A piano composer's unique handprint: how playing shapes new music
Have you ever wondered how a piano composer comes up with ideas for new music? Three living composers, June Armstrong, Susan Staples Bell and Rebekah Maxner explain how their own playing experiences shape and sculpt their compositions. It's all in the human hand! You might find inspiration to create your own pieces! Please keep reading! … continue reading →
Become a music arranger with 'I Love Coffee I Love Tea' and 'Knuckles'! [Part V]
Arranging gives you and your students permission to mix it up! I Love Coffee, I Love Tea’s familiar patterns can inspire your students to try their hand at arranging! They’ll have the chance to make creative decisions, change the order of the tunes, actually change the music in several ways and make it their own! Help them gain confidence being creative at the piano. This blog post comes with several tutorial videos that help them get started! Share it directly with your students! … continue reading →
Leopold Mozart's guide on how to teach composition to creative kids
Leopold Mozart revealed much about how he taught his son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Mozart's first little keyboard compositions. Do you want to feel more confident as a composition teacher? It's actually a relief to learn some of Leopold's big secrets! … continue reading →
How to compose piano music? Heart and Soul can teach you! [Part IX]
Composing sets you free to create using what you already know about music! Show your students how to use what they know about Heart and Soul, its chord progressions, texture and patterns, to create their very own original music! Post includes videos of student examples! ...continue reading →
'Starry Dreams (Do Come True)' Level 6 Jazz piano piece [eSheet]
"Do what you love until others love it, too." There are moments in your professional life when you take stock of where you are, how far you've come and what started it all. This post is about rediscovering my genesis as a composer: 1) with a new Level 6 Jazz piece that harkens back to my earliest days of improvising on the piano, and 2) professional photos inspired by the composer who first inspired me. ...continue reading →
6 steps to Improvising and Composing left hand piano [Printables]
Have you composed an original melody? Are you feeling inspired to improvise solo piano music or a piano accompaniment for a church chorus, or a popular tune you’ve learned by ear? Creating a left hand part on the piano is satisfying. ... continue reading →
Composing music? Steps 5 to 8 help you make your piece longer [Printables]
You can be a composer. All it takes is believing in yourself and allowing the time to let it happen. The process of composing is a chance to unplug from our fast-paced world and unwind, discovering the music within you. What’s next? It’s the biggest question ... continue reading →
Want to compose music? Steps 1 to 4 help you begin [Printables]
In a world where we have instant access to so much ready-made information and entertainment in ever-decreasing byte-sizes, I believe that now, more than ever, it is important to get in touch with your inner creative life. To slow down. ... continue reading →
Rebekah Maxner 