2

Florence Price was a composer, pianist, and teacher and was the first African-American woman to have a composition

performed by a major symphony orchestra. She was born on April 9, 1887 in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Her maiden name was Florence Beatrice Smith.) Her father was a dentist, and her mother was a music teacher who gave her daughter piano lessons beginning at a very young age. She gave her first piano perform-ance when she was only 4 years old. A Very Good Student

Her interest in composing began early as well. By the age of 11, she published her first composition. She was apparently a good stu-dent in school and graduated valedictorian (top) of her class when she was 14.

She then went on to attend the New England Conservatory, a famous music school, where she studied piano, organ, theory, and composition. One of her compo sition teachers

was George Chadwick, a famous American composer. While she was there, she wrote a symphony and a string trio. Price graduated with honors, and later studied music further at the Chicago Musical College and the American Conservatory of Music. A Move to Chicago

After graduation she was a music teacher in Georgia and Atlanta and married Thomas Price, who was a lawyer. To escape racial dis-crimination, they moved to Chicago in 1927. This turned out to be good for her career, although she divorced her husband a few years later and had to support her two daughters alone. She studied composition with some excellent teachers in Chicago and met other musicians and artists who helped her career. To earn money, she worked as an organist, playing music for silent films and also wrote songs for radio commercials. Success!

In 1928 she won a prize for her piano piece At the Cotton Gin. Encouraged by this, Price composed more pieces. Several years later, while recovering from a broken foot, Price composed a symphony that was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Frederick Stock, at the Chicago World Fair in 1933. This gave Price national fame.

Other orchestras soon performed her works. She wrote three piano concertos and soloed with the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies, playing her Piano Concerto in One Movement. She also won prizes in competitions for several other solo piano compositions. Her Compositions

Price wrote over 100 works, including con-certos, 4 symphonies, many piano and organ pieces, and music for radio ads, but her vocal pieces are the most famous today. Her songs have been performed and recorded by famous singers including Marian Anderson, Blanche Thebom, and Leontyne Price.

American Composer and Pianist

Florence Price

Florence Price Papers and Musical Scores, Special C

ollections, University of A

rkansas Libraries

1887-1953

3

Making the Most of Online Lessons

If you have been taking lessons remotely because of the health crisis, you are proba-bly very familiar with some of the difficul-

ties and frustrations of trying to learn piano from the screen. If you still have to continue lessons this way, see if you can make the expe-rience better with these suggestions: • Make sure you see your teacher’s hands and he or she can see yours. Positioning your device in the right spot at the right height and angle is crucial, and it may take time to find the best spot. You may have to use a music stand, a fold-able tray table, or another object to set the device on your side. Sometimes checking your-self in the camera is not enough – your teacher might not get the same picture that you see. Work with your teacher to find the best posi-tion for your device. Then set it up the same way, each time you tune in for a lesson.

Be sure to get everything ready well in advance of a lesson. You don’t want to waste time setting up equipment during your lesson.

• Use specific words when you ask your teacher questions. For example, if you don’t know which finger to use, instead of asking “how do you play this?” try, “with which finger do you play the C on beat 4 in measure 15?”

When something is difficult, try to figure out what exactly makes it hard. Is it the rhythm, the fingering, or maybe the dynamics? If you have questions during your practice between lessons, think ahead of time about what exact words you will use when asking the question.

Be sure to write questions down to make sure you don’t forget them.

If you can’t reach something, and your teacher can’t tell this from looking at the screen, describe the difficulty. • Listen carefully to everything your teacher says and plays. If you are unclear about what you heard, be honest about it and ask for a redo. (The screen makes it harder to see and hear clearly, so they will understand.) The internet connection sometimes plays tricks and things get muddled, time gets warped, and sound gets distorted. It is far better to ask a quick question to clarify something than to learn your music the wrong way for a whole week and then have to re-learn it the right way.

Write things down – either during the lesson or right after – so you remember what to work on.

• Ask your teacher if you could occasionally make videos for him or her. There are many details that are much clearer on a video recording than through an online meeting. Your teacher will be able to hear things like dynamics and steadiness of tempo much better on a recording than in a live online meeting.

