Welcome to the MaxMusic Piano eSheet Club! It’s a monthly surprise package designed specifically to bring more joy to you and your students!
“Thank you so much for sharing your creative experience, I admire it.” ~ Jelena, Italy
2025 eSheets by Level
Click on the titles below to access teaching resources:
- The listing by Level makes it easy to choose the best pieces for your students.
- Quick Links to the eSheet Downloads.
- Watch YouTube videos for examples of the music.
- Get helpful teaching hints.
Early Elementary
Picnic at the Park and Haydn’s Surprise Symphony
Elementary Prepartory A
Elementary Prepartory B
Late Elementary Level 1
Late Elementary Level 2
Early Intermediate Level 3
Intermediate Level 4
Intermediate Level 5
December 2025 – Winter Daydream
Levels: US, Late Elementary. AMEB, Grade 1. ABRSM, Grade 1. RCM, Level 2.
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Teaching tips
- Winter Daydream weaves a brooding impression of a dance between the winter wind and glittering snowflakes.
- The left hand chromatic lines. Throughout the piece (measures 1-4 and 18-20, as well as similar passages), the left hand plays descending chromatic lines.
- Wrist rotation. The right hand thirds may be played with some wrist rotation. To introduce this technique to your student, compare wrist rotation to turning a doorknob or a rocking chair.
- Pedal. Most measures have a pedal lift on beat one. The word simile means keep pedalling in a similar way (changing on each beat 1).
- Crescendo and diminuendo. Too often students make sudden changes with these. To help students remember how to play gradual dynamic changes, focus the attention on soft-to-loud (crescendo), and loud-to-soft (diminuendo).
November 2025 – Tickled Pink
Levels: US, Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, Initial. RCM, Prep A.
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Teaching tips
- Tickled Pink tells a story of best friends who get rosy cheeks from a day outside skating round a rink in the winter.
- When to teach? This piece plays on two themes: winter and friendship. While it could be taught at any time of year, students may be especially motivated to learn it before the midwinter holidays (like Christmas), or in the winter months of January and February, before Valentine’s Day.
- The skating analogy can help teach legato. Have you ever noticed that a phrase mark looks like a skate mark in the ice? Skating is a smooth motion, and a slur wants to sound smooth. Pointing this out can help students connect the marking with the sound.
- Glissando fun! The fall on the ice comes with a glissando down the keys, with lots of fermatas and followed by rests. Kids love it when they get to play these special effects! G position and small moves. This piece offers practice reading LH D above middle C, and with the parallel ascending notes, helps kids read up and up in the treble staff.
October 2025 – Picnic at the Park and Haydn’s Surprise Symphony
Levels: US Early Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, –. RCM –.
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Teaching tips
Picnic at the Park includes lyrics about the excitement of packing a picnic lunch and choosing all the food you’ll take.
- Features stepping notes, plus guided fifths (the student is encouraged to use cue letters and isn’t expected to read the fifths).
- Non-legato touch between most stepping keys.
- Two-note slurs are carefully crafted between fingers that feel comfortable.
- It’s a challenge to keep the repeated eighths on LH finger 1 light and bouncy. Play with an ‘up’ wrist to reduce weight into the key and keep the sound light. Listen carefully—do they sound heavy or light?
- An added creative challenge is for the student to add new lyrics of favourite picnic foods with syllables to match the tune.
Haydn’s Surprise Symphony includes lyrics about the true story of Haydn’s scheme to surprise his audience with music and London’s reaction.
- Features skipping notes (thirds between line and space notes).
- Eighth notes are on repeated keys, making them accessible to kids.
- Slurs are between hands, left to right or right to left.
- Fermata is compared to stretching the note like an elastic. Still one beat, but it’s stretched.
- The student part is kept simple. The tricky notes and rhythms from Haydn’s symphony are preserved and reinterpreted in the teacher’s part. The spirit of the original is kept, which makes this arrangement stand out among the choices available in beginner music.
