A Parent's Guide to Piano Repertoire

Every fall I make a curriculum plan for every student in my studio which details where they are now in their piano study and where I would like them to be by the end of the year. This takes many hours, but the results give me a pretty cohesive roadmap for each student's next steps, the logical progression of concepts we need to learn, and activities I want to complete to get there in nine months.

I LOVE getting feedback on these plans from parents, and that feedback can come in a variety of forms throughout the school year. From "This was Emily's favorite piece EVER!" to "We are really struggling with the rhythm in this piece," to "Johnny is really into video games right now," this kind of guidance can add an extra spark to each student's repertoire plan.

Where things can get a little hairy is when Johnny's mom or dad come to lessons and say, "We would love to hear Johnny play Un Sospiro by Liszt for the spring recital." Let's say Johnny is a level 5 - a student roughly at the point of studying moderately complex sonatinas. Trying to explain to parents why this is neither possible nor good for Johnny's development can be tricky. Sometimes parents have heard these pieces played badly (or maybe well!) by a younger student and assume their student must be able to master them too. Sometimes well-meaning parents assume that any student can play any piece given enough time at the instrument.

I'm sad to say that these kinds of requests can be disastrous for students if teachers concede to them against their best judgment. While it is likely possible to find a scaled back version of a lot of repertoire, pushing ahead with a piece that a student is not physically or emotionally mature enough to handle leads to frustration at best and physical injury or quitting lessons at worst.

While piano repertoire does tend to lack a completely cohesive system for leveling, some basic guidelines for leveling can be used to help parents understand what repertoire their student is ready to tackle.

Elementary or Levels 1-3:

Students at this level fall on the spectrum between reading no music and reading notes on the staff in several changing positions. Early elementary students may not read notes on the staff or may just be beginning to read in one fixed position with quarter, half, and whole notes. Late elementary students are typically able to move between several related positions on the keyboard while reading quarter, half, and whole notes and simpler eighth note subdivisions.

DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $200.

If your student can't read all the notes on the staff and find their locations easily, has not studied all the major and minor five-finger scales, and cannot change positions quickly while maintaining a steady beat, DO NOT MOVE ON. Don't worry - they will get there!

Intermediate or Levels 4-7:

Students typically spend a number of years in the intermediate level, and it is both the easiest phase to rush and the most essential for a students' development. Early intermediate students are able to play in more quickly changing hand positions with basic rhythmic syncopations, while late intermediate students can handle large, rapid changes of position, larger hand spreads, and complex rhythmic subdivisions. This stage of growth is VITAL to building the relaxed technical foundation for advanced repertoire, as well as recurring patterns of chords, arpeggios, and fingerings that students can build on in advanced study. Most students need time to physically grow into late intermediate repertoire as these pieces require larger hand spans than early and mid-intermediate pieces, as well as attention to detail and the expressiveness that emotional maturity bring. A study of major and minor scales, arpeggios, and chord inversions are deal breakers for moving past the intermediate level and into advanced repertoire.

DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $200.
If your student has not played all major and minor scales, arpeggios, and chord inversions, or plays with excessive tension in the shoulders, arms, and wrists, DO NOT MOVE ON.

Advanced or Levels 8-10+:

Students in early advanced repertoire can execute very large position changes quickly, have the hand span to reach large and complex chords, and can accurately count very complex rhythmic figures. Most pieces at this level require complicated voicings (playing one finger louder than the other nine), fluent note reading, and the relaxed hand position formed in the groundwork of intermediate repertoire. Career musicians spend the rest of their lives mastering pieces of advancing complexity at the this level, and the sky is truly the limit!

As parents, we all dream of a day when our students can play at the advanced level - as a parent of two high school musicians, I share that dream! Part of our role as parent cheerleaders is to encourage our students to enjoy the journey, mastering each sequential skill without being in too big a hurry to rush on to the next bigger and faster piece. Taking on pieces that are too technically challenging can cause injury and stall progress in reading by limiting the number of pieces kids are exposed to regularly. This has the opposite effect of what parents intend, halting progress altogether since reading ability will continually fall below technical ability.

SO, take your time. Enjoy the process, and remember to make music at whatever level you are today. The big stuff will come as long as you stay dedicated to the process and don't give up.

