Some Little Peppers Secrets - Faber Music · It’s important to say that the Little Peppers ......
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Some Little Peppers Secrets Meet Elissa Milne, one of the liveliest new voices in educational piano music Elissa Milne is one of Australia’s leading composers and teachers and regularly leads workshops on contemporary approaches to piano teaching and educational repertoire. She started composing at the age of six and then went on to study composition at the University of Auckland and performance studies and education at the University of Sydney whilst developing her teaching career. Elissa has written over 100 educational piano pieces, several of which have been set on the Trinity College London and Australian Music Examination Board piano syllabuses. Faber Music is proud to have recently published her Little Peppers series of piano pieces. Introducing a range of keys, rhythms and performance techniques, the pedagogy is carefully disguised by jazzy rhythms, fun melodies and quirky moments of cool. Launched in the UK in 2004, Elissa’s music has already attracted huge interest, particularly for her use of popular styles with an original twist supported by her sound approach to teaching. Here Elissa introduces Little Peppers and the inspiration behind the music. The inspiration for the Little Peppers pieces came when my young students were jealous of their older brothers and sisters who were performing more difficult compositions from my Pepperbox Jazz books (around Grade 4 standard). An 8-year-old student looked at me sadly one day and said, ‘when are you going to write something I can play?’ I realised that very few people were writing jazz-inflected or jazz influenced music at this very easy level. Knowing how much my youngest pupils enjoyed playing in this style I started to redress the balance and started composing! The first goal was to write cool-sounding pieces for my students to play in public performances, but I found that all my pieces ended up being so useful for teaching contemporary techniques of piano playing that I began to think more systematically about what I’d like my students to be able to do by the time they reached an intermediate standard. Once the title Little Peppers came to me, my small educational piano music project began to expand…. The Little Peppers series was designed to provide great performance repertoire for beginners whilst also introducing twenty-first century performance techniques and skills. Each piece has a specific educational goal but it’s just as important that the music allows young pianists to sound grown up and expert right from their earliest performances. So there are pieces where tonal balance is developed, others where various syncopated rhythms are mastered, and others where students perfect contrasting articulations, complicated hand co-ordination or a more sophisticated pedalling technique. There are pieces in all kinds of forms, in all kinds of key signatures and time signatures, and representing many different styles. And the Little Peppers pieces are also designed to act as a springboard for students’ own creativity! I’m very keen on students being allowed and encouraged to play with the music they are playing, and in the Guided Tour of the Little Peppers I’ve included many creative activities I use with my students to do just that. The Guided Tour includes teaching suggestions, notes on structure or harmonic language, follow-up activities, and a CD of me playing every single one of the pieces in all five Little Peppers books (I had to practice!). I’m a very instinctive composer, and I have to confess that I’ve never set out to compose a particular style of piece. I’ve been very amused to have my musician friends congratulate me on writing such a great tango, for instance, and it’s honestly the first time I’ve noticed that that piece was a tango! What I do think about are things like the size of 8-year-old hands and the physical challenges of a musical gesture. Sometimes what is hard to read is actually easy to play (and vice versa). I write knowing what children can do rather than getting bogged down with worrying about what they can read. FEATURE “Elissa Milne’s Little Peppers series makes for fascinating playing; the pieces explode in interest and harmonic colour. There is a streak of originality and freshness to Elissa’s writing that shows imagination and real understanding of what entices young players.” Anthony Williams Head of Keyboard and Assistant Director of Music at Radley College; co-author of ‘Teaching Notes’ for the ABRSM piano syllabus. 14 Photo credit: Ed Hughes
Transcript of Some Little Peppers Secrets - Faber Music · It’s important to say that the Little Peppers ......
Some Little Peppers SecretsMeet Elissa Milne, one of the liveliest new voices in educational piano music
Elissa Milne is one of Australia’s leading composers and teachers and regularly leads workshops oncontemporary approaches to piano teaching and educational repertoire. She started composing at the age ofsix and then went on to study composition at the University of Auckland and performance studies andeducation at the University of Sydney whilst developing her teaching career. Elissa has written over 100educational piano pieces, several of which have been set on the Trinity College London and Australian MusicExamination Board piano syllabuses. Faber Music is proud to have recently published her Little Peppersseries of piano pieces. Introducing a range of keys, rhythms and performance techniques, the pedagogy iscarefully disguised by jazzy rhythms, fun melodies and quirky moments of cool. Launched in the UK in 2004,Elissa’s music has already attracted huge interest, particularly for her use of popular styles with an originaltwist supported by her sound approach to teaching. Here Elissa introduces Little Peppers and the inspirationbehind the music.
I also think about the musical soundsstudents discover in their everyday lives, andI think about ways of helping students createthose sounds for themselves. I think aboutthe ways children explore the piano, how the pedal and the black notes seem like the keys to the adult world of music-making,and about how exciting it is to play notes at the very top and very bottom of the keyboard.
Naming a piece takes about three times aslong as composing it! My family and friendsare all dragged into the process, and lists ofassociations are made and discussed untilfinally the perfect title suggests itself.
Lots of the titles are words or phrases thatoriginate in Australia or New Zealand. NoWorries is a phrase Kiwis and Aussies usevery frequently, and the word Larrikin occursin the Sydney Morning Herald nearly everyday – being a larrikin is highly approved of inthis part of the world. And then there are theechidnas, brolgas, bandicoots, cockatoos,lizards and mozzies.
It’s important to say that the Little Peppersare also the product of my mother’s ideasand promptings. She has been teaching thepiano since before I was born, and so shehas a wealth of experience that I have beenshameless in exploiting. She has returnedthe favour by occasionally demanding thatspecific musical elements should be cateredfor in the Little Peppers series. GroovyMovie, for instance, would never have beencomposed, because I think that 6/8 is justsuch a boring time signature. ‘Well, I guess
it’s probably too hard for you to make 6/8interesting’ was my mother’s response, andof course, 20 minutes later Groovy Moviewas ready for her next student to learn.