September 2025 – Espionage 1974
Levels: US, Late Elementary. AMEB, Grade 1. ABRSM, Grade 1. RCM, Level 2.
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Teaching tips
- Espionage 1974 takes us back to the days of secret missions and spy assignments. Music in spy movies was iconic in the 1970s, and here the Late Elementary student gets to play in that style. It’s energized by a jazzy walking bass, syncopations and a chromatic tune that is drenched in conspiracy.
- Form. Espionage 1974 is written in ternary, or ABA, form. The first and final A sections are based on the same theme, with some differences. In the first section the left hand begins with walking half notes. In the final A section these are staccato quarters, making it more exciting at the louder dynamic. And the right hand develops from the middle range in the first A section, to the upper register in the final A section. The middle section dissonances build the tension.
- Practice strategy. Understanding the form helps with creating a practice strategy. Learn and practice each section separately, repeating from the beginning of each section in the early stages of learning. This helps with memorizing and securing these sections later in the learning process.
- High ledger notes. At this Late Elementary level, many students are still securing reading their ledger notes. In this piece, it helps that the return of the main theme is exactly one octave above, which means it can be learned simply by moving the hand up, and the keys are the same. However, this also offers a unique opportunity for the student to go on their own mission of discovering the upper ledger notes. How many can they uncover?
- Swing or straight eighths? I composed it to have straight eighths, and the syncopations have more punch with straight eighths. But if your student wants to slow it down and add a swing, I see no reason why not. Basically, follow your student’s lead on this. Some learners simply want to swing.
- The ragged right-hand rhythm. Begin with the music set to the side, unseen. Ask, “Can you copy this?” And tap the right hand rhythm in measure 6 (starting on the weak pulse of beat one). Repeat it and have your student copy as many times as it takes for it to feel groovy and natural. Next maybe tap measures 5-6 for them to copy. Next, tap measure 8. Next, add the three upbeats, plus measure 8. Back it up further and tap measures 7-8. Notice you’re starting small then adding more each time. Your student is first experiencing the music by ear and through movement. Follow the same learning sequence adding the left-hand rhythms, too. Notice how the left hand fills in where the right hand is holding tied notes. Sometimes it helps for a student to practice just the rhythms for a week, tapping only, especially if you’ve built in accents.
- Legato and non-legato. Markings are kept to a minimum to keep the score clean. The eighth notes may be played legato, or ad libitum if slurs and accents seem natural. The walking bass is usually non-legato in this style, but may be played legato, according to what feels most natural to your student. The beauty of jazz is that each performer is allowed some artistic freedom within the style of the genre.
August 2025 – Dimensions
Levels: US, Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, Initial. RCM, Prep A.
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Teaching tips
- Dimensions is an imaginative ‘learning adventure’ that compares physical science and math to the elements of music. Each movement is a little prelude at the Elementary level.
- Which students? This piece is ready to go for so many students! Teach only some or all of the movements. Challenge some students to learn the full multi-movement work. Or, use it with students who could use a review of these concepts through learning YOYO music (You’re On Your Own). It’s also a great review for kids who are returning to piano lessons after a long break. Individual movements can be used with students learning Middle C or their intervals.
- Let the student discover. This info sheet has all the answers, but with the prompts on the music pages, allow your students to discover the musical elements on their own, like a quest.
- Movement I, The First Dimension. In physical science, the first dimension (1D) is a straight line from point A to point B. It is measured in one direction, length, and has no width. It’s been compared to a train going back and forth on a train track, as there is only one path. This piece is composed to be like the first dimension. It’s on only one key, Middle C, and begins with the first fingers. And like going back and forth on a straight line, the hands also play back and forth on Middle C. This is helpful with the goal of telling apart the RH and LH Middle Cs. As you read, try to notice when the hands switch.