10 Things You Can Do Right Now to be a Phenomenal Piano Parent

Fall is in the air, the kids are back in school, and it's time for piano lessons to begin! In addition to offering fabulous brain benefits for kids, playing the piano is fun and rewarding. Creating something beautiful, learning to express themselves, and mastering a challenging skill over time gives developing musicians the fuel to keep learning.

Getting back into the routine of practice after a chilled out summer can come with its own challenges! Read on to learn 10 things you can do beginning with your very first lesson to help your student stay in the groove this year.

1. Remember what you love about music and the piano.

When we're overwhelmed by our busy schedules and worn out from the back to school routine, it can be a great motivational tool to remember why we're becoming musicians to begin with. Explore some music you love live or online with your child, review or reminisce about really fun pieces they've played, or make some low key music as a family. 

2. Set a practice routine early in the year and stick with it.

Consistency breeds achievement and achievement breeds enjoyment. There is no way to escape the link between regular practice and sticking with lessons. When we're good at something, we find it fun - and when we find it fun, we keep doing it.

3. Resist the urge to overschedule.

Our lives are chronically busy, and if you're like me, you may feel like this busyness is a sign of forward movement and progress. Skills like piano take free time to develop. When kids are forced to squeeze piano in between two hours of sports practice, dinner, and homework, they naturally resist. (I do too!) The inspiration to make music often requires some unscheduled time.

4. Don't mistake dislike of practice for dislike of playing the piano.

After 20 years of teaching piano lessons, I know that there is one thing EVERY student has in common. No one - I repeat - NO ONE likes to practice, at least not all the time. Most kids do love to play when they have mastered a piece.

Does your child ever sit and play a piece they've mastered over and over without reminders? Probably. We all love to play things we're good at, so don't mistake practice resistance for dislike of playing the piano. Motivation ebbs and flows, so help your student ride these peaks and valleys with encouragement and examples of your own perseverance.

5. A little cheerleading goes a long way!

Even if you aren't musical yourself, acknowledging a job well done can go miles in motivating your student to make it through the hard stuff and on to the fun stuff! Word your encouragement in ways that foster a growth mindset. "You have worked so hard on that piece, and it sounds so polished!" makes it clear that hard work brings success, while "You're so talented!" subtly creates the impression that we have no control over our progress.

6. Check in on weekly assignments.

This may go without saying, but basic support like checking in on the week's assignments can be the deciding factor in real success at music lessons. Making sure young students understand the teacher's directions and can find online assignments can be particularly helpful. Very young children almost always need a parent sitting next to them during practice, and until age 10-12, most students need some guidance on how to structure their practice time.

7. Encourage "noodling" and free play.

Not every day's practice has to involve playing method books, scales, and repertoire pieces. While we have to do this frequently to build our skills, free play, improvising, composing, and review are essential elements in musical development. When I was in high school, impromptu arranging sessions of my favorite pieces on the radio saved my progress sometimes! These side projects encouraged me to make my music my own, and I never showed them to my teacher.

8. Communicate regularly with your teacher.

If something is not going well at home, I promise that your teacher wants to know. If something is going great, we also want to know that! If your student has a passion or interest that can be used to motivate them in music lessons, please share it. Parents know their children better than anyone else, and this feedback is vital.

9. Remember that your child is essentially learning a second language.

For all intents and purposes, learning to read and express music makes your child multi-lingual. While the understanding of music by the listener is somewhat universal, the ability to read and "speak" the language of music bears remarkable similarity to learning to read and speak a second language.

Like language acquisition, musical acquisition takes time, repetition, and exposure. Through encouraging regular music reading, review of learned pieces, and listening to quality performances, you can become your student's musical language coach.

10. Don't give up.

As a parent of a high school student enrolled in private music lessons myself, I know that all of this support and encouragement can be seriously HARD sometimes. Life truly is busy, practice fights truly aren't fun, and getting really good at music takes years. It's expensive, it means a lot of driving, and it takes up weekends and family time. It's HARD. 

What you are giving to your child is an irreplaceable gift. I have immense gratitude for each and every parent in my studio who drops off their student week after week with materials in hand, supports home practice the best they can, and prioritizes music. The brain benefits of piano are immense, and so are the emotional ones.

Piano Survivor: The Winner Is ...

I can't believe the school year is already winding down! Summer is right around the corner, which means it's time to announce our studio's favorite concert pianist and Piano Survivor for this year!