The tickiest part of writing the Little Peppersbooks was completing the five versions ofPeas in a Pod. Each segment follows thesame harmonic sequence, and eachsegment has to be different from each of theothers, interesting in its own right, and workin a sequence at the correct level for eachbook. I wrote about 65 different segmentsand then selected my favourites to jigsawtogether into each of the five Peas in a Pod.These are fun to play, fun to play along withother pianists, fun to rearrange into your ownnew version – rather less interesting tocompose! (But well worth the effort!).
Finally, the last little secret about the LittlePeppers is that my friends think my musicsounds just like me. I’m not quite sure whatthat means, but if you like the jokes and the soulful tunes, the quirky rhythms andunexpected harmonies – I’m sure we’d soonend up friends!
“Her pieces suggest various styles; swing,blues, Latin American, ragtime etc withoutbeing too obvious. She uses these styleswith her own twist. Catchy titles and catchytunes nevertheless incorporate necessarytechniques such as scales, chromaticscales, passages of thirds, without the pupilnoticing, rather than having to plod throughboring studies. Most impressive is Very EasyLittle Peppers for those below grade 1. Thisformat of a mix of styles has been welldeveloped for the higher grades, but veryfew books manage to make such simplemusic sound as interesting as Milne does”.
EPTA January 2005
“Each volume ends with Peas in a Pod, acollection of 8 equal length pieces to beplayed in any order, or to mix and match andplay at the same time with as many people asone can get on the piano or more realistically,on electronic keyboards. Great fun!”
EPTA January 2005
“I like Milne’s 21st century thinking,presentation and material”
Piano, November 2004
Elissa has written two new Peas in the Podsegments specially for Pianofforte readers –see page page x
The inspiration for the Little Peppers piecescame when my young students were jealousof their older brothers and sisters who wereperforming more difficult compositions frommy Pepperbox Jazz books (around Grade 4standard). An 8-year-old student looked atme sadly one day and said, ‘when are yougoing to write something I can play?’ Irealised that very few people were writing
jazz-inflected or jazz influenced music atthis very easy level.
Knowing how muchmy youngest
pupils
enjoyed playing in this style I started toredress the balance and started composing!
The first goal was to write cool-soundingpieces for my students to play in publicperformances, but I found that all my piecesended up being so useful for teachingcontemporary techniques of piano playingthat I began to think more systematicallyabout what I’d like my students to be able to do by the time they reached anintermediate standard.
Once the title Little Peppers came to me, mysmall educational piano music project beganto expand….
The Little Peppers series was designed toprovide great performance repertoire forbeginners whilst also introducing twenty-firstcentury performance techniques and skills.Each piece has a specific educational goalbut it’s just as important that the musicallows young pianists to sound grown upand expert right from their earliestperformances. So there are pieces wheretonal balance is developed, others wherevarious syncopated rhythms are mastered,and others where students perfectcontrasting articulations, complicated handco-ordination or a more sophisticatedpedalling technique. There are pieces in allkinds of forms, in all kinds of key signaturesand time signatures, and representing manydifferent styles.
And the Little Peppers pieces are alsodesigned to act as a springboard forstudents’ own creativity! I’m very keen onstudents being allowed and encouraged toplay with the music they are playing, and inthe Guided Tour of the Little Peppers I’veincluded many creative activities I use withmy students to do just that. The Guided Tourincludes teaching suggestions, notes onstructure or harmonic language, follow-upactivities, and a CD of me playing everysingle one of the pieces in all five LittlePeppers books (I had to practice!).
I’m a very instinctive composer, and I haveto confess that I’ve never set out tocompose a particular style of piece. I’vebeen very amused to have my musicianfriends congratulate me on writing such agreat tango, for instance, and it’s honestlythe first time I’ve noticed that that piece was a tango!
What I do think about are things like the size of 8-year-old hands and the physicalchallenges of a musical gesture. Sometimeswhat is hard to read is actually easy to play(and vice versa). I write knowing whatchildren can do rather than getting boggeddown with worrying about what they can read.
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FEAT
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FEATU
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“Elissa Milne’s LittlePeppers series makesfor fascinating playing;the pieces explode ininterest and harmoniccolour. There is a streakof originality andfreshness to Elissa’swriting that showsimagination and realunderstanding of whatentices young players.”
Anthony WilliamsHead of Keyboard and Assistant Director of Music at Radley College; co-author of ‘Teaching Notes’ for theABRSM piano syllabus.
Little PeppersA vibrant collection of jazz miniaturesthat introduce a range of keys, rhythmsand techniques through innovative,attractive and carefully gradedperformance pieces. Composedespecially for pianists, the series will take the young player from the absolutebeginner stage up to grade 5. These tiny moments of cool will delight bothplayers and audiences alike!
Very Easy Little Peppers (grades 0-1)
0-571-52312-9 £6.50Easy Little Peppers (grades 1-2)
0-571-52313-7 £6.50Little Peppers (grades 2-3)
0-571-52293-9 £6.50More Little Peppers (grades 3-4)
0-571-52314-5 £6.50Even More Little Peppers (grades 4-5)
0-571-52315-3 £6.50Guided tour of the Little Peppers (with CD)
0-571-52332-3 £6.50
Pepperbox Jazz 1 (c. grade 4-5)0-571-52371-4 Summer 2005 £6.95Pepperbox Jazz 2 (c. grade 5-7)0-571-52372-2 Summer 2005 £6.95
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Photo credit: Ed Hughes