- Movement II, The Second Dimension. 2D is a flat plane and is like shapes on a piece of paper. They have length and width but no depth. Because a 2D shape is flat, it is never able to look at itself from above, because it is stuck on its own flat plane. It would only ever see itself as a thin line looking from the side. This piece is composed to be like the second dimension. It has two beats per measure. It is played on black keys, which are flats (get it?). All the intervals are 2nds. And have you noticed it begins on the second fingers?
- Movement III, The Third Dimension. 3D is when an object has height, width and depth. Our world looks three dimensional. When you go to a 3D movie, the images seem to pop out from the screen. This piece is composed to be like the third dimension. It has three beats per measure. The damper pedal gives depth to the sound. The music is based on 3rd intervals. And have you noticed it begins on the third finger?
- Movement IV, The Fourth Dimension. The fourth dimension is time, and it’s a very complex subject when time and space are studied together. Because we’re playing with the concept of the fourth dimension, this piece has four beats per measure and is based on 4th intervals. And have you noticed it begins on a fourth finger? When the duet is added, the pedal and slow ringing low tones give the music the feeling of moving through a great expanse of time.
- Movement I: Early Elementary, Primer.
- Whole work: Levels: US, Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM Initial. RCM, Prep A.
July 2025 – Creepy Crawly Critters
Levels: US, Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, Initial. RCM, Prep B.
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Teaching tips
- Creepy Crawly Critters tells the story of a kid who is kept awake at night by little critters. The babysitter is so spooked, she’s nowhere to be found. The kid is the hero who steps up to protect their home with sticky candies and flashlights, to defeat the invasion of the creepy crawlies.
- Which students? Elementary kids (RCM Preparatory B) who are mostly good at reading between the space Cs, but want music that sounds bigger. Included are two versions: music only, and a second version for students who like illustrations and lyrics. You’ll know who’s who.
- This piece is about being brave in the face of creepy things in the night that might be scary, but the young pianist steps up to the challenge and protects their home like a superhero! The story of the music is like an analogy of the written music, itself. There are lots of things in this piece that might look scary: sharp and flat signs, notes that look very low or very high, but the young pianist is invited to step up like a superhero and meet the challenge to shine a light on those things and chase away those fears.
- Key patterns. In the opening phrases, the RH and LH white and black key patterns are mirrored: the right hand plays white-white-black (whole tone, semitone), then the left hand plays the reversed pattern with black-white-white (semitone, whole tone). Even though the notes are in an easier reading range, the student is encouraged to memorize this music. This group of keys sounds very creepy and spooky. It’s because they belong to the D minor harmonic scale.
- Tempo Slow and creepy. Begin at a slower tempo that plans ahead for good eighths starting in measure 17. If the student begins too fast, they might slow down in measure 17, or the eighths might feel crunched for time.
- Teaching notes beyond the middle. If we wait until the student has memorized all their notes before we teach pieces that use those notes, they will have to wait a long time before they make some of the piano’s coolest sounds. So, why wait? This piece offers the opportunity to teach some sections with reading, for example the opening phrases. However, other sections, like the highest and lowest notes, may be learned partly by rote (showing what keys to play) and partly by reading. Exposure to these notes builds familiarity with ledger notes to dissipate the fear that can creep in. Those aren’t the scary notes, those are the exciting sounds!
- Guide letters. In the highest and lowest sections, it’s okay to write in one or two guide letters, but avoid writing in every letter for your student. Instead, challenge them to read beyond the guide letters by predicting the direction of the sound. Does it look like the sounds go up or down? Play steps by guess (predicting). This is a good way to encourage familiarity (rather than mastery) with the staff beyond the notes in the middle. And, it teaches how notation works. When you teach what directional steps look like, students will be able to apply this to reading steps anywhere on the staff (predicting by direction). It’s more flexible, successful and fluent. Kids who learn this way are far more willing to try to read unfamiliar music on their own.