Some teachers send students videos of the correct way to play a new passage. They can more easily maneuver the camera for a better angle to show fingerings or jumps. If you are learning something especially difficult, ask your teacher if he or she would be willing to make a short video of that spot.

Above all, the one ingredient that will help make your online lessons a success is patience!

Congratulations to everyone who participated. Your pieces were great! Hundreds of students sent in compositions about the Arctic and Antarctica with music about penguins, polar bears, walruses, and other animals as well as pieces about the polar landscapes and oceans! As always, it was difficult to pick just a few, but we are pleased to announce the 2020 winners.

10 and younger 11 and older

1st Place: A Polar Bear’s Lullaby by Beverly Horton, age 10 Teacher: Terry Doremus 2nd Place: The Arctic Fox by Maggie Miller, age 10 Teacher: Jessica Olson 3rd Place (tie): Arctic Waves by Jillian Williams, age 9 Teacher: Jessica Olson Tundra by Harry Graves, age 10 Teacher: Alison Siener Brown Honorable Mentions: Jumping Arctic Foxes

by David Beamer, age 9 Teacher: Barbara

Azevedo Cold and Beautiful by Marissa DiChiaro, age 10

Teacher: Mark Raimondi

1st Place: Lullaby of the Northern Lights by Colleen Leacock, age 16 Teacher: Lydia McCool 2nd Place: The Penguin Strut! by Elisa Lipkin, age 17 Teacher: Diana Wan 3rd Place (tie): Snowfall by Audrey Schultz, age 11 Teacher: Maggie Casey The Groovy Walrus by Ella Miller, age 13 Teacher Jessica Olson Honorable Mentions: Waltz of the Polar Bears by Eli Minasian, age 14 Teacher: Reese Ancheta Guided by the Northern Lights by Marina Prikis, age 17 Teacher: Nancy Osborne A Sled Dog’s Day Off by Shawn An, age 18 Teacher: Diane W. Higgins

More winning pieces will be printed in upcoming issues.

2020 Composition Contest Winners

The Polar Regions

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Beverly Horton is 10 years old and lives in Mississipi. Her teacher is Terry Doremus.

“In this song, a mother bear and her cubs are drifting off to sleep at the sound

of a lullaby. All of a sudden, the mother is startled to find one of her cubs is not in his spot between his sister and brother. She looks around and is relieved to find him playing a few feet away. Soon, the peaceful lullaby rocks her back into a deep sleep.”

Younger Division

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Colleen Leacock is 16 years old and lives in California. Her teacher is Lydia McCool.

“I think one of the coolest things about the Arctic is the occurrence of a phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights. I have always imagined the Northern

Lights as having a mysterious, dream-like quality to them, and my lack of understanding or expe-rience with the phenomenon only adds to its air of magic. I imagine gazing up at the nighttime sky and seeing the vibrant colors ebb and flow, fading in and out of consciousness until I no longer know whether I am dreaming. This is what I wanted to capture in my music – the brilliance, the mystery, and the smooth, flowing quality that pertains both to the Aurora and to dreams.”

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The piccolo is a high-pitched woodwind instrument and a member of the flute family. A piccolo is about half the size of

a flute and plays an octave higher. Most piccolos are made from wood or metal. Like the flute, modern piccolos have keys to change notes.

The lowest notes on a piccolo have a sweet, soft sound. Hector Berlioz was especially fond of the piccolo’s lower notes, saying the instrument had “a very happy effect in soft passages.” The instrument’s highest notes are piercing and can be heard over an entire orchestra or band. Many piccolo players practice with an earplug in their right ear to avoid damaging their hearing.

The piccolo is used frequently in orchestras and bands. The first orchestral composition with a part for piccolo is George Frideric Handel’s Rinaldo, written in 1711. Beethoven used the instrument in his 5th, 6th, and 9th Symphonies. Some of the largest orchestral works, such as Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Gustav Holst’s The Planets, use two piccolos.

Piccolos were used in military bands in the past because the sound projects so well. The pic-colo’s piercing sound that allows it to be easily heard made it popular in dance halls in the 19th century, and a number of composers wrote waltzes and polkas for the instrument. Eugene Damaré used the piccolo in his Wren Polka.

