• Home
  • Bio
  • Teaching
    • Private Lessons
    • Group Study
    • Workshops
    • Recommended Repertoire
  • Performing
  • Writing
  • Fischer Family Jazz
  • Store
  • Scheduling
  • Contact Us
  Piano Inspirations

The update

Piano Fun for Kids! A new way to introduce children to the piano

8/14/2019

 
Picture
There are many choices for a teacher to use when introducing a child to the piano. Some have been used and proven for decades. Some concepts just continue to work from year to year. The most respected methods have continued to adjust and develop their method to reach each generation of children. 

Piano Fun for Kids is yet another way to introduce children to the piano. While some children have a piano at home waiting for them to learn, other families are concerned about purchasing a costly instrument only to find their child has lost interested in a half of a year. Often times, they settle for a second-rate digital instrument or worse yet, an untunable cheap instrument they found online. 

Piano Fun for Kids is about introducing the piano in a fun and enjoyable way even if the child does not have an instrument to practice. The end-goal is to help a child discover a love for music-making and a love for the piano and giving the parent confidence and even assistance in their musical instrument investment.

Piano Fun for Kids is designed to be a group experience. Classes are high-energy and the songs the children play are accompanied with fun accompaniment tracks. Six-week mini-semesters are purposefully designed to be to allow the child and family to make small achievable commitments. Each semester only has one book to work through so instead of purchasing four books as most piano methods require upfront, the family only invests in one book at a time. Each book comes with the same accompaniment tracks we use in class so the student can practice with them developing their rhythmic understanding and simply making piano playing fun.

After four mini-semesters of Piano Fun for Kids, the student is well-prepared to continue in piano privately or they may choose to move on to another instrument and the strong musical foundation they have developed in Piano Fun for Kids will help them achieve.

Piano Fun for Kids classes are offered at the Wausau Conservatory of Music in Wausau, Wisconsin and the curriculum is available to any teacher who wants to utilize it for their own group piano classes.

For more information visit http://www.fischermusic.com/store.html or contact us at: ​http://www.fischermusic.com/contact-us.html

Piano Fun for Kids

6/28/2019

 
Picture
Over the years I've taught piano, the lesson I've personally learned over and over is that "one size doesn't fit all." Students are different. Interests change. Students of today have a different learning style from the students I taught when I first left college. While the piano method I taught from at that time is still a good option for teachers, I no longer teach that method. In fact, I don't even teach from the method I used after that!

I'm particular as I choose resources for my students. I have learned that the resources I choose play a very significant role in the success of my teaching.

When I started to teach Recreational Music Making group piano classes, I quickly identified a set of resources that work wonderfully for adults. The adults love them and I will continue to use them. But, I was disappointed in the options for children. There were some standouts. I tried one which did not work for the classes I taught. I reviewed several other options including adapting private-lesson curriculum and even adapting adult curriculum, but I did not find a resource that would engage children at their level, keep their interest, be fun, and allow a student to learn and progress, yet creating a learning environment that was built on the purposes of Recreational Music Making. 

I wanted a resource that provided a strong foundation for reading music notation, yet would take a young student to that point in an enjoyable way. I wanted a resource that would challenge the student to improvise and create. I wanted a resource that would challenge the student to listen to the music around them. I wanted a resource that would build a strong rhythmic foundation and challenge the student to read and play from chord notation. I wanted a resource that would give a student a vision for all the possibilities playing music on the piano gives them including musical opportunities in school, building a strong foundation to transfer to other instruments, and creating a music lover. On top of all that, I wanted a resource that would allow a student to have a productive mini-semester or two of piano lessons even if they didn't have an instrument at home. One that acknowledged that as a possibility and provided assignment options that could be done without an instrument in addition to assignment options that required a piano or keyboard. Think of the mistakes that could be avoided by parents who rush purchase an inferior instrument so their child can simply start lessons rather than being able to advise them in making a great instrument choice as their child is already learning and developing a love for making music. 