June 2025 – Footprints in the Sand
Levels: US, Late Elementary. AMEB, Grade 1. ABRSM, Grade 1. RCM, Level 1.
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Teaching tips
- Footprints in the Sand transports us to the slow rhythm of a walk on the beach, maybe at sunset.
- The title comes from two personal experiences. First, the poem Footprints which I’ve always loved. And in my university years I attended a coffee house where I heard a song that said as humans, the only thing we have the right to leave behind on this Earth is a footprint in the sand.
- Rhythm and the title. If you try to sing the title ‘Footprints in the Sand’ to the melody in measures 9-10 (and again in 11-12), they do go together. While this is a coincidence, why not take advantage of that as you teach the piece? Before your student even tries to play the piece, singing the title’s words to the tune will set them ahead.
- Broken chords. The broken chords in the intro and outro paint a sound picture of waves on the beach. They go low to high and from left hand to right. To help the student shape the slurs, start simple. Hold a pencil in your left hand. This symbolizes the musical line. Pass it to your right hand. This is like the line starting in the left hand and crossing to the right. Keeping this simple motion in mind, play the broken chords from left to right, smoothing the transition between hands, connecting all the keys into one impulse.
- Arch form. The overall structure of the piece is an arch form, that is ABCB’A’, with C forming the peak of the imaginary archway. The outer A and A’ sections (measures 1-8 and 35-42) form the intro and outro ‘waves’ in C Major with the flat 6. The B and B’ sections contain the main melody (measures 9-16 and 25-34), and the C section develops and blends the ideas of A and B with a shift to A minor (measures 17 to 24). Help students discover the structure, perhaps by playing the piece while they listen and look for similarities in the notation. Help them mark and color-code the sections. This simplifies learning the music, as sections help students know where to start and stop repeats during practice, and helps them memorize and secure the music. Learning structure also helps teach students ways to organize musical ideas should they want to compose in the future.
- Dotted-quarter-eighth rhythms. There are two dotted-quarter-eighth rhythms. The first spans RH measures 15-16 (as well as 19-20 and 34-35) and the second appears in RH measures 24 and 32. Prior to playing these rhythms, try this intro. Hold out your left arm, upon which you’ll tap the rhythms. The RH is the rhythm ‘tapper.’ For a quarter note, right hand taps the top of the left hand. For a dotted-quarter, RH slides from the left shoulder down the arm for the length of the note. For an eighth note, RH taps the top of the left hand. Clap the dotted-half note with pulses.
- Which students? Footprints in the Sand has a mature sound and will motivate students of all ages: children, tweens, teens and adults. It is a Level 1 RCM piece, but may interest students of higher levels in the summer months because it is accessible, beautiful and light.
May 2025 – Silly Slime
Levels: US, Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, Initial. RCM, Prep A.
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Teaching tips
- Silly Slime appeals to Elementary piano students, both boys and girls, who have a silly sense of humor.
- Non-legato. Before piano students get to play Baroque music, you can try non-legato with Elementary pieces like Silly Slime. Non-legato is a very special articulation in music. Basically, it means to play elegantly down into a key, lift back out, then repeat this simple down-up gesture with each key in succession. Each non-legato note will have a full, rich sound without slurring or staccato. How will you know when to play non-legato? When you see similar notes (usually quarter notes) in a row without slurs or other articulations, the notes will be played non-legato.
- Two-note slurs. Before piano students get to play Classical music, you can try the two-note slur, or ‘sigh’, which is a signature Classical sound. Throughout Silly Slime there are two different two-note slurs, both in the right hand: a downward step from G-to-F (fingers 2-1) and a downward skip from A-to-F (fingers 3-1). There’s more to a two-note slur than just legato! Imagine your slurring fingers are two legs, one strong and the other with a sore foot. You’ll lean more on your strong leg and try to put as little pressure as possible on your sore foot. To truly create the ‘sighing’ sound there are two phases. To get a stronger sound with the first note, touch that key with your fingertip and play down with a gently weighted arm (this is the strong leg). Avoid falling from above or pushing, as too much weight will sound heavy and maybe harsh—so even though it’s strong, keep the sound nice and musical. Second, to get a weaker sound, play up out of the second key with a weightless arm (this is the sore foot). Try these two steps several times listening closely to the sounds. Do you hear MORE-less? That’s the Classical ‘sigh’.
