Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

“Life can’t be all bad when for ten dollars you can buy all the Beethoven sonatas and listen to them for ten years.”

– William F. Buckley, Jr.

Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog…in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week.   Have suggestions?  Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.

Announcements

Best of Summer 2009

Wow, it’s November already.  Here in Michigan, the signs of autumn’s arrival are unmistakable:

  1. I can see my breath in the morning when my husband and I ride our bikes to campus.
  2. I hauled out my warm, knee-high leather boots out from the midst of the “under-bed.”
  3. The trees are changing colors.  I just love the brilliant displays of red, orange, and yellow.
  4. Leaves are EVERYWHERE.  The front yard is covered with a layer of leaves a few inches thick.  Our cars are almost buried (only a slight exaggeration).  They are threatening to come in through the front door.

I’m happy that fall is here.  I only hope is that it sticks around for awhile before winter comes.  I’m not sure I’m ready for snow quite yet.

Anyhow!  Since the birth of colorinmypiano.com in July of this year, I am happy to say that the number of visitors to this site has been slowly but steadily increasing.  To date, colorinmypiano.com receives an average of 136 visitors a day.  Wow, and thank you!

Here’s a look-back at a few favorite blogs posts from Summer 2009:

Announcements, Composition, Group Classes, Music History, Music Theory, Printables, Worksheets

Just Added! Lesson Plans: Analyzing & Composing Music in the Romantic Style

Picture 2Just added to the Printables > Lesson Plans page:

Lesson Plans & Worksheets: Analyzing & Composing Music in the Romantic Style 

A few months ago, I used these lesson plans during a piano camp where I taught Theory & Composition classes.  This camp is unusual in that it gives the students a chance to work on ensemble music with their fellow campers.  In addition, all the ensemble music are original compositions — composed just for our campers.

In the lesson plans I made, I tried to incorporate both the emphasis on composition and the topic of the Music History classes (taught by another instructor; this year, focusing on the Romantic Period).  So, this year’s lesson plans are all about learning how to compose music in the Romantic style.  By the end of the week, the class had created a Class Composition for piano which was performed for all to hear at the camp recital!  The pieces were humorous, yet surprisingly sophisticated.  Perhaps later on, I’ll post an example of a composition they created, if that would be helpful to anyone.

The lesson plans are designed for classes of 4 – 6 students ranging in ages about 9 to 15, but I’m sure they could be adapted to suit other ages and groups of students.  Enjoy!  Let me know how they work for you.

  Analyzing & Composing in the Romantic Style - Lesson Plans & Worksheets (1.0 MiB, 35,467 hits)