One of the most famous piccolo solos is from John Philip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever. It is typically played by just one piccoloist, but some bands will have multiple players play it at the same time. You can listen to it at www.peforkids.com.

The Piccolo

Piccolo music is written an octave lower than it sounds. Look at the piccolo range:

& ww

& ww

It is written like this but sounds like this

8

9

The most effective practice happens when you know exactly what you want to get out of it. This starts by

making a plan. It will usually be guided by your teacher’s assignment from the last les-son. You might have a certain section of a piece to master, another one to memorize, perhaps some scales to learn, and maybe some fingerings to change. Whatever you did at your lesson, your practice for the fol-lowing week will build on that. Start Right Away

Take a few minutes right after each lesson ends to make a plan for your practice sessions for the next week. Everything you played and talked about with your teacher is still fresh in your mind. If you wait until the next day or even longer to do this, you will probably forget some details.

Pick Your Route Write down a list of all your goals and

what your teacher expects, and then plan carefully how to accomplish them. This is like planning a route to go someplace. For example, if you want to walk to school or to a store, there might be many ways to get there. You have to choose the one that makes most sense. If you don’t, you might walk aimlessly and end up somewhere com-pletely different. There might be different reasons to pick one route over another. One might be the most direct, while another

goes by a park with a beautiful garden that you want to see.

In musical terms this means that your daily practice has to match your goals if you want to achieve them. One part of your practice plan might be to work on memorizing a piece very efficiently (like a direct route to the store), while another might focus on explor-ing the feelings and expressiveness of a work (walking by the garden). Of course, once you have a plan, you have to do the work to actu-ally get there! Break It Down into Small Parts

When you know exactly what your big goals are, break them up into small chunks (or mini goals) for each day. That way you will not be surprised and stressed out with a ton of work the day before your lesson.

For example, if your teacher is asking you to learn a new piece that has 32 measures, you may want to plan to learn a certain number of measures each day and leave a couple of days at the end of the week to practice playing through the whole piece. You might work on eight measures each day for four days in a row. Then on the fifth and sixth days, you play through the whole piece and fix any difficult parts that may still be a little rough.

If you do this kind of planning for each part of your lesson material, your practice each day will be organized and productive. You will see your progress and that will moti-vate you to work even harder the next week!

Be Flexible! Be ready to adjust your plan as you go

through the week. Sometimes, a section may take longer (or shorter) than you think it will to work on. You might even hit a roadblock, such as a rhythm or tricky fingering that you just can’t get. You might need to turn around and find a different way – or ask for directions by contacting your teacher!

Write It Down! Don’t try to keep your plan in your

head. Take the time to write it out neatly on paper or electronically. Whatever for-mat you prefer, make sure that you can have it easily available while you are practicing to refer to. You might want to block out time or make a list you can check off. Experiment with what works best for you.

Make a Plan

2,600 Days Grover Compton, adult, teacher Paulette Richards, ID 2,400 days Brooks Barron, 12, teacher Whitney Barron, TX Macey Barron, 10, teacher Whitney Barron, TX 2,200 Days Charles Wang, 11, teacher Jennifer Hung, CA 20th 100 Days (1,600+400) James Severn, 13, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA 1,900 Days Mary Eggers, 11, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ 19th 100 Days (1,200+700) Michael Taylor, 13, teacher Elizabeth Dewey, MN 1,800 Days Lauren Krage, 13, teacher Linda Apicella, OH 1,700 Days Patty Summers, adult, teacher Dorothy Mullikin, MO 1,600 Days Harshil Puvvadi, 10, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Anmy Paulino Collado, 13, teacher Julie Wegener, NY 16th 100 Days (1,100+500) Simon Gamble, 12, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA 1,500 Days Lila Adams, 10, teacher Ruth Greve, MN Sean Gardina, 15, teacher John Lucania, NJ Kyle Gardina, 17, teacher John Lucania, NJ Rogan Weed, 11, teacher Judy Stanley, OR Ittai Lowe, 8, teacher Sally Snyder, PA 1,300 Days Chloe Holbrook, 12, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Amina Suljevic, 10, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Brandon Torp, 15, teacher Linda Bryan, TX Ashlee Raddant,15, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI 1,200 Days Kate Houck, 11, teacher Dorothy Mullikin, MO Travis Barron, 7, teacher Whitney Barron, TX 1,100 Days Billy Kron, 13, teacher Wendy Moyer, MN Brighid Groom, 14, teacher Anita Grigsby, MO 11th 100 Days (400+300+100x4) Connor Duggan, 17, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH 1,000 Days Elina Maganito, 11, teacher Pearl Winsor, MT Maia Maganito, 8, teacher Pearl Winsor, MT Dean Frear, teacher John Ravert, PA Joshua Scota, 11, teacher Ruth Greene, SC

