Question: What are some “Tried and True” Student Saver pieces?
Thanks to our panel of pedagogues for their thoughts on this practical question: Linda Burns, Peggy L’Hoir, Robyn Rutherford, Lynette Sawatsky, and Laurel Teichroeb.
“Student Saver” pieces are actually “Teacher Savers” too. Sometimes you just need to grab a piece that you know the student will love. Something they can learn quickly. What are the key elements that make a piece fit well into this category. Any piece that has predictable patterns (for early learners especially) and is musically interesting qualifies! If it tells a story, that can go a long way in getting a student motivated to play it.
(Thanks to Lynette Sawatsky for this helpful preface).
Legend: (C) denotes Canadian Composer, (S) denotes Saskatchewan Composer
Most Canadian and Saskatchewan composers can be easily contacted for insight and/or guidance. These interactions are invaluable to both teacher and student. Contact them and tell them how much you enjoy their music!
Beginner
(S) Beautiful Swan by Lynette Sawatsky (Waddle & Quack)
Can be taught by rote on the black keys. Kids find it so fun to use the pedal for a big full sound
Pedagogical tip: the triplet -quarter note pattern sings ‘beau-ti-ful swan’. Have a second student sway left to right and chant ‘swim-ing-swim-ing’ to the quarter note pulse
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLo1yJqtkoo
(S) Salt Water Taffy by Janet Gieck (Old Time Candy Shoppe)
Can be taught by rote on the black keys. The hands cross over each other. An excellent piece for keyboard geography
Pedagogical Tip: practise the motions on a soft blanket on the keyboard to introduce the gentle knocking fist motion on the two and three black keys, without being hesitant to ‘sting’ the hand
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npoDC5_Grps
(C) Pigs by Debra Wanless (from Country Characters)
Kids love the “oinks”.
Pedagogical tip: A lower keyboard piece that can be taught by rote to the early beginner.
(S) Little Gems by Wes Froese
Request from Wes at wwfroese@gmail.com for studio license.
These rote pieces use black keys and clusters.
Catchy tunes with words that are fun and imaginative
Pieces include; Cool & Hot, Really Quiet, Really Loud, Swinging, Dance in the Kitchen
Pedagogical Tip: use these for improv and creativity by using the whole keyboard, start in opposite hands, challenge the student to make mash-ups
Introductory
(S) Back and Forth by Lynette Sawatsky (from the Where I Belong)
Easy to teach by rote in the first year. Easy to learn ABA form on all black keys.
Pedagogical tip: show hand position and then teach by finger number. Students love adding the pedal to create a smooth sound.
Bonus: the optional teacher duet creates extra musicality and improves musicianship as students discover the joy of making music together.
Listen here: Solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBJFTjr5I1s
With duet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vix7Ve12-s
(S) Pepperoni Pizza by Lynette Sawatsky (from Pizza My Heart)
Kids love the musical story here which includes dialing the pizza shop, placing the order, waiting for the pizza, and having the pizza arrive.
Jagged dotted 8th note rhythms and unusual rest placements provide interest
Pedagogical tip: teach rhythms by speaking the story’s words.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSovQCOe5a0
Level 1
(C) March of the Terrible Trolls by Linda Niamath (from Soda Pop and Other Delights)
Kids love the visual the title suggests and enjoy playing at the lower end of the keyboard.
Pedagogical tip: Plenty of repetition that can easily be taught by rote.
(C) Robots by Anne Crosby (from In My Dreams)
Plenty of repetition that covers so much of the keyboard.
Easily learned by rote.
Pedagogical Tip: The contrary chromatic in the middle feels like such a big accomplishment but not that difficult to learn if you just show it to them.
Ferocious Lions by Chee-Hwa Tan (Circus Sonatinas)
The repeated fifths propel the music forward with a catchy ascending and descending line . The pieces is an excellent resource to teach wrist flexibility
Pedagogical Tip: it’s so much fun to stand to play the last fff chords!
Level 2
Turkish Bazaar by Mark Mrozinski (from Celebrate Piano! Lesson & Musicianship 4)
The chromatic runs are so much fun! Plenty of repetition.
It gives a great opportunity to tell a story.
Pedagogical tip: Easy to teach it more by keyboard geography than by note reading.
Etude in D Minor, Op. 82, No. 65 by Cornelius Gurlitt
Very catchy LH melody with some wonderfully low notes.
Pedagogical tip: Teach RH completely separately until the chord progressions are memorized, then play with the student, each playing one of the hands. They soon learn where to change the RH chords with this process.
Ecossaise in G Major WoO23 by Ludwig van Beethoven
LH broken chords are easy to learn and the broken staccato octaves are so much fun to play!
Pedagogical tip: With plenty of repetition, this becomes a substantial piece to learn without a lot of new material, just vary the dynamics.