- Eighths on repeated notes. The eighth notes in measures 6 and 10 may (etc.) be played with a quick wrist bounce. Play down into the first eighth, and on the rebound, play up from the second (kind of like the change in weight with the two-note slur). The sound is MORE-less.
- Finger number symmetry. There are several places throughout the piece where the hands play mirrored finger numbers. These touchpoints in the music aim to simplify some of the hands together playing.
- Low F finger adaptation. In measure 40 when the left hand reaches down for low F, there’s a finger 3 on that note. That’s because finger 3 by itself feels balanced in the hand. But there’s a more secure way to play single notes at the piano’s high and low ends, and that is to turn the hand slightly and touch the key with both fingers 3 and 4 together, for added strength and stability. In fact, for the very lowest keys on the piano, sometimes fingers 3-4-5 together on an angle are the best choice.
- Do you notice in the lyrics that some larger words take more space and move the notes? I have included a version of Silly Slime without lyrics for children who are sensitive to the spacing of notes and their length in time. The “no lyrics” version has equal spatial note placement.
April 2025 – Budgie Bird Jazz
Levels: US, Early Intermediate. AMEB, Grade 2. ABRSM Grade 2. RCM, Level 3.
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Teaching tips
- Budgie Bird Jazz channels the vibe of mid-40s big band jazz. Imagine a soloist, with the rest of the band leaning in to play the chords. The piece gets its name from budgie bird ‘chirps’ played by signature repeated grace notes in the high register.
- Swing the eighths. To swing eighths, you can first stand up together and tap your legs with your hands, saying, ‘LONG-short,’ with emphasis on the long sound. With a rhythm card, or eighths on a white board, see that the eighths look the same as regular straight eighths. But, with the instructions to swing, you’ll give them this long-short lilt. Without looking at the music, with both hands tap measure 2, RH rhythm beats 1-3 with the words ‘budgie bird jazz’. Next, divide the hands, each tapping its own rhythm. The LH will tap only on ‘bud’ and ‘jazz.’
- The fingering lights the easy path. The same way there are multiple ways to get through a jungle, there are different finger numbers you could use to play any music. One way through a jungle is to clear your own path, but it’s usually more work than taking the path that others have already chosen and cut through. Think of the composer’s suggested fingerings as the easy path. For example, the LH chords in measures 2 and 8 individually prepare the rapid-fire sequence of chords in measure 28. The better you play 2 and 8, the easier 28 will be.
- Broken record practice. There are many ways to practice. Never be bored! Try mixing it up. To become a pro, practice hands separately. To get better at playing the tricky spots hands together, pretend you are listening to an old vinyl record that has a skip in it (when a scratch made the needle jump and repeat the same section of music over and over). Lightly draw a box around the ‘skip’ that you will loop through. Play it a bunch of times until it gets easier. Hint: always take a pause between loops. For example, here’s a suggested loop: measures 27-28.
- Walking bass. The left hand in measures 9 through 16 is a jazz walking bass, imitating the sound of a wooden stand-up bass. Jazz bass is played by plucking the strings, with a detached sound. With the quarter notes, try for a cool non-legato.
- Rests breathe. Notice that there are rests at the beginnings of some measures. If you were a saxophone player, you’d take a quick breath before laying into the next phrase. Even though we don’t have to breathe (for real) to play the piano, adding ‘breath’ gives our music a special jive and vitality. To give the effect of a breath on a rest, give a little inaudible sniff as you lift your wrist (like your wrist is breathing). This up gesture prepares for the next sound.