10th 100 Days (700+200+100) Vedha Sirimalla, 11, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH 10th 100 Days (200+800) Ethan Brown, 7, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH 10th 100 Days (100x2+800) Lily Brown, 9, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH 900 Days Harper Adams, 8, teacher Ruth Greve, MN Ethan Cannon-Ziolko, 10, teacher Sarah Bisceglia, OR 800 Days Charlotte Rabel, 8, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA 8th 100 Days (500+100+200) Janelle Snowden, 12, teacher Shelly Torossian, MI 8th 100 Days Joshua Hamilton, 16, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Anthony Phan, 12, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK 700 Days Gioia D’Arista, 10, teacher Miri Frenkel-Yacubovich, MD Olivia Chase, 8, teacher Paul Chase, MI Makenzie Smith, 12, teacher Anita Grigsby, MO Lillian Quigley, 10, teacher Anita Grigsby, MO Maksim Mindolin, 8, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ Sally Snyder, adult, teacher Cheryl Faul Braun, PA Delana Marsh, 9, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI 7th 100 Days (500+200) Jared Catalan, 12, teacher Julie Wegener, NY Evie Wells, 12, teacher Annalise Eccles, UT 600 Days Reese Anderson, 10, teacher Mary Dieker, IA Anton Koretskyy, 9, teacher Judy Stanley, OR Hunter Galkowski, 17, teacher Sally Snyder, PA Zack Miller, 11, teacher Louise Mann, WI 500 Days Presley Starck, 7, teacher Ruth Fleming, CO Sonoka Matsumoto, 8, teacher Emi Murata, IL Luke Quirion, 7, teacher Muriel Desrosiers, ME Jenna Crim, 15, teacher Cheryl Carter, MO Isaac Hiller, 9, teacher Bari Mort, NY Jeremy Tsau, 9, teacher Bari Mort, NY Simon Zhao, 11, teacher Sharon Stricklin, NC Bode Reay, 12, teacher Lorna Kujanpaa, UT Candace Taylor, 14, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA Kathlena Eilmes, 12, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA Julia Marsh, 11, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI 5th 100 Days (300+200) Nicholas Chen, 8, teacher Elaine Silbereis, CT Piper McComish, 10, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH

100-Day Challenge Winners Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

These students have completed 100 consecutive days of practice – or more! Start the challenge yourself and see your name in Piano Explorer and on our website at www.peforkids.com.