(S) Card Houses by Janet Gieck (from Dances, Daydreams and Dinosaurs)
Impressive sounding contrary motion chromatic scales, with funky minor 2nd harmonies make this piece sound trickier than it is.
A great finger strengthener requiring good hand position and control of energy
Pedagogical tip: working the scalar passages while tapping the other hand releases tension for student and teacher. In the minor 2nd section, practice with your eyes closed to build confidence.
Level 3
(C) Intercity Stomp by Christopher Norton (Celebration Series, Perspectives Level 3 Etudes)
Catchy title, easy LH and great energy.
Pedagogical tip: Learn the rhythm by first having the student play the LH while you play the RH, slowly at first!
Musette in D BWV Anh. 126 attr. Johann Sebastian Bach
The LH octaves make such a fun accompaniment. There is a great amount of repetition. So much of it is based on a D major hand position so finding your way in and out of the leaps isn’t as hard as it looks.
Pedagogical tip: Teach the jumps first until they are mastered.
(C) The Castaway by Jen Smith Lanthier (from Animal Bus)
Emotional and showy, this piece brings out the sadness of being shipwrecked on a desert island. In the melancholy key of E minor, featuring impressionistic pedal, cross hands, a gorgeous LH melody and many repeated patterns, this piece is appealing to students at this level.
Pedagogical tip: Learn right hand intervals solid at first and note the minute changes. Focus on a feathery RH rocking wrist and left hand deep that sits deep into the key, Hands separate practice on this one cuts the learning time in half.
Level 4
(C) Rodeo by Fishel Pustilnik (from Northern Lights 4A)
If you liked the octaves in the Bach Musette in D Major, you will LOVE this one! The octave rhythmic ostinato that uses lots of the bass, drives from beginning to end. Rock rhythm and harmonies throughout. An ending that is surprising, het satisfying.
Pedagogical tip: investigate and identify how the patterns change ever so slightly. Work the ending early on in learning….the tricky rest at the end is a “must know.”
(S) Campers’ Lullaby by Lynette Sawatsky (from Crimson Maple)
Students will enjoy the familiar sounds of a lullaby as the campers retire for the evening in their tent. Before long, the first mosquito arrives, and the campers try desperately to find the pest and end it’s incessant buzzing.
Lots of easy chromatic passages with a syncopated LH pattern create energy and fun for this camping story that most Saskatchewan residents will be able to identify with!
Pedagogical tip: Play student/teacher LH/RH duets to allow student to quickly hear the whole piece. Very motivational! Be sure to switch parts to give student opportunity for success with both hands before assigning hands together practice.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3fRGD5ajKo
(C) Rock On! by Tyler Seidenberg (from Northern Lights 4A)
An ABA form that is extremely cool to play and listen to. Lots of Eb major primary chords and inversions in the right hand.
A driving left hand rhythm supports the syncopated right chords.
Pedagogical tip: Before learning, take a good look at the Eb major chord family. Improvising new melodies over this bass, adding a drummer and creating words are great value added here.
Level 5
Nocturne by Mona Rejino (from Portraits in Style)
(S) Tower of Tibet by Sarah Konecsni (Northern Lights 5A)
Power and color, using most of the piano, make this fun to play and impressive to listen to.
This is a great piece for strengthening chords and responding to the sound of unexpected harmonies.
Pedagogical tip: a thorough analysis of this piece will show how it is derived from a handful of chords (pun intended) and expedite the enjoyable learning process.
(S) Unexpected Kindness by Lynette Sawatsky (from Count the Stars)
Flowing and calm, this tune’s chord progression is borrowed from Gabriel Faure’s beautiful Pavane.
Many students love minor keys, and this melody feels introspective and peaceful, but not sad.
Pedagogical tip: find the repeating chord progression pattern to help students manage the LH with ease.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0duMTICFCo
(C) I Heard the Angels by Ryszard Wrzaskala (from Northern Lights 5A)
Cantabile, C Major with the capacity to create lyrics easily are some of the many attractions of this piece.
This piece thoroughly explores the keys of C major and A minor, and has a lovely balance of predictability and unpredictability
Pedagogical tip: explore the unpredictable first and then add in the predictable.
The Trees are Dreaming by Wes Froese (from Pianozzazz 5)
Gentle jazz harmonies, cross hands, scale flourishes and a dreamy melody create an impressionistic painting of dreaming trees.
Inspiring intense listening, within the context of predictable melodies, this piece is attractive to all ages.
Pedagogical tip: practicing the LH solid allows the ear to hear the beautiful melody.
Level 6
(S) Bb Minor Groove by Wes Froese (from Northern Lights Level 6 Musical Discoveries)
Students catch on to the LH rhythm quickly and love its energy.
Just let them hear it a few times and they have it. They like to play this one loud and fast.
Pedagogical tip: There are basically four RH chords that fit well under the hand – just show them the chords and don’t worry about all the flats.
