Famous and Fun Christmas Duets, Book 5

Famous and Fun Christmas Duets, Book 5 contains 7 carefully selected Christmas favorites. The duets are arranged in equal parts for intermediate pianists, and are written for one piano, four hands. The melody often shifts between primo and secondo, creating interesting parts for both players. The arrangements in Book 5 include 16th notes, dotted-eighth notes, and key signatures with no more than two sharps or two flats. Students are sure to enjoy their experience with these fun duets! / Piano 4 Mains

With Performance Strategies-In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume Two Book 3 is suitable for Late Elementary pianists and covers many basic principles including:Eighth notes and those basic notes and rests introduced in books 1 and 2 dotted quarter notes are also introduced at the end of the bookPlaying different articulations such as legato and staccato at the same timePlaying pieces in a variety of different moods tempos and formPlaying block and broken major minor and diminished chordsPieces which reinforce five-finger scales as well as scale patterns that extend from the usual five-finger patterns (with finger crossing)Playing blocked intervals up to a sixth double thirds and hand-over-hand arpeggiosContinued movement up and down the keyboard and using the pedal artisticallyReinforcing basic musical terminology and symbols such as crescendo decrescendo ritardando fermata mezzo forte mezzo piano forte piano fortissimo pianissimo and D.S. al CodaKeys C G F A minor and D minor.

With Performance Strategies-In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume Two Book 2 is suitable for Elementary pianists and covers many basic principles including:Basic notes and their corresponding rests such as quarter half dotted half and whole notesPlaying tied notes legato and staccato articulations accents upbeats a few chords blocked intervals and five-finger hand positionsPracticing moving up and down the keyboard as well as use of the pedal to create a larger soundReinforcing basic musical terminology and symbols such as crescendo decrescendo ritardando fermata mf mp forte piano loco D.C. al fine and D.S. al CodaUse of basic keys C F A minor D minor and C minor (with accidentals instead of key signatures).

With Performance Strategies-In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume Two Book 1 is suitable for Early Elementary pianists and covers many basic principles including:Basic notes such as quarter half dotted half and whole notes3/4 and 4/4 time signaturesUse of 8va signs and therefore practicing moving up and down the keyboardUse of the pedal to create a larger soundPlaying with both a detached and a smooth touchUnderstanding of basic musical terminology such as forte piano and repeat signsPieces which use the middle C position as well as other basic hand positionsUse of basic keys C D F and A minor (with accidentals instead of key signatures).

In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume Two Book 4 is suitable for Early Intermediate pianists and covers many basic principles including:Dotted rhythmic patterns as well as sixteenth-note patternsPlaying pieces with common time signatures as well as simple compound metersPlaying with more intricate finger crossovers Playing pieces with numerous changes of tempo articulation and moodMajor Minor and diminished root position chords and their inversions are reinforced as well as subdominant and dominant chordsPlaying hand-over-hand arpeggiosPlaying pieces in which one hand holds down notes while simultaneously playing moving notesOctave scale passages and blocked octavesLeft-hand parts increase in intricacy with more involved accompaniment figures or in some cases the left hand plays the melody while the right hand accompaniesPlaying pieces which include modulations from one key to anotherHand positions expand to larger than a fifthReinforcing basic musical terminology and symbols such as ritardando diminuendo subito piano subito

In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume One Book 5 is suitable for Intermediate pianists and covers many basic principles including:Triplet and sixteenth-note patterns as well as dotted rhythmic patternsPlaying one and two octave scale passages and blocked octavesPlaying rolled chords and double third configurationsUse of rubato in playingChords and their inversions reinforcedPlaying two voices within the same handUse of simple ornamentationPieces introduce the following musical terms: sotto voce largamente molto agitato along with basic musical terminology found in books 1-4A mixtures of major and minor keys which strengthen the student’s command of the piano.

In Recital Throughout The Year is a series that focuses on fabulous repertoire with musically engaging pieces by leading FJH composers and arrangers. This series of books is carefully levelled to ensure that goals are attainable which is essential in motivating students. Providing excellent teaching material these books address the strengths and weaknesses of students with progressive discussions by Dr. Helen Marlais on the art of performance and an analysis of performance strategies.The pieces presented in these books provide repertoire for the entire year including pieces for Halloween and Christmas as well as arrangements of famous classicalthemes with original solos and duets.The accompanying CD includes demonstrations of the pieces presented in this book allowing the student to develop their interpretive skills.Volume One Book 4 is suitable for Early Intermediate pianists and covers many basic principles including:Dotted rhythmic patterns as well as sixteenth-note patternsPlaying pieces with common time signatures as well as introducing compound meters - 5/4 is also introducedPlaying with more intricate finger crossovers Playing pieces with numerous changes of tempo articulation and moodMajor Minor and diminished root position chords and their inversions are reinforced as well as subdominant and dominant chordsPlaying hand-over-hand arpeggiosPlaying pieces in which one hand holds down notes while simultaneously playing moving notesOctave scale passages and blocked octavesLeft-hand parts increase in intricacy with more involved accompaniment figures or in some cases the left hand plays the melody while the right hand accompaniesPlaying pieces which include modulations from one key to anotherHand positions expand to larger than a fifthReinforcing basic musical terminology and symbols such as ritardando diminuendo subito piano