​Piano Fun for Kids is specifically designed for group lessons. As a distinction from private lessons where most of the student's progress takes place through regular practice at home, in Piano Fun for Kids, most of the student's progress and development takes place within the class. Lessons are short and engaging. Songs are performed together as a class with great accompaniment tracks and these tracks are available for the student to use at home if they wish. The curriculum can be used in private lessons, but it is designed for Recreational Music Making group lessons. There are a total of 8 mini-levels, each takes six-weeks to complete. In most cases, this would be a two-year progression of study.  At any time, a student would be able to easily transition into private lessons and after completing the two-year progression, the student would be at a level of expertise where private lessons would be more beneficial than further class study.

The pilot program for Piano Fun for Kids will be offered beginning in the fall semester of 2019 at Wausau Conservatory of Music. A 3-week introductory program called Piano Fun for Kids-Explorers is being offered multiple times during the summer of 2019 as a way to test portions of the curriculum in a class setting and to allow students to try a piano class at no obligation. Families in the Wausau area can sign up for the free classes by clicking here. To sign up for the first level beginning this September, contact the Wausau Conservatory of Music.

Accompaniment Repertoire 2018-2019 School Year

5/15/2019

 
As the school year comes to a close, I really love to look back on all of the opportunities I had to collaborate with students, professors, and others professionals over the past weeks and months. In each case, there are the great memories of performing a piece and of course the journey to get there. Sometimes that journey is easier than others, but it always results in a learning experience and I believe in every case, a great feeling of accomplishment for both the soloist and myself as the collaborator. This list is not exhaustive, and I'm sure I forgot about a few wonderful pieces we performed along the way. I also did not include performances with choirs, vocal jazz ensembles, instrumental jazz ensembles, Southern Gospel groups, or music from church services. In addition, I didn't include the repertoire from a CD I recorded and released this year. Yes, it has been a busy and productive two semesters!
Trombone
A Caged Bird - Barbara York
Ballade - Bozza
Concertino - David
Concertino - Ernst Sachse
Fantasie - Sigismond Stojowski
Concerto No. 2 - Eugene Reiche

Tuba
Andante and Rondo - Capuzzi
Concerto - Gregson
Ordner Seg - Baadsvik

Clarinet
Aria - Bozza
Consolations - Liszt/Fischer
Fantasie Pieces - Schumann
Five Bagatelles - Finzi
Little Suite - Bolcom
Now Thank We All Our God - Fischer
Petite Piece - Quet
Six Studies - Vaughan Williams
Sonata - Poulenc

Violin
Bourree - Bach
Concertino in D - Rieding
Concerto in Bb - Boccherini
Concerto No. 4 - Vieuxtemps
Csardas - Monti
Meditation from Thais - Massenet
Sonata in G Minor - Eccles

Trumpet
A Hymn For The Lost and the Living - Ewazen
Carnival of Venice - Clarke
Concert Etude - Goedicke
Concerto - Arutunian
Concerto for Trumpet - Bohme
Concerto in Eb - Haydn
Petite Concertante - Balay
Preludes - Gershwin
Rondo Capriccio - Snell

Oboe
Homage to Hafiz - Sargon
Rhapsody - Jacob

Cello
Concert Piece - Dohnanyi
Concerto - Boccherini
Concerto #1 - Saint-Saens
Tarantella - Popper