Full instructions can be found at www.peforkids.com/100-day-challenge10

5th 100 Days Aditi Jamkhande, 11, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH 400 Days Ally Fok, 7, teacher Carolyn Dorsey, MD Morgen Hammerschmidt, 13, teacher Mary Ann Percoco, MI Claire Natale, 7, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ Maeve Natale, 10, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ Willie Martinez, 11, teacher Colleen Ferron, TN Josiah Creviston, 9, teacher Tasha Locke, VA Sabreenah Vaughn, 12, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA Caleb Olatunji, 10, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI C.J. Nelson, 6, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI Stacy Miller, adult, teacher Louise Mann, WI 4th 100 Days (100+300) Deborah Rochon Alvarez, adult, teacher Judy Sullivan, NC 4th 100 Days (200+200) Geneviève Bernier, 11, teacher Rosanna Armstrong, NB, Canada 4th 100 Days Brooke Edwards, 9, teacher Bonnie Pausic, MD Daniel Gaona, 12, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Ashlyn Kratochvil, 15, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK 300 Days Susanna Gonnella, 10, teacher Muriel Desrosiers, ME Heather Gonnella, 7, teacher Muriel Desrosiers, ME Edward Wanger, 10, teacher Fern Davidson, MN Sinclair Dahl, 12, teacher Cheryl Carter, MO Aldin Suljevic, 6, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Inika Agrawal, 5, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ Alejandro Sharp, 7, teacher Amy Immerman, OH McClain Vaughn, 12, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA Nico Chen, 6, teacher Susanna Valleau, WA Michael Papadopoulos, 6, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI Harlow Hagen, 8, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI 3rd 100 Days Ella Booker, 10, teacher Bonnie Pausic, MD Gabriella Gallagher, 10, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Carleigh Markus, 11, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK 200 Days Matty Ho, 5, teacher Lisa Clutter, CA Gus Lund, 5, teacher Carol Jilling, CO Denise McConeghy, 7, teacher Tory Leviton, CO Claire Busing, 12, teacher Wendy Watkins, CO Maddie Fourman, 8, teacher Kristy Aiello, CT Ryan Kwak, 5, teacher is Marilyn Andersen, IL Christine Paryl, teacher, IL Gavin Gesinger, 6, teacher Rebecca Heerdt, MN Levi Crim, 9, teacher Cheryl Carter, MO Emika Nordstrom, 7, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Matthew Butler, 9, teacher Alison Siener Brown, NJ Samantha Sherer, 8, teacher Robin Helfner, NY Chloe Sherer, 7, teacher Robin Helfner, NY Lillian Jaho, 11, teacher Margaret Evans, NC Violette Teeple, 5, teacher Jenny Risner, OH Elizabeth Savron, 9, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Danny Mamchik, 10, teacher Cathy Thoma, OR Kaia Cundiff, 11, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA Allen Shepherd, 14, teacher Rita B. Gulliksen, VA

Georgette White, 11, teacher Marla Weed, WA MacKenzie White, 11, teacher Marla Weed, WA Shay Russon, 13, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Krew Russon, 11, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Ariana Till, 7, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Sebastian Till, 9, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Elena Till, 12, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Savannah Peterson, 12, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Maddie Bastian, 9, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Madelyn Stetich, 8, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Kaitlyn Stetich, 6, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Lucas Roberts, 8, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Grant Shinney, 10, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Oliva Lincoln, 9, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Brody Pierce, 11, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Addison Pierce, 13, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Eva Garriss, 8, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Mayar Aljaf, 11, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Levi Anobong, 9, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI Adalyn Barkley, 13, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI Addison Fischer, 11, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI Katie Goers, 11, teacher Barbara Erickson, WI Tristan Shymanski, 11, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI Gemma Gardow, 9, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI David Amadi, 6, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI Ryan Amadi, 8, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI Kendall Jean-Baptiste, 8, teacher Jeffrey Miller, WI 2nd 100 Days Amara Kennedy David, 8, teacher Marliese Mildenberger, CA Alexa Latzke, 13, teacher Kim Harris, CO Amanda Dasta, 10, teacher Kristy Aiello, CT Calvin Casavant, 12, teacher Kristy Aiello, CT Kayden Canzon, 9, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Stephanie Harter, 17, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Bethany Bailey, 12, teacher Paulette Richards, ID Rishi Kunaparaju, 10, teacher Carolyn Dorsey, MD Penny Patyk, 6, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Brian Montgomery, 8, teacher Mary Ann Guilkey, OH Alaina Montgomery, 10, teacher Mary Ann Guilkey, OH Cael Montgomery, 12, teacher Mary Ann Guilkey, OH Claire Toerner, 10, teacher Susan Carlock, OH Prabhav Rawal, 9, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Davida Zimmerman, 13, teacher Elsie Hochstedler, WI 100 Days Miranda Tate, 17, teacher Beth Seniva, AK Amber Plowman, 17, teacher Beth Seniva, AK Sarah Batz, 12, teacher Beth Seniva, AK Lily Slaugenhoup, 10, teacher Beth Seniva, AK Makenzi Grim, 15, teacher Hannah Wagar, AK Isaiah Boden, 13, teacher Hannah Wagar, AK Oliver Boden, 11, teacher Hannah Wagar, AK Xander Haemel, 9, teacher Marliese Mildenberger, CA Erica Nasby, 16, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Joseph Flores, 10, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Alex Flores, 12, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Emma Steinemann, 9, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Ashley Steinemann, 9, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Clare Steinemann, 11, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Annie Lawrence, 12, teacher Barbara Azevedo, CA Paige Unch, teacher Bonnie teVelde, CA Sofia Kuang, teacher Bonnie teVelde, CA Lillianna Curtis, teacher Bonnie teVelde, CA

