memorization of the piece.

by Megan Rich

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• J.S. Bach: Minuet in D Minor, Prelude in C Minor, Invention No. 1 in C Major, Invention No. 8 in F Major 
• George Frederic Handel: Aria from the G Major Suite

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• Compare to previously assigned Baroque pieces. How will this Invention be different?
• Listen to Baroque music with two voices, such as string duos or soprano and bass.  Listen for melodic qualities in each voice and for moments when one voice takes center stage and the other fades into the background.
• Watch a video of a harpsichord or clavichord and discuss the differences between these instruments and the modern piano.

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• Play and listen to the theme first.
• Find the theme in other places in the score.
• Notice the lack of pedal and find fingerings that will optimize for finger legato.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• Fingering drills on the piano lid will help drill the motion and fingering without overwhelming the student.
• “Ghost” the hand that plays the countertheme while playing the theme boldly with the other hand.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• Highlight the theme in all its forms.
• Build a dynamic map with each theme and its function within the form.
• Discuss key areas and how Bach leads from one key to the next.  How can you show an arrival in a new key?

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• Finger legato will need to be just right, neither detached nor overlapping. Listen carefully and be able to demonstrate too much, not enough, and just the right amount of legato.
•  Practice short sections repeatedly to build speed.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Map out memory spots that students can use to secure memory and use for concentration in performance.  
• Build inner dialogue into the piece so that musical goals are present in every phrase.

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• Play individual presentations of the theme hands separately. Make sure they are treated similarly in each hand.
• Find places where one idea begins before another idea ends, such as m. 3. Which voice is the soloist? Does the “background” voice still have shape?

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts makeup the whole

• Think of this as a duet where both parts are important, but the players take turns being the leader.
• Analyze the key areas and use this to inform dynamics and touch. For example, when the theme occurs in a new key, it might be played with a different touch. When the theme returns to its original key in the final measures, it should be played with a full, forte sound and a slight ritardando to indicate finality.

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• Listen to other works by Bach and find some ideas about tempo. Find a speed at which the ornaments do not detract from the flow and discuss dance tempos when appropriate.
• Modify the ornaments so that they can be played comfortably without dragging. If a trill is too much, play a mordent.

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• Choose two instruments or voices to imitate, especially ones the student has some experience with. If they are in choir, choose two voice types. If they enjoy listening to orchestral music, choose two string instruments. This will help them to hear the two solo parts and interpret them in their own way.
• Discuss different ways to play the theme and countertheme. Should they both be completely legato?  Should lifts occur between large leaps? This may change depending on which instruments the student is imitating.

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Make a separate physical copy and highlight the themes, counterthemes, and cadences.
• Be able to play each element out of the context of the rest of the piece.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• Mentally refresh your memory map often, paying particular attention to themes, counterthemes, and cadences.
• Listen to other inventions and absorb the style.
• Record yourself often and evaluate steadiness, finger legato, and clarity of themes.

by Emily Barr

Preparation and Presentation

Context: pieces that are helpful to have experienced or played before approaching this one

• Friedrich Burgmüller: Sincerity, Op. 100, No. 1
• Enrique Granados: “Epilogue” from Escenas Románticas
• Karen Tanaka: Lavender Field
• Fryderyk Chopin: Prelude in B Minor, Op. 28, No. 6

Get Ready: creative activities to explore before the first encounter with the score, to prepare a student for deeper engagement and more immediate success

• Read about the inspiration behind “Children of Light” in Tanaka’s preface to the collection.
• Discover the story of the crested ibis and how they are returning from near extinction through faithful conservation efforts.
• Listen to a performance of this piece. How does the music depict the grace and elegance of this bird?

Initial Focus: features to pay attention to first; priority steps in reading and absorbing the music 

• Identify the RH accompaniment pattern. Which chord member is played at the highest and lowest points of the pattern?
• Locate and mark the meter changes. How does this help you determine the piece’s form?
• Where is the climax of the piece? How can you tell?
• Follow the left hand line with your eyes. Point out each time the left hand changes clefs. Mark as needed.
• Tap the rhythm of both hands in mm. 1-4. Then, finger through the notes in rhythm on the fallboard. Be sure to internalize how it feels to play twos against threes.

Coordination Essentials: physical skills and drills for common technical challenges in the piece

• Gentle counterclockwise rotation of the RH wrist to ensure looseness and flexibility throughout: “Up and over, down and around.”
• Large rolled chords in LH spanning 10ths, 11ths, and a 13th require careful planning in regards to timing, pedaling, and voicing.
• Choreography is essential when the hands share notes in the same register. The RH should begin the piece at a lower position near the edge of the keys, while the LH begins at a higher position in the middle of the keys.

