OK, My recital is Sunday, and I am already hunting out great recital pieces for the next recital in May. Share your recent discoveries and student favorites here please! Here are some of my recent favorites in the contemporary category from this round. ( Many kids do one classic piece, one contemporary.)
Early-mid intermediate range:
Night Train, Chris Goldston.
Prelude Majestic, Margaret Goldston
Microwaltz, Philip Johnston (off his website - lovely little piece, tricky fingering)
Anything from Christopher Norton American Popular Rep books
Prelude in C Major - Vandall

Elementary:
First Winter's snow - Martin Cueller

There's a long list of pieces, but these have worked particularly well this year.

Please share!!

Carol

Carol, I don't have a favorite per se, but I do have some new ones this year I will share:

A couple by Melody Bober: Too Cool & Carnival Rag. They are both in book 5 Grand Solos for Piano, which is lower intermediate by most scales. They are tremendously fun to play, even as a teacher.

I have two favorite duets by Melody Bober, probably rated about early-intermediate

1) Summer Samba
2) The Phantom

I have a brother-sister student pair who had a blast with Summer Samba last year and have just begun to work on the Phantom for the upcoming recital.

Check out:

- Frenzy by Dennis Alexander

- The Storm Begins by Jennifer Haines

- Amber Glow by Robert D. Vandall

- Monster March by Jennifer Linn

- Midnight Express by Christopher Fisher

- Ovation No. 3 by Robert D. Vandall

- Buffalo Stampede by W.T. Skye Garcia

These are all contemporary "teaching" pieces that have been a hit in my studio lately!

Check out Gumshoes, a collection by Jason Sifford. So fun!

EARLY ELEMENTARY With Teacher Duets
Razzle Dazzle Rag Peter Jancewitz
Sunny Strut Sara Krohn

ELEMENTARY
Mist Amanda Vick Lethco
Walk in a Rainbow Nancy Faber
First Winter's Snow Martin Cuellar
It's Spring Bruce Berr
Toccata Vivo Dennis Alexander
Lady Allyson's Minuet Robert D. Vandall
Autumn Splendor Dennis Alexander
Pianist on the Prowl Robert D. Vandall

INTERMEDIATE
Dance Vivace David Karp
Toccatina Susan Ogilvie
(Driving/energetic/rhythmic alternating chords explore full range of piano)
October Morn William Gillock
Waterfall at Midnight Mike Springer
Sundance Canyon Melody Bober
Hubble Bubble Pamela Wedgewood
Gossamer's Groove Mike Springer
Watch My Fingers Rock John Burson
Muddy River Blues Eugenie Rocherolle
(From book "New Orleans Remembered")
Again and Again Jeanine Yeager
(From book "Too Hot Too Handle")

LATE INTERMEDIATE – ADVANCED
Three Ovations Robert D. Vandall
Exultation Robert D. Vandall
Prelude to a Fairy Tale Denes Agay
Canon in D Johann Pachelbel Arr: Nancy Faber FJH
(Pop-jazz syncopated rhythms/tricky technical passages make for challenges)

Is it out of fashion or not considered pedagogically sound anymore to give young students pieces by the great composers during their first few years? I took lessons between around 1954 and 1965 and except maybe for the first six months months I only played works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, etc. Are these pieces generally less appealing to young pianists during their first few years?

You likely played arrangements of pieces by famous composers, not the actual compositions. Arrangements have fallen out of fashion, simply because there is so much good educational music available now.

They definitely weren't arrangements. The first year they were things like Bach's Notebook for Anna Magdelana, the easiest movement from from the Bach Suites, easier movements from Holberg's Suite etc. For the first year or two a lot of pieces were from the old Bernice Frost series which used only original works by great composers. Sometinmes this meant taking only parts of longer harder works(like the choral statement from the Frank's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue).

The early classics I teach in the 1st and 2nd years of study are 2 and 4 line pieces, then we graduate to 2 pages of one piece. They take 15 seconds to 60 seconds to play and then about 2 minutes.

I don't consider them to be dazzling or student favorites in the way the music educator list I posted above gets everyone's attention and applause.

In the transition from 2nd year to 3rd year, the classical music selection is much more interesting and we can begin and follow one composer (Bartok, Kabelevsky, Clementi)and follow his legacy for several more years. In the 3rd year students work much more independently and have the stamina to perform much longer pieces 2-4 pages. This is the late elementary level and the early intermediate level starting.

I don't like to do themes of pieces or arrangements of pieces unless they have teacher duet options to put into place what is missing in the simplified and shortened pieces - a fuller sound of an orchestra, percussion rhythms to support the melodies. These simple melodies alone don't do justice to the pieces, in my opinion. They are equal to little sound clips.

Pianoloverus said: "I took lessons between around 1954 and 1965 and except maybe for the first six months months I only played works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, etc. Are these pieces generally less appealing to young pianists during their first few years?"

Could you tell us a little more, such as what method books you used? I would think that you were probably 10 years old or more when you started and that Bach, Beethoven, Chopin was were in your first year of lessons. I would expect you to be teen age (13+) playing any of the master literature at grade 4 and above.

I think you are also saying you enjoyed these pieces. Did you find them difficult? Or did you breeze through them?

Betty

The early classics I teach in the 1st and 2nd years of study are 2 and 4 line pieces, then we graduate to 2 pages of one piece. They take 15 seconds to 60 seconds to play and then about 2 minutes.

I don't consider them to be dazzling or student favorites in the way the music educator list I posted above gets everyone's attention and applause.

