February 2012 Teachers Guide

February 2012 Teachers' Guide

Annual Composition Contest - details

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Ideas to use with the February Issue

Ravel's Music: Have students listen to excerpts from Ravel's compositions. Discuss the different styles he incorporated in them, including Spanish music, modes, unusual chords and harmonies, Impressionism, jazz, and Asian melodies. Look at Impressionist paintings and discuss how painters played with light and atmosphere as opposed to an exact story or depiction. How did Debussy, Ravel and other composers of the time do this with music.

Recommended recordings:
Piano Concerto in G major, Krystian Zimerman, piano and Pierre Boulez conducting Cleveland Orchestra (Deutche Grammophon, 1999). The disc also includes Valses nobles et sentimentales and Piano Concerto For the Left Hand in D major.

Martha Argerich, "The Collecion1" (Deutsche Grammophon, 2008) includes: Jeux d'eux, Gaspard de la nuit, Sonatine, Valses nobles et sentimentales. Also on the disc are pieces by Bach, Prokofiev, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, and Schumann.

Bolero, Menuet antique, Ma mere l'oye, rapsodie espagnole, La valse - Pierre Boulez conducting New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra (Sony, 2011)

Study guide for Bolero
Bolero is one of the most recognizable melodies of classical music. It is a great piece to study with a group of students in a theory class or a piano group class. Here are some questions teachers might use when discussing this work.

1. The piece opens with a repetitive snare drum rhythm. Does the rhythm stop after the introduction or does it remain underneath the orchestra for the duration of the piece?
2. What instrument first plays the main theme? Name as many instruments as you can that carry the famous melody throughout the piece.
3. Does the piece begin loud or soft? How do the dynamics change?
4. Describe what happens in the final moments of the music. What instruments are playing? What is the dynamic level? How does Ravel end the piece?

Legendary Pianists
Listening to great pianists gives students a glimpse into the vast and magical world of great music. It often inspires and motivates them to practice more and play new pieces. It helps them see the possibilities and the beauty of the piano. All teachers should encourage students to listen to recordings and watch videos of legendary pianists. Rubinstein, Horowitz, and Richter are especially magical, as their talents were unsurpassed and their fame rose to the level of modern movie stars.

Intermediate and advanced students will be able to see similarities and differences in the playing styles of the three piano legends. Encourage them to share their observations with you and other student in your studio. Points of discussion can include technical aspects (such as posture, hand position, and use of arm), musical ideas (such as dynamics and phrasing), and personality (level of energy, choice of repertoire). If you teach a group class to middle school or high school students, each student may choose a different pianist to focus on and prepare a short presentation for class.

We recommend the following DVDs for further study:
Golden Age of the Piano, DVD (Decca 2003)
Horowitz - A Reminiscence, DVD (Kultur Video, 2007)
Horowitz in Moscow, DVD (Sony, 2005)
Classic Archive - Sviatoslav Richter, DVD (Euroarts, 2008)
Michelangeli and Richter - Two Titans Of the Keyboard, DVD (Video Artists International, 2002)
Artur Rubinstein in Concert, DVD (Duetsche Grammophon, 2008)
Artur Rubinstein - The Legendary Moscow Recital, DVD (Euroarts, 2009)

Contest - there is still time to enter!
Encourage your students to participate in the annual Composition Contest. This year we ask them to explore themes related to ocean life. Students should pick an ocean creature or plant and write a piece about it. We ask for a short paragraph, which explains how the music portrays the chosen subject. Artwork is also encouraged. Entries have to be faxed or postmarked by March 15. For a complete set of rules go here or to page 12 of the January issue. Look for special Composers' Corner articles in upcoming issues which will explore various composing techniques to help students come up with ideas, develop them, and write a structured, well thought-out piece.

Answers to February Puzzles
Beginner's Corner musical signs (page 7) 1. Cut time or 2/2 2. Fermata 3. Forte 4. Bass clef 5. Quarter rest 6. Sharp 7. Natural 8. Accent 9. Sixteenth rest 10. Treble clef 11. Eighth rest 12. Play an octave lower 13. Half note 14. Flat 15. Play an octave higher 16. Pedal 17. Repeat 18. Diminuendo 19. Mezzoforte 20. Pianissimo 21. Mezzopiano 22. Whole notes 23. Doubleflat 24. Half note rest

Word Search (page 13) Arthur Rubinstein is the final answer.

Quiz (page 15) 1. True 2. Various answers including Spanish music, modes, Impressionism, jazz, Asia and Russian music. 3. True 4. Various answers in cluding Berlioz, Gounod, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, Bellini, Kabalevsky, and Prokofiev. 5. b

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