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Abigail Unch, teacher Lori Silvestri, CA Wellington Tomerlin-Tu, 10, teacher Kathryn B. Hull, CA Sam Huddleston, 7, teacher Kristin Smith, CA Lee Huddleston, 9, teacher Kristin Smith, CA Rylee Follansbee, 7, teacher Kristin Smith, CA Lauren Fox, 12, teacher Kristin Smith, CA Margo Fox, 14, teacher Kristin Smith, CA Emmalise Latzke, 11, teacher Kim Harris, CO Ella Latzke, 8, teacher Kim Harris, CO Chelsea Pinon, 11, teacher Kim Harris, CO Makayla Pinon, 8, teacher Kim Harris, CO April Wang, 8, teacher Carolyn Beard, ID Jordyn Wilson, 11, teacher Carol Kwak, IL Miles Keller, 10, teacher Cathy Hohenstein, IL Daphne Keller, 8, teacher Cathy Hohenstein, IL Makayla Brueggerman, 10, teacher Patty Wise, IN Lydia Cooper, 13, teacher Virginia Grissom, FL Cody Montano, 9, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Pierson Montano, 7, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Mia Montano, 5, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Holly Taymon, 9, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Ciin San Lun, 9, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Kim Siam, 7, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Ella Hammett, 17, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Sydney Canzon, 5, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Lorelei Murray, 7, teacher Donna Dasher, GA Ashahli Edwards, 16, teacher Bonnie Pausic, MD Nathan Crownover, 10, teacher Lydia Balorda, MI Andrew Dormus, 9, teacher Lydia Balorda, MI Isabella Howard, 11, teacher Lydia Balorda, MI Madeline Okvist, 10, teacher Connie Siirila, MN Clare Okvist, 9, teacher Connie Siirila, MN George Okvist, 8, teacher Connie Siirila, MN Elizabeth Okvist, 7, teacher Connie Siirila, MN Jamie Mehltretter, 7, teacher Ruth Greve, MN Leon Paulson-Vu, 9, teacher Rebecca Heerdt, MN George Howard, 5, teacher Suzanne Greer, MN Teghan Runnels, 7, teacher Chery Carter, MO Camden Runnels, 9, teacher Cheryl Carter, MO McKinley Runnels, 12, teacher Cheryl Carter, MO Champion Tribble, 7, teacher Dorothy Mullikin, MO Forrest Doty, 9, teacher Dorothy Mullikin, MO Christy Barnes, adult, teacher Emily Parker, MO Nathan Sherwood, 9, teacher Jo Anne Westerheide, MO Calvin Coughlin, 7, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Katie Dixon, 13, teacher Jeanne Martin, NH Lily Eguchi, 4, teacher Pamela Weiler, NJ Max Lorenz, 7, teacher Svetlana Zelov, NJ Leyla Nurullayeva, 10, teacher Svetlana Zelov, NJ