In the transition from 2nd year to 3rd year, the classical music selection is much more interesting and we can begin and follow one composer (Bartok, Kabelevsky, Clementi)and follow his legacy for several more years. In the 3rd year students work much more independently and have the stamina to perform much longer pieces 2-4 pages. This is the late elementary level and the early intermediate level starting.

I don't like to do themes of pieces or arrangements of pieces unless they have teacher duet options to put into place what is missing in the simplified and shortened pieces - a fuller sound of an orchestra, percussion rhythms to support the melodies. These simple melodies alone don't do justice to the pieces, in my opinion. They are equal to little sound clips.

Pianoloverus said: "I took lessons between around 1954 and 1965 and except maybe for the first six months months I only played works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, etc. Are these pieces generally less appealing to young pianists during their first few years?"

Could you tell us a little more, such as what method books you used? I would think that you were probably 10 years old or more when you started and that Bach, Beethoven, Chopin was were in your first year of lessons. I would expect you to be teen age (13+) playing any of the master literature at grade 4 and above.

I think you are also saying you enjoyed these pieces. Did you find them difficult? Or did you breeze through them?

Betty

Carol, I forgot to mention the Sonatina Humoresque by Christos Tsitsaros. Advancing intermediate level, great fun.

Not sure when I started, but probably around 10. The only method books I used, but only for a brief perioed, were the ones by Bernice Frost. I can't remember playing anything by composers other than "important" classical composers except maybe during my first year. In other words, nothing like all the pieces listed by teachers in this post. I don't remember finding anything particularly difficult.

Wow, I started lessons in 1963 and certainly played both classical pieces (not arrangements!) and contemporary. I started in the Thompson method and of course there were all sorts of teaching pieces in there.

Minniemay, just to make it clear, my students play lots of both original classic pieces and some contemporary, but in my post was asking about contemporary pieces. I guess because I'm more familiar with the classical repertoire.

Wow, I started lessons in 1963 and certainly played both classical pieces (not arrangements!) and contemporary. I started in the Thompson method and of course there were all sorts of teaching pieces in there.

Minniemay, just to make it clear, my students play lots of both original classic pieces and some contemporary, but in my post was asking about contemporary pieces. I guess because I'm more familiar with the classical repertoire.

My students love the classic repertoire too. I don't like the simplified pieces at ALL. I think it is such a privilege to be able to finally play a well known piece - and it just seems like cheating to me to play a dumbed-down version, when there is so much good, level-appropriate music out there.

Some of my favorites:

Moonlight Nocturne (Catherine Rollin)

Night Horseman and Just a Little Waltz (Melody Bober, Just For Fun Book 1)

Meaghan's Melody (Jennifer Linn)

Enchanted Stream (C Goldston, from Fantastic Fingers Book 3)

Legend of the Forest and Sunrise Over the Ocean (Kevin Costley, from Romantic Portraits Book 1)

Merlin's Dream

Dragon Hunt and Sunburst Waltz (Faber, Performance 2B)

Persian Market and Malaguena (Faber, Performance 3A)


I also stay away from simplified arrangements of classical piano repertoire. I do like Faber's 'Classic' series that have simplified arrangement of famous symphonies, operas, ballet themes, etc.... A wonderful way to get kids familiar with a wide variety of non-piano repertoire.

Betty
the last piece in your long list
"Canon in D Johann Pachelbel Arr: Nancy Faber FJH
(Pop-jazz syncopated rhythms/tricky technical passages make for challenges)"
has me curious. I am familiar with an arrangement by the Fabers but it doesn't sound like this one. What book is this arrangement from? Some kids are very keen to learn some version of Pachelbel Canon, and if they twist my arm... I can oblige them

THe Vandall pieces look like they would be fun to play (there are a few on youtube).


My staple studio diet is unadulterated easy classics, I love these pieces and seem to be able to pass that excitement on to the student, the easy Mozart, Bach, Clementi, Bartok, Kabalevsky and others. I also like to give students some contemporary fun cool stuff that they can play to friends, teach to each other, improvise and change easily - a sort of current language to be part of. Sometimes we'll even do school yard duets (the kind that kids teach each other).

Canonie,

Go to Sheetmusicplus which is doable from here in the forum and search on Pachelbel or Canon in D. In the long list there is a sheet music arrangement by Nancy Faber. (FJH is the publisher)

I saw it there there the other day while I was looking through all what was available on the market for the "Canon".

I think you can get a peek at the first page of this arrangement.

It's absolutely great!

Betty

Thank you Betty, can't get sheetmusicplus to load just now, will check later (The arrangement I've seen is from Piano Adventures 3B lesson book, which must be a different arrangement).

Thank you, Thank you. These are great suggestions. I spent an hour in a (the one, last remaining - but that's another story) music store this afternoon and picked up a few things. I guess I'll have to go to Sheetmusic.com for the rest. I got a big stack of things to try on their digital piano with headphones but I have to admit, there is a lot of music out there I just don't like. It's too schlocky, or boring, or repetitive. That's why it's great to have all of you to get ideas from!

Favorites of mine are Timothy Brown's "The Last Dance" from Can You Imagine Book 2, Melody Bober's "Rusty Rag," Mary Sallee's collection "Jazzin'", and the "Connections" series by Christopher Norton. I'm also teaching some of Gillock's "Accent on Solos, Bk. 3" right now - very nice!

I use a lot of standard classical literature, too. Some of the most successful pieces are Dandrieu's "The Fifers," the Latour sonatina, the Preludes and Fugues by Alec Rowley (Brilliant!), and, like others, the preludes by Vandall and Rollin. Tansman's "Both Ways" and "Arabia" from Happy Time, Bk. 1 are also very nice recital pieces.

Thought you might like that plug, Kreisler!