All those who love piano will want to pick up  Viviana Sofronitsky’s new Fortepiano recording entitled simply, Franz Schubert. The instrument is truly lovely (made by Paul McNulty) and the playing sensitive and full of surprises. Included are the Wanderer Fantasy and all of the Impromptus. Truly a delightful listen!

Dina Ugorskaja has issued a recording of two of Beethoven’s Sonatas, Op. 106 and 111. I have always been a fool for the late Beethoven Sonatas, and sure enough, the minute I began listening, I became totally immersed in another world. The performances are all at once exciting, evocative, and deeply personal.

Music Beat-Blox, from OddsandEndpins, just might be the ticket for teachers looking to solidify rhythmic concepts. The blox are designed so that only the correct numbers of beats may be placed together. The blox are appropriate for all ages and can be used individually or in groups. Even younger students learn intuitively once they understand what to do. Teachers in the US will need to adjust the language in the instruction leaflet from crochets and semi-quavers to quarter and eighth notes. I think both adults and children will absolutely love the feeling of the wooden tiles and teachers will love using them to create games and activities.

Joanne Haroutounian (founder of The MusicLink Foundation and Head of Piano Pedagogy at George Mason University) has published a comprehensive new pedagogy text, Fourth Finger on B-Flat: Effective Strategies for Teaching Piano. Included is a CD with materials and templates to aid in running an independent studio plus guides to learning styles and lesson structure. The book itself includes, an overview of our profession, studio development & organization, teaching and learning styles, musical talent, teaching adults, ways of knowing, practicing, technique, touch, style, theory & ear training, and much, much more. Every chapter contains resources for further discovery, questions for pondering, and tips from experienced teachers across the country. This book is very versatile and practical- a must for any teacher of piano, whether newbie or veteran.

If you are a church musician or teach students who play for services, check out Alfred’s series, What Praise Can I Play On Sunday?. Billed as an all in one resource of easily prepared pieces for the entire church year, there are six volumes in the series, two months in each volume. All the arrangements are late intermediate to early advanced and sound full and satisfying to the ear without being overly difficult.

Helen Marlais has released Grade 3 in her FJH series, Succeeding at the Piano. Again the books come with CD’s of string quartet accompaniments. The emphasis on technique and natural beats is continued from the earlier volumes. The repertoire is a combination of originals and arrangements of well known pieces which are truly appealing & enjoyable.

Got that global beat? Neeki Bey & Gail Fischler (yes, this would be the unashamed plug) are pleased as punch to introduce  Piano Accents: A World of Music for the Piano, Latin America Vol. 1 . Look for an announcement within the next 10 days. Arrangements of popular & folk tunes from Paraguay, Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, and Mexico, plus Oye Come Va, and original pieces inspired by music of the Andes are included. These arrangements range from approximately levels 2-3 and include downloadable full orchestrations for both practice and performance tempos. Practice suggestions, activities, and information about Latin American instruments are also included for extended learning. Adults and young people alike will enjoy these pieces. This book is not a uni-tasker (oh no, no, no). There are many opportunities for creativity and the pieces are also very appropriate for school and homeschool projects. Studying Brazil? Why not include a performance of Mas Que Nada in your project? How about the Andes? The 2 original pieces in Footsteps in the Andes are based on the tones of an ancient bone flute and the lively sounds of Siku (Pan) Pipes. As always, there is a Christmas piece included in the collection (this time from Argentina). You can check out excerpts on the Piano Accents page on Facebook.

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