And the winner is:

DANIEL BARENBOIM!

Maestro Barenboim took on Martha Argerich at our final group class of the year playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1. The vote was close, but the students decided that the intensity of Mr. Barenboim's performance made him the studio favorite.

Here are the performances we watched if you'd like to check them out!

Thank you so much for playing along this year! We'll be back in the fall for more listening challenges and fun activities. Have a wonderful summer!

Piano Survivor Final Showdown!

The winner of our January Piano Survivor was the one and only:

DANIEL BARENBOIM!

Maestro Barenboim has his own wonderful YouTube channel full of fun interviews, performance tips, and of course, amazing music! I encourage you to explore some of what his channel has to offer.

Our final Piano Survivor installment will be held at our group class on April 8, 2017. Daniel Barenboim will take on our last mystery performer during class, and we will vote on our final Piano Survivor!

If you just can't get enough of Daniel Barenboim, here is a video clip of a concert he conducted in Buenos Aires, which also featured the amazing musical icon, Martha Argerich.

Piano Survivor: January Edition

Welcome to a new year and our next piano survivor listening challenge! Narrowly edging out our long-standing victor this month was our red corner contender:

DANIEL BARENBOIM

Both of our December musicians were amazing, and the comments you gave me about these two performances were thoughtful and showed very good listening. Great work!

For our January challenge, our red corner challenger will remain and take on one of the best loved concert pianists of all time, Vladimir Horowitz. We will listen to the piece of music that made me decide at the age of 8 that I wanted to play piano forever! I listened to my parents' recording of Horowitz in Moscow enough times to memorize this piece before I ever played it.

Vladamir Horowitz was born in 1903 in Kiev, Ukraine. He first took piano lessons from his mother, who was also a gifted pianist. He attended the Kiev Conservatory and began touring Europe in 1920. He made his debut performance in the United States in 1928, and his ability to connect with his audiences combined with his amazing technical skill made him a crowd favorite. In addition to his concert performances, Horowitz made a number of popular recordings which are still well regarded today. Horowitz suffered from crippling performance anxiety despite his amazing skill, and several times he had to be pushed onto the stage to perform.

Our performers will be playing Domenico Scarlatti's Sonata in E Major. This piece was originally written for the harpsichord. Although the audio quality of these pieces is different due to the date of their recording, which interpretation do you like the best?

Here is Daniel Barenboim's recording:

And here is Vladimir Horowitz's performance taken from a concert he gave in 1968.

This might be our toughest challenge yet, so listen with ears wide open!

Piano Survivor: December Edition

This month our performers were once again separated by only one vote, and again our winner is:

VALENTINA LITSITSA!

In your comments to me, you made it clear that you love her power and energy combined with her emotional performances. For December's listening challenge, she will take on another of my favorite concert pianists playing one of my all time favorite pieces by Beethoven!

In the red corner this month is Daniel Barenboim. Mr. Barenboim is widely hailed as one of the great musicians of the 20th century. He was born in Argentina in 1942 and made his international piano debut at the young age of 10. In addition to conducting orchestras in major cities all over the world and receiving multiple honors and awards, Mr. Barenboim speaks six languages fluently and is a citizen of four countries!

He and our blue corner contender, Ms. Litsitsa, will be playing the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata Opus 13, No. 8, usually called the "Pathetique" due to its tragic character. This sonata was composed in 1798 when Beethoven was only 27 years old, and it is still one of his best loved and most played compositions.

This piece is longer than those I usually post, so listening to a small portion of each video is acceptable for this assignment.

Here is Daniel Barenboim's performance:

And here is Valentina Litsitsa's:

Remember to listen to each performance carefully. You might even try listening with your eyes closed. What did you like about each one? What do you think this piece is about? 

The voting is open until December 31!

Piano Survivor: November Edition

Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for playing along with our Piano Survivor Listening Challenge so far. Our October Piano Survivor is:

VALENTINA LITSITSA!

It was a close call this time, with Valentina winning by just one vote! We are all sad to say goodbye to Lang Lang for now, but I encourage you to follow his videos on YouTube. He is an exciting and dynamic performer!