- Grace note chirps. To learn the grace note chirps: 1) With one gesture, play the black and white keys at the same time. 2) Play them together, but release the black key first. 3) Drop with one gesture but play the black key slightly before the white key.
- Sound bites and recyclables. Notice how much of this piece is made up of sound bites and recycled material. Measures 21-28 are recycled from measures 5-8 but stretched out.
March 2025 – Cool Caper
Levels: US Early Elementary to Elementary. AMEB, Preliminary. ABRSM, Initial. RCM, Prep A. (Approximately 6-12 months of lessons.)
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Teaching tips
- Cool Caper captures the mood of a grand scheme, perhaps a plan made by an anti-hero, who is a villain we tend to like and root for. “A ‘Cool Caper’ is a phrase typically used to describe a fun, exciting, and slightly mischievous adventure or escapade.”
- Rote teaching and learning. Teach Cool Caper by Rote, with the student copying the teacher by watching the keys and by ear, rather than reading. This allows the student to play across the piano sooner, music that their ears and fingers are ready for long before they’re ready to read it.
- Who should learn Cool Caper? Introduce this to your students within six to twelve months of lessons, even if they’re still only reading basic notes in the middle of the staff. As teachers we sometimes believe that learning should be step-by-step. Rote learning circumvents this careful planning with music that charges students with excitement. This is about motivation!
- How to teach Cool Caper. Your youngest students may learn one level per week. Older or Late Elementary students may learn the three levels in one lesson, one at a time as they are mastered.
- Level 1. Play Level 1 and ask if your student would like to learn it. Talk about what a Cool Caper is. Teach with the music out of sight. Walk around the room to a steady beat, tapping the rhythm of measures 1-2 on your laps with matching hands, chanting, “Right, left, right, left—right, left, LEFT.” Continue until the student has mastered the large motor movements. At the piano, ask, “Can you copy this?” Demonstrate measures 1-2, still chanting the words. Let your student copy until they know it. Ask them to play it three times in a row. Follow the same method with measures 7-8, walking, chanting and blowing on the rests (see below), then copying on the piano. Teach the second half with the RH higher. Send the sheet music home as a reminder of what they’ve learned.
- Level 2. Ask your student to compare the notation for levels one and two. What is different? Demonstrate the updates and ask your student to copy. Teach the swung eighth notes by ear.
- Level 3. Compare levels two and three. Student learns the new details by copying.
- Technical advantages. The hands play apart on the keyboard, with a comfortable arm position, away from the midline. With the back-and-forth integration of the hands, students can develop detached sounds that connect the arms directly with the fingertips. The two-note slurs are in the most comfortable fingers, 3-2.
- Rests. Your student may ask about the rests. Here are effective answers: The only two rests that matter are in measure 7, LH. These are ‘active’ rests, which make true silence. They look like smoke rising from birthday candles and get one beat. To keep those silent beats, blow out like you’re blowing out a birthday candle. For other rests, “If it doesn’t look like a note, it’s a rest!”
February 2025 – Rag Top
Levels: US, Intermediate. AMEB, 3. ABRSM, 3. RCM, 4.
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Teaching tips
- Rag top captures the feeling of zooming around in a convertible car, one that has a cloth (rag) roof that can be folded down. It’s our modern version of a one-horse open sleigh—only, the summertime version! In the music you can almost feel the sunshine on your face and the breeze in your hair.
- The title is also a pun on the word ragtime, the style of the piece. Rag Top can act as an introduction to this exciting genre of music. The Intermediate pianist can experience the steady quarter open-chord bass patterns and a ragged syncopated tune so characteristic of ragtime.
- Straight eighths. One thing to keep in mind with ragtime is that eighth notes are usually kept straight (no long-short lilt). Should you play this piece in a festival or on an exam, you’ll want to stay true to the ragtime style and play straight eighths.