Saxophone
Rhapsody - Waignein

Viola
Concerto in G Major - Telemann
Hungarian Dance No. 5 - Brahams


Vocal
A Boy LIke That and I Have a Love - Bernstein
Adieu - Faure
Ah! Je Vieux Vivre - Gounod
All Through the Night - Schram
Amerosi Miei Giorni - Donaudi
Angels Ever Bright and Fair - Handel
Aria Della Calunnia - Rossini
Ave, Maria - Saint Saens
Back to Before - Flaherty
Bright is the Ring of Words - Vaughan Williams
Burn - Miranda
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man - Rodgers and Hammerstein
Climbin' Up the Mountain - Simms
Close Every Door - Rice and Webber
Do You Love Me - Bock & Harnick
Donde Liete - Puccini
Duet - Delibes
Empty Chairs - Boubil, Kretzmer, Schonberg
Erlkonig - Goethe
Flight - Carnelia
Go Down Moses - Spiritual/Culli
Habanera - Bizet
I Have Confidence - Rodgers & Hammerstein
I Wish I Could Forget You - Sondheim
I've Never Been in Love Before - Loesser
Ici-bas! - Faure
If I Loved You - Rodgers and Hammerstein
Jiblko S Klina - Seifert
La Ci Darem La Mano - Mozart
Last Night, When I Returned - Rosser & Sohne
Le Secret - Faure
Loch Lomond - Deis
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen - Althouse
Not For the Life of Me - Tesori/Scanlan
O Del Mio Amato Ben - Donaudy
Popular - Schwartz
Prison - Faure
Sebben, Crudele - Caldara
Shenandoah - Trad/Walters
Silent Noon - Williams
Songs of the Wayfarer - Mahler
Stars - Boubil, Kretzmer, Schonberg
They Can't Take That Away from Me - Gershwin
Times are Hard for Dreamers - Messe
Un Moto Di Gioja - Mozart
Wind of the Western Sea - Peel
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again - Webber
Your Daddy's Son - Flaherty & Ahrens

Bass
Allegretto - Dragonetti
Sonata #1 - Scarlatti
Sonata in G Minor - Eccles

Bassoon
Andante & Hungarian Rondo - Weber
Concerto - Vivaldi

Marimba
Concerto - Rosauro

Accompaniment Repertoire 2017-2018 School Year

5/14/2018

Comments

 
Another enjoyable school year of accompanying some great repertoire.  Of course, there were many other great pieces that could be added to this list of solo repertoire with church, choral accompanying, Wisconsin Choral Directors Association performances, and jazz vocal ensembles. 
Cello
Suite for Cello & Jazz Piano Trio - Bolling
Concerto - Lalo

Clarinet
Sonata Op 167 - Saint-Saaens
Concertino - Tartini
Cantillene - Cahuzak
Concerto No. 3 - Stamitz
Sonata - Bernstein
​Solo de Concours - Mesager

​Flute
Prelude et Scherzo - Busser
Morocco - Giovannini
​Sonatina - Burton

French Horn
Concerto No. 2 - Mozart
Reveries - Glazunov
Concerto No. 1 - Strauss

Percussion
Afro Blue - Santamaria - Gary Burton
Marimba Concerto - Rosauro
​Jovial Jasper - G. H. Green

Saxophone
Reves d'Enfant - Bozza
Tone Studies - Maslanka
Lessons of the Sky - Rogers
Trombone
Concert Piece No. 5 - Blazewitch
Concerto - Grondahl
Sinfonia - Pergolesi
Nessun Dorma - Puccini
Concerto No. 3 - Mozart
Romance - Jorgensen
Sonatina - Serocki
​Sonata - Davison

Trumpet
Andante & Scherzo - Barat

​
Tuba
Concertpiece - Bowie
Concerto - Ewazen
Concerto - Arutiunian
Reflections on the Mississippi - Daugherty
​Concerto  -  D'Addona
Concerto - Gregson
​New Kid - Baadsvik

Violin
​Concerto No. 3 in G Major - Mozart

Vocal
An Die Musik - Schubert
Almost LIke Being in Love - Lerner & Loewe

Comments

Accompaniment Repertoire 2016-2017 School Year

7/5/2017

Comments

 
It is always fun to look back at pieces practiced and played during the last school year. Much of the instrumental repertoire is quite challenging to play, but I really enjoy accompanying students on this repertoire even though it takes me more time in preparation than vocal repertoire. This year, I had a good mix and looking back at these titles brings back some great memories of student performances throughout the year. I did not try to include choral accompaniments and that would add many more pieces to the list.  Only solo repertoire and one duet are included here.

