I just returned from the excellent Virginia State Music Teachers Conference held at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA October 25-27, 2018.
The following are some notes from the classes I attended:
1. Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Anticipating the Romantics by Peter Ryan
- Most famous for Trumpet Concerto
- Austrian
- Student of Mozart and lived with him for two years
- 1778-1837, Austria
- Tempestuous friendship with Beethoven
- Considered a virtuoso during his lifetime, but lost favor after his death
- Not really re-discovered until 1960s.
- Compare the following pieces of music for similar compositional techniques:
- H. Rondo Brillante Op 109 mm 62-65 with Schubert Piano Sonata in cm, D 958/II mm 64-74
- H. Piano Concerto in b m. Op. 89/II, mm 1-21 with Mendelssohn Piano Concerto in gm Op. 25/II, mm 1-14
- H. Piano Concerto in b m Op. 89/III, mm 1-19 with Mendelssohn Piano Concerto in gm Op. 25/III, mm. 1-22 and m. 23-28
- H. Piano Sonata in f# m op. 81/I, mm 68-69 with Schumann, Toccata Op. 7 mm. 3-5
- H. Piano Sonata in f# m Op. 81/III, mm 68-69 with Schumann Toccata, Op. 7 mm 33-34
- H. Etude in eb m Op 125 mm 9-12 with Liszt Grandes études de Paganini S. 141, No. 6 mm 54-60 (L. always spoke well of H.)
- H. Piano Sonata in DM Op. 106/III, mm 47-52 with Chopin Nocturne in Bbm Op. 9 No 1 mm 1-6
- H. Etude in DM Op. 125 No 6 mm 1-5 with Chopin Etude in CM op 10, No 1 mm. 1-5
- Potential Repertoire for Intermediate Students:
- 6 Piéces tres faciles, Op 52, 1810
- Cadenza (CM)
- Allegro (CM)
- Tempo di Menuetto (CM)
- Romance (GM)
- Eccossoise (CM)
- Rondo, Vivace (CM)
- Andantino in Ab M
- Scherzo in AM
- March in DM
2. Your Student has Autism--now what? by Susan Atkins NCTM and Elizabeth Schabinger M.Ed, BCBA, LBA
- Teaching Aids
- Timer (visual timer on ipad or phone)
- First, Then board so they always know what comes next and where they are in the process of the lesson (visual schedule)
- Token Board, track progress without needing to complete specific tasks (velcro or tape)
- Behavior Contract
- See Teachers Pay Teachers and colorinmypiano.com/music-apps for reviews
- Ipad game recommendations for music:
- Music for Kids (composition)
- Tenuto (ear training) 3.99
- Flashnote Derby (note names) 5.00
- Dragon Scales
- Rhythm Swing 3.99
- The most addictive sheep game .99
- Piano Maestro (sight-reading)
- Music Theory. net (free)
- Dustbuster 2 free
- Blob Chorus (ear training)
- Note Rush (note naming) 3-4.00
- The Royal Conservatory game options
- Motivate your student to practice
- set achievable goals
- give detailed assignment
- use a practice log (accountability)
- reward your student (they love trophies)
3. That's Not the Way it Goes: Dr. Peter Mack
- Collapsing fingers: demonstrate by tapping on piano with non-collapsed and collapsed to see the difference in strength and sound
- Baroque music: join scales, but separate leaps and changes in direction
- Romantic music: fat pads
- List of useful judging words: http://dianehidy.com/thesaurus-for-teachers-and-adjudicators/
- Piano Genealogy: we take our genealogy seriously! Mine is below:
Here is a link to the presenter's genealogy: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HoBI4GXIRCC0qzni01AHf6uLPJxgrqmjlILEV8zF0Rw/edit#gid=0
- Put a + over the climax in the phrase. Move body toward piano for +, then away, delay the last note, lift wrist low to high, have a magic bubble before and after phrase
- On coming into the next phrase: If you're early=you have no rhythm. If you're right on time=too mechanical. If you are a little late= "so musical".
4. My Year With Harry Potter and Franz Liszt by Dr. Eric Ruple, JMU
Comparisons between Liszt and John Williams. Kudos to John Williams for such creative, thematic, symbolic composing.