- To swing? Because it’s a fun piece, some students may feel like swinging the eighths, and in some instances this is okay. But Bottom line, if you swing the eighths, it’s important to know that it’s a personal choice and that you’re shifting away from the true ragtime style.
- Staccato and legato. One challenge of this piece is to play the detached notes in the left hand against the fluid tune in the right hand. For this reason, it’s best to lock down what makes each hand special first with hands-separate practice. It’s like each hand is its own instrument.
- Maybe the left is playing a standup string bass, and the right is playing a clarinet. If you think of different instruments, it makes it easier to understand how each musician needs to learn their own part before they try the music together. Your goal is to help the left hand specialize in playing steady staccato quarters, with the occasional eighth figure. Your next goal is to help the right hand learn its tune with slurs and syncopations.
- To play staccato against legato, do this warm-up first: 1) On a low C, play LH staccato a few times; 2) On a higher C, play RH a few times, holding the note longer; 3) Play the C keys hands together, bouncing the left while holding the right. It helps to exaggerate the staccato at first. Keep going through these three steps until step three gets easier. Then try a few notes of the music, listening for a bouncy bass line and a legato melody.
- Rhythm hack. With a measure of eighths that has a tie between beats two and three, try rhythm syllables rather than counting. Clap first with the syllables, then play with these syllables: “Ti-ti-ti-TA-ti-ta”. The tied notes are not officially a ‘ta’ but rhythmically, that’s how much time they take. It’s a shortcut that works!
- Shaping. To polish and refine the piece, shape the phrases with the hairpin crescendos and diminuendos, so there’s energy and a fun spirit in the music.
January 2025 – Through the Ivy Gate
Levels: US, Intermediate. AMEB, 4. ABRSM, 4. RCM, 5.
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Teaching tips
- Through the Ivy Gate is a fantasy journey of the spirit.
- As I was composing it, I felt the moment in measure 6 where the music changes modes to include more flats, that it’s almost like entering a new place, going through a gate. I had a dream once after I lost someone very close to me when I saw them through a stone gate in a garden, and in that dream I knew they were okay. This image kept returning to me as I created the piece. Measure 6 is where I feel my journey begins, but this may be different for each one who plays the piece.
- Because intermediate musicians are more mature, I feel it’s possible for them to develop a deeper connection to the music. These questions will help personalize the music for them: What does your ivy gate represent? A place you’ve always wanted to go? A journey with a friend you miss? Where will your gate lead you? Where in the music do you feel you’re entering the gate? How will you express this? When you return, how will you be transformed? If their answers are too personal to share, they may just want to answer them privately but they should be explored nonetheless.
- The music between the hands is so entangled that it figuratively and musically paints a picture of ivy.
- The performance challenge in this piece is to integrate the musical lines of the left and right hands. There is no clear definition as to which hand has the melody or accompaniment, as both work together. For example, in the first four measures the left hand opens with notes that lead to both the right-hand melody and the continued left-hand accompaniment. In measure 2, the right hand contributes to the accompaniment with an A. Later in the piece when the left hand has tied notes in the middle of each measure, the right hand note on beat two (in 6/8 time, the fourth eighth-note) could be interpreted as both melody and accompaniment.
- It wouldn’t make sense to learn this piece hands separately. Rather, I’d encourage learning it in “lines” of music. In measures 1-2 (and in other similar places), play the melodic phrase shown by the slur/phrase mark from left hand to right, and play it until there is flow from hand to hand.Then, in the same two measures, focus on the accompaniment from the first LH middle C, through measure 2, including the right hand treble A. After you’ve developed flow playing the same music these two different ways, add the elements together, attempting to keep the same flow in each line.
- Developmentally, this piece is a step in developing the cross-hand skills that will be important to have in Baroque polyphonic music that requires the hands to work together to create and shape individual musical lines.
- Through the Ivy Gate encourages heartfelt playing as the tune and accompaniment meander together. I hope you enjoy!
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