Here is the 2016-2017 list:

Tuba

Beversdorf – Sonata for Tuba
Blazewitch – Concert Piece No. 5
Broughton – Tuba Sonata
Dworakivsky – Happy Days
Grant – Just a Thought
Haddad – Suite for Tuba
Kistler – Trilogy for Tuba
Lebedev – Concerto in One Movement
Marcello – Sonata in F
Marteau – Vivant
Pryor – Bluebells of Scotland
Puccini – Nessun Dorma
Teleman – Sonata in F Major
Teleman – Sonata in F Minor for Bassoon
Vaughan Williams – Six Studies in English Folksong

Horn

Danzi – Sonata for Horn
Strauss – Horn Concerto
Strauss – Nocturno

Sax

​Debussy – Rhapsody
Ewazen – Classical Concerto
Milhaud – Scaramouche 2 & 3
Pascal – Sonatine
Robert – Cadenze

Voice

​Bacon – So Bashfull
Barber – The Secrets of Old
Bellini – Malinconia, Ninfa Gentile
Bernstein – Who Am I
Bizet – L’Mour Est in Clear Rebelle (Carman)
Brahams – Wie Melodien Zieht es Mir
Brahms – Von Ewiger Liebe
Caldara – Come Raggio Di Sol
Carissimi – Vittoria, Vittoria
Conti/Marcello – Quella Fiamma
Copland – Ching-a-Ring Chaw
Debussy – Romance
Delibes - Ah! Ou va la jeune indoue (The Bell Aria)
Dibdin- Blow High Blow Low
Donaudy – Vaghissima Sembianza
Duke – There Will Be Stars
Fraser-Simson – Christopher Robin
Gershwin – Blah, Blah, Blah
Hahn – L’Heure Exquise
Hahn – Si Mes Vers Avaient Des Ailes
Hall – Sylables… Sentences
Handel – Ombra Mau Fu
Harty – A Lullaby
Ives – In the Alley
Lerner & Loewe – Almost Like Being in Love
Macleod/Edwards – Skye Boat Song
Mendelssohn – Minneleid
Menotti – All That Gold
Merill/Styne – Don’t Rain on My Parade
Mozart – Batti, Batti O Bel Masetto
Mozart – Smanie Implacbilli
Mozart – Un Moto Di Gioia
Niles – Black is the Color
Niles – I Wonder as I Wander
Puccini – O Mio Babbino Caro
Purcell – Music for Awhile (Oedipus)
Rachmaninoff – Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14
Rich – American Lullaby
Roy – This Little Rose
Sarti – Lungi Caro Bene
Schubert – An Die Musik
Schubert – Nacht und Traume
Schumann – Widmung
Unknown – Star Vicciano
Vaughan Williams – Bright is the Ring of Words
Vaughan-Williams – Whither Must I Wander
Wilson – False Phillis

Trombone

​Barat – Andante et Allegro
Capuzzi – Andante and Rondo
David – Concertino
Ewazen – Sonata for Trombone
Ferro – Midnight
Galliard Sonata No. 1
Grondahl – Concerto
Guilmant – Concertpiece
Hindemith –Sonata for Trombone
Holmes – Lento
Jorgensen – Romance
Rimsky-Korsakov – Trombone Concerto
Saint Saens – Cavatine
Serocki – Trombone Sonatina
Wagenseil – Alto Trombone Concerto
Wilder – Sonata No. 1

Clarinet

​Bax – Sonata for Clarinet
Copland – Concerto  for Clarinet
Finzi – Concerto
Franklin – Light Never Fades
Grovlez – Lamento et Tarentelle
Kohan – Konzertstuck a la Feldman (Duet)
Quet – Petite Piece
Rossini – Introduction, Theme & Variations
Stamitz – Concerto in Bb Major
Stanford – Sonata Op 129

Vibraphone

​Burton/Ozone – Afro Blue
Comments

Accompaniment Repertoire 2015-2016

6/15/2016

Comments

 
The past school year has been a great year of accompaniment repertoire for me. I've been able to be stretched by some very difficult pieces, brushed the dust off of some "oldies" I haven't played for awhile and learned several new pieces. 