(S) The Pulse by Wes Froese (from Northern Lights Level 6)
Sounds impressive with a catchy rhythm and cool harmonies.
Pedagogical Tip: Wes is a great drummer and this piece reflects that. Do lots of body beats to ground ‘the pulse’.
(S) Sudden Prairie Storm by Andrea Neustaeter (From Prairie to Pine, Vol. 2)
Evocative musical storytelling at its finest. I haven’t ever been disappointed by the results students create when learning this piece.
A great mix of lyrical melodies and dramatic passages with just the right amount of repetition to engage students and make this a manageable piece to play.
Pedagogical tip: help students manage the changing tempo passages by playing them together at the lesson. Experiment with big changes in dynamics to add drama to the storm.
Listen here: https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/se/ID_No/931840/Product.aspx
(C) Rocker by Christopher Norton (from Connections 6)
This showy tune includes syncopation and grace notes. Rhythmic precision is essential. Flashy ending. Students love this one.
Pedagogical tip: tap challenging rhythms before playing them (hands separate and hands together). Also fun: teacher/student LH/RH tapping “duets”
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7lcPtkcHEI
(C) First Love by Frank Levin (from Northern Lights 6A)
This heartfelt piece a sincere melody, easy to shape that weaves throughout. A sure winner for those that love “sensitive” pieces. Learning outcomes include voicing, rubato and legato pedal
Pedagogical tip: Work the B section first. Then move onto the A section and find the many ways the melody is presented.
(C) The Headless Horseman by Heather Schmidt (from Northern Lights 6A)
A great storyteller of a piece…let your imagination run wild! Pairs well with the story of Schubert’s Erlkonig.
Rhythmic and sinister this piece is a crowd please with a substantial amount of repetition to make it easy to learn.
Pedagogical tips: Analyze the similarities and differences between sections to conquer the challenges in the B section. Transposing the themes in this piece is accessible and fun and helps with memory.
Level 7
(C) First Snow by Martha Hill Duncan (from Precipitations)
A Debussy-like composition, truly creating the picture of a first snow.
Repetitive patterns make this piece an accessible learn. Light, controlled playing with subtle dynamic nuances pervade this composition.
Pedagogical tip: to maximize melodic shaping practice with a solid left hand to feel the tension and release of the harmonies.
(C) Nefertiti Blues by Christopher Norton (Connections 7)
Great jazz sound!
Pedagogical tip: it’s fun to discover how reversing two chords on line 1 & 2 can change the sound. Work through the C Blues scale and discover all of the places it is used.
(C) Smash by Fishel Pustilnik (Jazz & Pop Piano Paradise, Vol.4)
A one-page funky jazz piece that can be rhythmically stressed many different ways.
Pedagogical tip: add a descending glissando with pedal in the middle after the repeated chords. It sounds so impressive!
Level 8
(S) Just Can’t Stop by Janet Gieck (from Sundae Soup)
A constantly driving left hand ostinato is appealing to most teenagers. Jazzy and fun!
The right hand carries the strong melody over a nonstop left hand. Fast players love this one.
Pedagogical tip: memorize the ostinato in its two positions, then look very carefully at the bridge and coda sections, before putting the whole piece together
Level 9
(S) Buenos Dias by Sarah Konecsni (from RCM 9)
Captivates much Spanish flavor.
The middle section gives way for much creativity. Think of playing this on a guitar.
Bagatelles, Op. 5, No. 9 by Alexander Tcherepnin
This stimulating and exciting piece features full use of the keyboard!
Listen to all of the Opus 5 Bagatelles. They are creative, beautiful and inspiring and give a great sound picture of Tcherepnin’s style
Pedagogical tip: “His (Alexander) long-standing preoccupation as a composer with what he called the “major-minor triad ” or “major-minor tetrachord ” began about this time. Despite the harmonic ambiguity of that alluring entity, Tcherepnin heard it as a fundamental and stable chord. “I used it as a final consonance [and] the acceptance of the major-minor triad resulted in further acceptance of many other unorthodox chords.” The practical result was that in many of Tcherepnin’s earliest compositions the function of dissonance as requiring resolution was lost. In his works until about 1921 is found a hybrid style successfully linking the Romantic impetuosity (but not the Romantic textures) of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin with the grotesquerie of early Prokofiev. The result was fresh, imaginative music, such as the Bagatelles and Sonatine Romantique…” (for more https://www.tcherepnin.com/alex/bio_alex.htm)
To be understood in its fullest, this piece should be analyzed and the little nuggets of interpretation dug out! When played with understanding, the student will find great fulfillment in learning and playing this piece.
Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coc3G_g6oBA
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If you would like to share some of YOUR favorite student savers and pedagogical tips, please send your information to aboyes@srmta.com Include title, composer, book reference, highlights of the piece and a Pedagogical Tip.