Expressivity: ideas to connect with the expressive and musical nature of the piece

• Create a story to portray this piece. Set the scene: a crested ibis glides gracefully over hills and valleys while the sun illuminates the pink edges on its wings. Then, a surprising harmony takes place. How does the story continue?
• Sing along with the LH melody as you play. Observe how your voice naturally shapes each line. Where did you enjoy taking a little time?
• Add breath marks to the score to enhance the “singing” effect of the left hand.
• Experiment with harmonic shaping in mm. 19-23. How can the rolled chords build intensity in these measures?

Look Forward: approaches to set up for success with refinements that will need attention a few weeks down the road

• Ensure the melody is learned and played with finger legato first before adding pedal. Rolled chords may be temporarily omitted to ensure a smooth, continuous sound.
• Practice voicing to the tops of the rolled chords in the left hand, lightly playing the lower notes and reserving more weight for the thumb to play. Because the top note of each rolled chord is part of the melody, it is important to adjust the balance between the individual notes of the chords.

Process and Practice

Fully present: tips for maintaining focus and engagement over time

• Explore the concept of key depths. Experiment with playing the RH halfway into the keys and LH three-quarters into the keys to create an effective balance between melody and accompaniment.
• Listen carefully while pedaling. Adhere attentively to pedal markings to prevent too much “blur” from occurring. Ask the question, “Is my pedaling enhancing the musicality of this piece?”
• Identify the three measures where the RH accompaniment spans the range of a 9th rather than an octave. What is the significance of this within the context of the piece?

Break it up: useful practice segments; how to connect them and plug them back into the whole

• Practice mm. 1-14 with left hand alone and pedal. Listen for an ultra smooth, consistent melodic line throughout. Achieve this primarily through finger legato, but allow the pedal to assist in connecting the sound when it is not feasible for the fingers to do so.
• In the 6/4 section, play the melody with the right hand, including the tops of the rolled chords, with a full, round tone. Allow the left hand to softly play the remaining lower notes so that the rolled chords are broken up between the hands.

Layers and outlines: tips for focusing on how the parts makeup the whole

• Identify the three layers of this piece and rank them by their importance. Play each layer alone for a few opening measures. Internalize the feeling of playing each layer and their resulting sound.
• Play two layers simultaneously, maintaining the touch and tone that makes each layer distinct.
• In the 6/4 section, play the rolled chords entirely with the left hand, distinguishing between the gentle, light touch of the lower notes and the round, rich touch of the top notes.

Achieving flow: ideas for finding and maintaining tempo, managing modifications artistically

• To establish the tempo, sing the opening phrase of the melody. Tap the quarter-note pulse in your lap. Subdivide into threes to clearly feel the triplets of the RH accompaniment, and then begin the piece.
• Experiment with the timing of the rolled chords and how this relates to pedaling. Coordinating these two elements is essential to preventing “hiccups” in the piece’s flow.
• Explore places to incorporate elements of rubato. Envision the melodic line as a graceful tug of war. Where does the line want to push ahead, and where does it pull back?

Make it mine: tips for developing and refining a personal, internal sense of the piece

• Ask the student to imagine this piece as a soundtrack for a moment of time in their life. What comes to mind? Find places in the piece to express the sentiment of this memory.
• Consider the harmonic language of this piece, overflowing with a variety of colors and shades. Ask the student to pinpoint the climactic harmony of the piece. Have the student assign a color to this chord. In the measures leading up to this, ask the student to play and respond to the other harmonies they hear with different colors. How do these colors relate to each other?

Deep knowing: tips for securing memory

• Revisit the form of the piece and analyze it on a macro level. How can you describe the first and last sections, and what makes the middle section different?
• Create a memory map of this piece, illustrating how the piece begins and ends, the contour of the melody, octave displacement, moments of intensification, and the climax of the piece.

Final stages: tips for ensuring performance readiness, maintaining freshness and spontaneity, and reinforcing an expressive personal connection

• Revisit the preface to Children of Light. How can you honor Tanaka’s intention for this collection through your performance?
• Perform for family and friends. As they listen, ask them to imagine what scene, memory, or emotion this piece reminds them of. After playing, share responses and compare how the audience’s ideas relate to your own interpretation of the piece.