The following is a list that I'm sure is not complete, but highlights many of the instrumental accompaniments I performed either in recital or audition this year.
  • Clarinet
    • Chanson Francaise - Fischer
    • 3 Intermezzi Op 13 - Stanford
    • Sonata Op. 120 No. 1 in F Min - Brahms
    • Concerto Op. 107 K 132 in A (Tposed to Bb) - Mozart
  • Saxophone
    • Classical Concerto - Ewazen
    • Divertimento - Boutry
    • Song Without Words - Mendelssohn
  • Flute
    • Sonata in F - Teleman
  • Trumpet
    • Concert Etude - Goedicke
    • Sonata - Kennan
    • Concerto - Hummel
    • Carnival of Venice - Arban
    • Petite Piece Concertante - Balay
    • Concerto - Arutunian
    • Suite for Trumpet - Gibbons
  • French Horn
    • Valse Triste - Gliere
    • Romance Op 35 No 6 - Gliere
    • Concerto No. 3 - Mozart
    • Concerto No. 1 - Strauss
  • Euphonium
    • Bride of the Waves - Clarke
    • Romanza - Weber
    • Beautiful Colorado - Luca
    • Midnight Euphonium - Richards
    • Rhapsody for Euphonium - Curnow
  • Tuba
    • Concerto - Gregson
    • Sonata - Hindemith
    • Concerto Allegro - Lebedev
    • Concert Piece - Vaughn
    • Suite for Tuba - Haddad
  • Trombone
    • Concerto for Tuba or Bass Trombone - Ewazen
    • Piece - Ropartz
    • Vocalise - Rachmaninoff
    • Romance - Jorgensen
    • Concertino - Larsson
    • Romanza - Weber
    • Trombone Concerto - Jacob
    • Cavatine - Saint Saens
    • Morceau Symphonique - Dobrinescu
    • Blue Bells of Scotland - Pryor
    • Andante and Allegro - Barat
    • Trombone Concerto - Meij
    • Nessun Dorma - Puccini
    • Prelude No. 2 - Gershwin
    • Suite Pour Trombone - Jorgensen
    • Sonata #5 - Galliard
    • Daybreak - Ferro
    • Concertino - David
  • String Bass
    • Concerto No. 2 - Bottesini
    • Czardas - Monti
    • Sonata 1963 - Proto
  • Xylophone
    • Jovial Jasper
  • Vibraphone
    • Vibraphone Concerto - Rosauro
Oh yeah, there were several vocal and choral pieces as well as many jazz numbers that aren't on this list. What is next?? Now that that the school year is over, what am I practicing? I have two major projects started. One is the trombone sonata by Hindemith and the second is a work of short pieces composed by pop singer, Billy Joel. Having tormented myself with the Hindemith Tuba Sonata last year, I'm sure the Hindemith Trombone Sonata will take up most my time. I'll share more about the Billy Joel pieces later. 
Picture
​

Comments

Recent Projects: Bandstock - Wavin' Flag

10/8/2015

Comments

 
Wausau West High School Band presented the very first Bandstock in fall of 2009. Inspired by the UW-Madison Varsity Band Concerts, this was to be a concert opportunity for the band program to reach out to the community, encourage band musicians and recruit future band members. The closer for this year's concert was Wavin' Flag by K'naan. This is one of six arrangements I wrote for the concert this year.  The custom wind, string, and vocal parts enhance and support the professional rock band musicians and vocals. This was written for full marching band, strings, and choir. We even added some "island street-band" trumpet licks to top it off featuring our guest soloist. It was a great way to end a very moving concert.
Comments

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Christian
    Classical
    Features
    FischerMusic
    Great Pianists
    Inspiration
    Jazz
    Performance
    Practice
    Recent Projects
    RMM
    Skills

    RSS Feed

Piano Inspirations: Moved by the art of playing the piano...


Home
The Update
Musicianship
My Music
Publications
Contact
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Teaching
    • Private Lessons
    • Group Study
    • Workshops
    • Recommended Repertoire
  • Performing
  • Writing
  • Fischer Family Jazz
  • Store
  • Scheduling
  • Contact Us