This month, our new red corner challenger will be the incredible Nikolai Lugansky. Nikolai is a Russian pianist and currently teaches at the Moscow Conservatory of Music. When he was only five years old and couldn't read music yet, Nikolai taught himself a Beethoven Sonata entirely by ear! He has gone on to have an extensive recording career and has worked with other famous musicians and conductors all over the world.

For this challenge, Nikolai and Valentina will be playing Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G-sharp minor. This piece was composed in 1910 during a period when Rachmaninoff was being forced to flee his homeland for fear of persecution. Can you hear the sleigh bells on the carriage mixed with the sad melody Rachmaninoff composed to express his feelings?

Here is Nikolai Lugansky's version:

And here is Valentina Litsitsa's:

Which is your favorite? Why?

Piano Survivor: October Edition

The votes are in, and the choice was clear. September's favorite concert pianist was:

LANG LANG!

This month we're going to hear Lang Lang take on Valentina Lisitsa playing Franz Liszt's La Campanella. La Campanella, which means "little bell," remains one of the most famous pieces ever written for the piano, even after 165 years!

You will have until October 31 to cast your votes, either in the comments section below or in person at your lesson. Remember, everyone in your family can vote!


In the red corner, Lang Lang is back! Lang Lang is a very popular concert pianist from China. His emotional performances make him a crowd favorite.

In the blue corner, welcome Valentina Lisitsa! Valentina was born in Ukraine, where she originally intended to become a professional chess player. We are all glad that she decided to foster her early love of music instead. Her detailed and athletic playing astounds audiences all over the world.

Remember to listen carefully when watching each video. Clearly both performances are amazing, but which did you like better? Why?

Piano Survivor! Lang Lang vs. Perahia

For our monthly listening challenges this year, we are going to play a fun game! I will be pitting two famous concert pianists against each other (virtually, of course), and you get to decide who becomes this year's

PIANO SURVIVOR!

Each month I will post two videos of famous pianists playing some of the greatest pieces written for piano. You will be asked to listen to both performances and then vote on which performance you like the best! Remember to focus on the sounds you hear and not the quality of the video, the appearance of the performers, or anything else that might distract you from the music itself. You can either cast your vote at your lesson sometime this month or leave a comment below with your initials.

This month we're pitting Lang Lang and Murray Perahia head to head in a throw down playing Chopin's Etude Opus 25 No. 1, sometimes called the "Aeolian Harp" etude. Even though these two amazing pianists are playing the same piece, you will hear the music interpreted very differently!

In the red corner, please welcome Lang Lang! Lang Lang is a Chinese concert pianist whose appearances include the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, concerts at the White House, and sold out shows all over the world. Fun fact: Lang Lang is only 34 years old!

And in the blue corner, please welcome Murray Perahia! Mr. Perahia is an American conductor and pianist who has made many well regarded recordings. This video was recorded at a concert in 2014.

Who do you think deserves to advance to next month's challenge? Why? The voting begins NOW!

Welcome to a New Year!

I can't believe we are about to start another year of piano lessons! Summer has flown by, but I am ready to get back in the trenches, and I hope you are ready for some amazing music making at home! Weekly lessons will resume on September 12, 2016.

A few friendly reminders for piano parents:

1) Please take a moment to review the current studio policy, calendar, and fee schedule that I will be distributing via email. These documents are also available on the studio web site here.

2) Please make sure your student is equipped with all their lesson materials, binder, notebook, and any homework sheets I have assigned each week.

3) Please look here on the blog throughout the year for listening assignments and other fun challenges! These are an important part of your student's lesson experience.

4) Be sure to cheer on the accomplishments of your fellow students on our studio's YouTube channel! Click here to subscribe!

Thank you so much for your continued support. I am excited to see the growth this year will bring!

March Composer of the Month: Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was truly the premier music superstar of his time. Known for his amazing technical ability and showmanship, Liszt rose to rock star like fame during the Romantic period. He became known for writing and performing piano pieces more difficult and showy than had ever been composed before, and he was the first pianist to perform solo recitals from memory.


Fame and fortune followed Liszt, but like many celebrities, Liszt lived a life of scandal. He toured and performed all over Europe beginning at age 12, and he was inspired by the great violinist, Niccolo Paganini. Liszt was also known for his “transcriptions” (transforming works originally written for other instruments into piano pieces.) In his later years, Liszt continued composing and took on students of his own. He studied composing very seriously and influenced many composers who came after him.

