Repertoire Roundup: This Recital Season's Winners
Choosing Recital Repertoire
One of the best ways to ensure that our students will be ready for an upcoming recital is to choose appropriate repertoire.
But what do I mean by “appropriate”? I have three criteria for this description:
- A piece that is at the correct level for the student (not too difficult)
- A piece that the student enjoys
- A piece that is pianistic and sounds “good” when played
Of course, what sounds “good” is a matter of opinion, but in this context, I simply mean something that is engaging for a listener on some level because it uses the instrument effectively and is well-composed.
In my opinion, students should be playing quality repertoire all of the time. Of course, lessons should also include technical warmups and instruction in functional skills. But the core of lesson material should be repertoire that is worthy of study and therefore repertoire that holds potential to be used in performance.
That’s one reason that I use the Piano Safari method with so many beginners. Because of the rote element, students play engaging and musically rich pieces from the start, regardless of their current reading ability. Memorable, patterned pieces that evoke a variety of moods and use the whole keyboard are playable by beginners, and they are certainly enjoyable for the audience!
Because I teach quality repertoire throughout the year, I don’t spend much time choosing recital pieces for my elementary-level students. I let students choose (with guidance, of course) the pieces that they want to play from the repertoire they’ve been enjoying on a weekly basis throughout the semester or year.
I know I’m not alone in this because this is what Frances Clark had to say about it in her book, Questions and Answers: Practical Advice for Piano Teachers:
“Some teachers place too much emphasis on the recital piece instead of continuing, right up to recital time, to learn many beautiful pieces of music, each one of which an audience would thoroughly enjoy hearing. It’s wrong to consider a recital piece as something different from other music a student is studying.” (p.192)
I also know I’m not alone in this because so many teachers use our Piano Safari pieces as recital pieces! We conducted an informal poll in the Teaching Piano Safari Facebook group asking for the titles our members used on recent recitals, and it was such a delight to read the overwhelming number of responses. I created a spreadsheet and thought I’d share with you the most-mentioned pieces:
Piano Safari Recital Favorites
Level 1 Favorites
These three rote pieces are all very different! While Dandelion Fluff is gentle and in a major key with a flowing accompaniment, Dragon Dance is an exciting solo in a minor key.
The ever-memorable I Love Coffee can be performed as a student-teacher duet with just one student or with up to six students playing each of the subsequent parts. Check out this video from Holly McCann’s studio which took the fun to a new level with performers running to the piano.
Level 2 Favorites
Before collating the responses, I expected some of the more “boisterous” pieces like African Safari, Flamingo Dancers, or Monsters on the Run to place high on the Level 2 list. Interestingly, teachers voted for some of the more “evocative” pieces. However, it makes sense that students at this level would enjoy using their new skill of syncopated damper pedal technique to perform expressively in Rainbow Colors and Metamorphosis. And Shadows at Dusk is uniquely mysterious!
Level 3 Favorites
- First place tie between Spanish Dance and Whirling Snowflake Waltz
- Starlight Serenade
If your students are anything like mine, they prefer pieces in minor keys. This data supports that - all three of the Level 3 winners are in a minor mode! I love teaching these pieces, knowing that students are developing technical skills such as A harmonic minor scales (Spanish Dance) and Waltz bass accompaniment style (Whirling Snowflake Waltz) in pieces that are aurally appealing and feel fun to play.
Of course, many teachers voted for pieces in our Piano Safari Friends curriculum as well as our supplemental books. Favorite Friends titles included Hippo Swimming, Picnic Time, Happy Zebra Days, and Playground Fun.
Summary
Today’s piano students have a wealth of quality repertoire available to learn, leading to a wealth of potential performance pieces ready at their fingertips when recital season approaches. Thank you to those of you who commented on the Facebook post to help us compile this list of favorite selections!