Logan Decena, 9, teacher Robin Helfner, NY Charlie Ebach, 9, teacher Sandy Tibor, ND Aliza Hendrixson, 5, teacher Judy Bede, OH Alexa Melampy, 8, Jane Hergo Piano Studio, OH Ella Huffstutler, 13, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Penny Patyk, 6, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Samantha Poling, 8, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Nolan Ribic, 8, teacher Linda Apicella, OH Emily Wang, 7, teacher Susan Carlock, OH Elizabeth Crosley, 12, teacher Susan Carlock, OH Katy Williams, 16, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Hudson Graham, 10, teacher Jennifer Jennings, OK Madelyn Foundos, 8, teacher Stephanie Hermesmeyer, PA Grayson Brinkmeyer, 7, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Courtney Lilleker, 6, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Harper Scott, 13, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Kate Page, 9, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Penny Slagle, 7, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Tilly Slagle, 9, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Micah Field, 10, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Andrew Larkin, 13, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Vivien Lilleker, 8, teacher Cindy Hessong, TX Michael Montes, 9, teacher Steven Lent, TX Jonathan Montes, 10, teacher Steven Lent, TX Grant Jackson, 15, teacher Karen Zellers Sevier, TX Joy Chen, 9, teacher Michele Sheffield, TX Laney Heath, 8, Anne Hunter teacher, UT Charly Heath, 10, Anne Hunter teacher, UT Kiana Naderi, 11, teacher Donna Smith, UT Kensey Brown, 8, teacher Jolyn Goldade, VA Aberdeen Vaughn, 7, teacher Suzanne Krauss, VA Colette Sessions, 11, teacher CynDee Aerts, WA Patrick Malone, 8, teacher Davis Hill, WA Cameron Drake, 11, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Braden Drake, 13, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Wilson Bastian, 8, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Anna Bastian, 9, teacher Debbie Dean, WA Tyler Ortiz, 10, teacher Laurie Hyink, WA Dylan Ortiz, 13, teacher Laurie Hyink, WA Wyatt Youngman, 8, teacher Marla Weed, WA Gaia Elayadam, 10, teacher Susanna Valleau, WA Cambria Shirk, 8, teacher Elsie Hochstedler, WI Klaire Haas, gr. 4, teacher Gail Heywood, WI Emiliano Melendez, gr. 2, teacher Gail Heywood, WI Eli Swiontek, gr. 4, teacher Gail Heywood, WI Alexander Sheets, gr. 4, teacher Gail Heywood, WI Lilly Harger, gr. 4, teacher Gail Heywood, WI Oscar Chari, 9, teacher Edith Manyo, AB, Canada Clara Chari, 7, teacher Edith Manyo, AB, Canada

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If you are in the end stages of polishing a piece, a good way to check how well you actually know it is to record yourself. Whether you record video or audio, just turning on a recording device will make you feel like you are per-forming for someone. (You do not need fancy equipment. Just use a phone to record yourself.)

Under this kind of “pressure,” you will be able to see how well you really know the piece. You will be able to notice if there are weaker spots that still need some practice.

After you record the piece, go back and listen to it and mark down all the spots that you feel still need work. Work on those a bit more and try another recording!

You will also end up having some great footage of yourself playing – something that you can send to relatives far away or listen to in the future to see how much progress you have made!

Record Your Playing

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W A F O R T E O S T R N P C

A R E T C O N T W N A G R O

L L E D N A H G E W E B A N

T Y E L I E I S F O B E H S

Z Y I P I C C O L O R R S E

O N P A Z I N N A D I L P R

P O L K A R E G T W O I I V

M H N E G P E S A I L O C A

X P E Y A T P I Z N Y Z A T

C M C V U K C I W D A H C O

E Y O L O R C H E S T R A R

L S F W O T R E C N O C Z Y

S O U S A P O A H T F I F E

Word Search

Berlioz Chadwick concerto conservatory fifth flat

flute forte Handel key orchestra organ

piano piccolo polka Price sharp song

Sousa symphony waltz woodwind

1. How many keys are there on the piano? 2. How many 8th notes are in a whole note? 3. Who wrote Für Elise? 4. How many sharps are in a B major scale? 5. Who made the first piano? 6. What country was J.S. Bach from? 7. What does the word subito mean?

Music Trivia See how much you know by answering these questions. Then look up the answers to the ones you don’t know.

14

Word Search (page 9)

What Instrument (page 11) English Horn

Word Scramble (page 11) percussion, string, keyboard, brass, woodwind Answer: PIANO

Quiz (page 15) 1. C 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. B 6. E

How to Contact UsThe schedule of composers for next year will be posted on the website.

Subscription renewals, quantity changes, address changes: Phone: 888-446-6888 or 847-446-5000 Email: circulation@pianoexplorer.net Online store: magazine.theinstrumentalist.com 1838 Techny Court, Northbrook, IL 60062

Editorial comments or questions: email: editor@pianoexplorer.net 100 Days: Teachers please email # of days, student’s name, age, state, and your name to edi-tor@pianoexplorer.net. (Do not mail sheets.)