Liszt's best known pieces include his Transcendental Etudes, Sonatina in B Minor, Liebestraume, La Campanella, and Un Sospiro.

Here are two of my favorite of Liszt's more than 1,000 compositions for piano, La Campanella and Un Sospiro. Enjoy!

January Composer of the Month: Aaron Copland

This month's composer is one of my very favorite!

Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900, in Brooklyn, New York. Copland studied piano as a child and at age 20, moved to France where he studied piano and composition. In the mid-1920's he returned to the United States and began a long and fruitful career as a composer, conductor, and author.

Copland was an American composer through and through. He loved the idea of creating music that explored jazz and Latin American sounds and other music that he thought uniquely reflected American culture. He also composed a lot of music for films. Some of his best know works are: Piano Variations, The Dance Symphony, El Salon Mexico, A Lincoln Portrait, Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, and Fanfare for the Common Man.

During his life, he won a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar, and was nominated for several Academy Awards. Copland died on December 2, 1990, in North Terrytown, New York.

One of his best known and loved pieces, Fanfare for the Common Man, is featured below. For full effect, turn your speakers up loud!

If you just can't get enough Copland (I know I can't), here's an additional selection. I'm sure you will recognize this one!

October Composer of the Month: Antonin Dvorak

     As piano players, sometimes it's important to look to the wider world of music for things we can learn. The beautiful melodies of Antonin Dvorak have a lot to teach us, and his music is fun to listen to! This month's listening assignment is the second movement (section) of Dvorak's famous Symphony Number 9, "From the New World."

     Dvorak was a type of Romantic composer called a "nationalist." A nationalist is a person who uses the melodies and rhythms of their native land to create new and expressive music. Dvorak encouraged others to use the unique music of their native countries to add to the world of music as well.

    Antonin Dvorak was born on September 8, 1841, in what is now the Czech Republic. As a young man, he learned to play the violin, piano, and organ. In 1874, 1876, and 1877, Dvorak entered and won the Austrian State Prize for Composition. Johannes Brahms served as a judge and was very impressed with Dvorak's work.

     From 1892-1895, Dvorak lived in the United States and worked as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. While there, he formed an interest in African American and Native American folk music. He believed that both of these styles of music ought to form the basis of America's own nationalist music. Dvorak was saddened and surprised by the mistreatment of African Americans and Native Americans and the prejudice he observed while living in the United States.

     Dvorak returned home to Bohemia in 1895, where he lived until his death on May 1, 1904. Dvorak is remembered to this day as a great musical master, an inspiring teacher, and one of the great composers of European music.

Get Ready!

It's almost time to get another year of piano lessons underway! Weekly lessons resume the week of September 14, and I encourage all current and interested families to attend my free parent orientation session at the Bozeman Public Library large conference room on September 10 from 7-8 pm.

I'm so excited to get the year underway! See you soon!

The Genius of Maurice Ravel

Hello, students! For our last listening assignment of the school year, I'd like to introduce you to Maurice Ravel, a true Impressionist master and one of my favorite composers.

 Ravel was born on March 7, 1875, in France. He remains one of the best known composers of all time and is now regarded as one of the great Impressionist artists.

Ravel began studying at the Paris Conservatory at age 14 and continued there into his early twenties. During his long career he wrote music for all kinds of instruments, including some very famous works for the piano. Ravel loved to take pieces written for other instruments and rewrite them for the orchestra. His best known works for the piano include Jeux d'eau (Fountains), Miroirs (Mirrors), and Le Tombeau de Couperin (the Tomb of Couperin). Ravel's orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky's piano piece, Pictures at an Exhibition, is widely played and well loved. Ravel died in Paris, France on December 28, 1937.

 

This year we've been studying some of the qualities of Impressionist music, and when you listen carefully you will hear many of these ideas in Ravel's music. Can you hear each of the Impressionist ideas we've studied in Jeux d'eau (Playing Water) linked below?

 

1) Dissonance - Notes that don't quite "fit" together.

2) Perpetual Motion - Motion that doesn't stop

3) Intervals of 4ths and 5ths

4) Large leaps between low and high sounds

5) Pedal effects that may sound veiled or blurry

 

 

Big Music Words of the Week: Perpetual Motion

Hello, blossoming Impressionist experts! During the last several weeks in lessons we've been talking about "perpetual motion," an idea Impressionist composers used a lot in their pieces.

