One of the perks of having a blog is that people share cool stuff with you and then you get to share it with everybody else.  So, please enjoy this new edition of Great Finds!

bee webMusic Bee Club: Classical Music App for Children, Donna Weng Friedman

The first installment of the Music Bee Club, Flight of the Bumble Bee, is a charming story set to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov. Young children love to listen to the story and the music again and again, especially the part (spoiler alert!) where the little bee gets caught in the nasty spider’s web.

Donna Weng Friedman teaches piano at the Mannes College of Music and, together with her 16 year old daughter Mickey, has created a series of stories paired with famous classical pieces.  They have created a truly fun activity that children as young as a year old will love. Learners of all ages will find something they enjoy in the app- but they won’t know they are learning at all.

Children can watch the animation as they listen to the story and music, listen to only the music with the animation, paint and listen, or do a musical maze activity. Four to five year olds can do the maze activity fairly successfully. Before that you have to help them keep their finger from skipping.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the stories from Music Bee Club. The Swan featuring Carter Brey, principal cellist of the NY Philharmonic will launch later this fall, and will be premiered at Steinway Hall, NYC, with special performances by world class musicians and an interactive presentation of both apps.

The App is currently available in the iTunes Store

Leoš Janáček: The Piano,  Cathy Krier

You all already know I’m a sucker for the music of Janáček. I love the rhapsodic quality, the modal harmonies, the atmospheric repetitions, and the sound effects. Cathy Krier does not disappoint. I love the way she gives the music time to breathe when it needs to without compromising the frequent character changes. Here’s a video of Cathy talking about her interpretations.

The more well known of Janáček’s piano pieces, On An Overgrown Path, Sonata I.X., and In the Mists are here along with the less well known Ej Danaj!, Moravian Folksongs, Series II, Paralipomena, Miniatures, A Recollection, Variations for Zdenka, Album for Kamila Stösslová and Moravian Dances.

I enjoyed getting to know new parts of the literature. The Series II pieces are deep and mysterious and the Paralipomena are quite Schumanesque in places. It’s also completely awesome to hear Janáček’s voice develop in both the collection of Miniatures, which were written from the time he was in his early twenties until the year before his death at age 74, and, more globally, through all the works on the album, which span the years of 1877 to his death in 1928.

This album is truly a lovely gem.

HolidayIssue webPiano Bench Mag: Resources And Inspiration For Piano Teachers, Karen Gibson

This new piano eMagazine will be available this October through Apple’s Newsstand. Each issue will have a unique theme. The initial  issue focuses on holidays (not only Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day).

Karen aims to scour the internet for blogs with the best ideas related to each topic so that teachers will have one handy and valuable resource to go to for ideas on a particular topic (especially if they are short on time!) as well as working with contacts and resources that go beyond the blogs.

Over time, upcoming issues will cover topics such as apps and technology, technique, theory, games, summer camps, special needs students, learning styles, improv, advertising and marketing, and record keeping. There will be special columns in each issue too – one being an app review and another being a focus on a teacher created resource (guess who is featured in October’s issue?!?)

 The Signature Series, Paolo Pietropaolo (CBC Music)

Here’s a great series on the characters of key signatures. Meet G Minor The Contrarian, c minor The Tortured Genius, F# major The Mystic, Bb Major Nature Boy, and more! There are 5 more shows to come between now and October 21. All shows may be streamed for free.

The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff, Trevor & Andrea of Teach Piano Today

This is the most original, adorable, and totally pedagogically rock solid composing book for kids that I have come across in a long time. If you haven’t already checked it out please do so. It would make a great gift for birthdays or holidays too. It’s available as an eBook and you can print copies forever within the terms of the license.

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