This link should get you to the spot we talked about. It says that it is the soundtrack, but it isn’t really. Fortunately, the mirror scene is here pretty much in its entirety. Starts right at the 1:00:00 mark (so near the end). The switching if the instruments at the very end happens about 1:05:40 into the clip.
5. Chopin and His Dance Genres by Dr. Magdalena Adamek
- Look up Schumanoska and the fm Polonaise
- Mazur features:
- distinctly defined melodic and rhythmic contour
- stately, proud, moderate pace,
- variety of hand gestures
- often performed by fiddle, bagpipes, or double bass and drum
- accents falling irregularly within a phrase, for example, on beats 1 and 3 in one measure, on beat 2 only in next, or all three beats at once, in another measure
In Chopin's mazurkas, certain rhythmic patterns, expressive stresses/accents and agogic changes provide us with clues how to render the character of the Polish Dance.
- Pay attention to tenuto markins, pauses, tied notes, dotted half notes, half notes. These elements will usually require either expressive accent, or a slight prolongation
- Pay attention to the beat and accentuation of the main rhythmic notes, followed by a gentle release of the rhythmic impulse wherever long-held note or accented note is omitted or displaced.
- Fell the span of large intervallic leaps in the melody or accompaniment (i.e. take time to get ot he high note)
- Feel the preparation of and implementation of a "foot stamp" (sfz can be viewed as emulation of foot stomping).
- Note and strengthen dotted rhythms (the rhythm containing 8th note, followed by a 16th rest and a 16th note could resemble a lift in the actual dance. Lift hand off keys.
- Review articulation very carefully
- Review all types of accents--they are marked by various symbols in the score and they suggest different touches.
- Expereiment with tempo rubato and freedom of movement. No mazurka should be played without rubato.
- Upbeats are particularly significant. Do not ignore them
- Left hand needs to always move with a sense of step: springing step, leaping step, gliding step, or stomp
- When there is a rest on 3rd beat, we need to lean slightly on the 2nd beat. The rhythmically placed chord in such manner carries us through towards next bar.
6. Claude Debussy by Ruta Smedina-Starke VCU
Three main style periods:
First Style Period (works until 1894)
Suite Bergamasque (1893)
and Petite Suite (1889), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqDq67qzkH8
- Clear melodies
- Long lyrical lines
- Almost tonal harmony
- some signs of modality
Second Style Period (1893-1912) Impressionistic
Orchestral works: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YazhxBA7oo and La Mer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFpcPEcwTo
Opera: Pelleas et Melisande (1893-1902) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc7h0BLCBQk
Piano works: Estampes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-YcnPXY2yE) , Images, Children's Corner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k_OLrK4ZuE), 2 books of Piano Preludes (1909-1913)
- Impressionistic use of tone color
- Importance of melody over harmonic progression and rhythm
- Use of pentatonic and whole tone scales
- Ambiguous harmonic and tonal centers
- Nonfunctional use of 7th and 9th chords
- Harmony as a dimension of melody instead of as an accompaniment
Third Style Period (1912-1913) "Move away from Impressionism" much more traditional
Sonatas for cello and piano, violin and piano, 12 Etudes for Piano
Ballet: Jeux (1912)
Syrinx for Flute (1913), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEyKM13yf_4
- Move toward more economical texture and form
- Favoring of Classical Titles
- Chopin's influence in his 12 piano etudes, exploring of different technical problems in each of them.
Other notes about Debussy's music:
- based on inflections of the French language and poetry
- inspired by Javanese Gamelan music at the world exposition of 1899
- used modes
Javanese Gamelan Instruments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HwqqiVxbE
Bonang Barung or Penerus 
Gender 
Kendhang 
Slenthem 
Kenong 
Saron Demung, or Sanga, Barung, Penerus 
Kempul and Gong 
Gambang 
7. Paul Barnes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viUnTLgaKgo
He sang some Greek Orthodox chants for us that were beautiful and played a lot of Phillip Glass music.
Read Liszt biography
ii V I (harmonic progression)
Two types of chords: ooh chords (tension) and ahh chords (release)