Piano Explorer website: www.peforkids.com New material for teachers and students will be posted by the start of each month as well as any announcements. Note: Music for Young Children (back cover) is an outside advertiser and cannot assist with Piano Explorer subscription questions.

May/June Puzzle Answers

A M I K R O K O S M O S

B M U H T V O D A N C E

E A I U Y B I F K M T Y

S L N N S T P O E N A E

T L D G H C E L L O V N

A E B A R T O K R I E O

B T E R A D P M S E N H

M C Z Y Y E E U A R I P

I J E V B K R S N U Y O

R K T I O N A I P N E L

A N O I S S U C R E P Y

M A N T S E P A D U B X

There is a fun way of practicing five-finger patterns that will take you around what musicians call The Circle of Fifths. The circle of fifths is a system of putting major and minor scales or keys in order according to how many sharps or flats they have. You always start at C and go to the next key by going up the interval of a perfect fifth.

To play these five-finger patterns, you do not actually have to memorize the order of the keys. The one thing you have to know is the pattern of whole and half steps between the five notes: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step (W W H W).

To play five-finger patterns around the cir-cle of fifths, start on C. When you are fin-ished playing that pattern, move your hands

to start on the highest note that you played in the C pattern: G. This is your starting note for the next five-finger pattern. Use the same distances between keys as you did for C: W, W, H, W.

What is your highest note in the G five-finger pattern? It is D, so that is your starting note for the next one! If you continue to do this, you will play through all the sharp keys first and make your way into flat keys.

Here are all the keys you will start from: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#/Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F.After F, you will be back at C!

This is a great way to get to know the five-finger patterns and learn the order of sharp keys. Notice that with this way of going around the circle of fifths, the flat keys are in reverse order – keys with most flats first, all the way to the key with just one flat. Challenge: Try to find all of the patterns by just using your ears, instead of looking for whole and half steps between the notes.

Five-Finger Patterns

& w w w w wW W WH

4 – Louis Armstrong (1900-1971) American jazz trumpeter

4 – Stephen Foster (1826-1864) American song composer

6 – Vladimir Ashkenazy (b. 1937) Russian-born pianist

7 – Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Austrian late-Romantic composer and conductor

7 – Gian Carlo Menotti (1911- 2007) Italian American opera composer

12 – Van Cliburn (1934-2013) American concert pianist

13 – Kathleen Battle (b. 1948) American opera singer (soprano)

22 – Claude Debussy (1862-1918) French composer

25 – Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American composer, pianist, and conductor

31 – Itzhak Perlman (b. 1945) Israeli-American violinist

July

August

1. Florence Price first took piano lessons fromher father.

a. trueb. false

2. Who was the famous composer who taughtFlorence Price composition?

a. George Chadwickb. George Washingtonc. J.S. Bachd. W.A. Mozart

3. The piccolo is _____ than the flute.a. smaller and lower in pitchb. bigger and higher in pitchc. smaller and higher in pitchd. bigger and lower in pitch

4. The piccolo is a brass instrument.a. trueb. false

5. Florence Price is most famous today for hermany symphonies.

a. trueb. false

6. When should you make a practice plan forthe next week?

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

7. Piccolos are made of _______.a. woodb. metalc. a and bd. neither

Ann Rohner Callis, editor; Ryan Callis, assistant editor;Malgorzata Bagley, consulting editor. ©2020 Piano Explorer Co., all rights reserved. None of the content may be duplicated or reprinted without advance written permission. Telephone: 888-446-6888 or 847-446-5000 or fax 847.446.6263 www.PEforkids.com, e-mail: circulation@pianoexplorer.net or editor@pianoexplorer.net. Clavier’s Piano Explorer, ISSN-0279-0858, Vol. 40, No. 10, is published monthly except June and August for $6 per student per year for 5 ormore copies, $12 each for less than 5 copies (Canada: groups $12 per student, regular $26; Other Foreign Delivery: groups $17 per student, regular $34) Periodicals postage paid at Northbrook, Illinois & add’l. mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Clavier’s Piano Explorer, 1838 Techny Court, Northbrook, IL 60062.

Happy Birthday

Quiz

17 – Peter Schickele (b. 1935) American composer and arranger, the inventor of P.D.Q. Bach

26 – Alexis Weissenberg (1929-2012) Bulgarian pianist

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