Perpetual motion just means movement that never stops. In music, perpetual motion gives the listener the idea that the music is always moving forward. Perpetual motion is created by using a lot of short notes, like eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Very often music with a lot of motion creates ideas of water, wind, snowfall, or other images found in nature.

This week's listening piece, "Une Barque sur L'Ocean" or "Boat on the Ocean," uses perpetual motion to create images of waves and moving water. This piece was composed by Maurice Ravel, one of the great Impressionist composers of the period.

As you listen, try to find places where Ravel uses both dissonance and perpetual motion together. Can you use his piece as inspiration for the piece about winter we're writing?

Big Music Word of the Week: Dissonance

Hello, students! This week many of you discussed the word "dissonance" during your lesson and what it means. Then we talked about using dissonance in your weekly improvisation assignment and what your parents might think of your musical creations. (Parents, you're welcome.)

Dissonance is a fancy word for playing notes together that clash, or at least don't sound lovely in the usual sense. Dissonance can be used to build tension in music or to express anger, excitement, fear, or sadness. Some dissonance, especially when it's used on high notes can sound quite lovely.

What emotions did you end up expressing during your improvisation this week? I can't wait to hear your ideas!

In the mean time, listen to Debussy's Feux D'Artifice for inspiration. This song is about fireworks! How did Debussy use dissonance to create his musical sketch and build excitement?

Claude Debussy, Master of Impressionism

Achille-Claude Debussy was born to a poor family in France in 1862. Debussy is known as the founder and master of the musical style known as Impressionism, even though he didn't like or use this label himself.

Debussy began studying piano at the age of 7, and by age 11 he was considered a prodigy and was admitted to the Paris Conservatory of Music. At age 22, he won the Prix de Rome, a contest for composers and spent the next several years composing in Italy. He became employed by a wealthy woman and travelled all over Europe and Russia as the family teacher and composer.

During his travels, Debussy heard music from all over the world, and this changed the sounds he used when he composed. He used Russian sounds, folk tunes, and percussion sounds in his writing and made his music sound different by using scales and playing notes together that didn't always sound like the music people were used to hearing.

Debussy died of cancer at age 55 on March 25, 1918.

Words to Remember:

Dissonance - Notes that don't sound "pretty" together. Dissonance builds tension or creates sound pictures.

Modes - Scales that move from one white key to the next of the same name without using black keys. (Example: D E F G A B C D)

Pentatonic Scale - A five note scale played all on the black keys (Example: Gb Ab Bb Db Eb)

Whole Tone Scale - A scale made completely of whole steps (Example: C D E F# G# A# B#)

To earn a virtuoso visa this week, play an example of dissonance, a mode, a pentatonic scale, or a whole tone scale at your lesson!

Le vent dans la plaine, by Claude Debussy

Many of our listening selections this year will feature compositions by the most famous Impressionist composer of all time, Claude Debussy.

Do you hear notes that clash? How about big clusters of notes? Notes that are both really high and really low? If you listen really closely, you might even hear some interesting intervals like 4ths.

What do you think this piece is about? (No using Google or asking a French speaking acquaintance!) Why?

To complete this listening challenge, write three things you notice about the music in your notebook, your best guess as to the name of the piece, and three reasons you guessed this.

You'll have the opportunity to write your own Impressionist piece later in the school year!

Impressionism Unit Kick-off Listening Assignment!

Hi, students and parents!

Most of the studio will be starting our year-long unit on impressionist music with a listening activity this week. Impressionism in art and music is one of my favorite styles, and I hope you will all love discovering the music and musicians we'll be covering this year!

Student Reading Assignment:

Impressionism is a style of art that got its start in the 1860's and 1870's in Paris, France. Before this time, artists usually painted indoors and most did not create outdoor scenes or pictures of people doing things they might do every day. Artists like Claude Monet shook up the art world by painting unusual subjects outside. His art used thick brush strokes and he mixed his colors right on the canvas. Many people thought his art looked "unfinished," and this style of art was banned from galleries in Paris.

When you look at an impressionist painting, you might notice the bold strokes of paint. You will probably also notice that these pictures aren't realistic like photographs. They leave with an "impression" of the subject without revealing the whole story. You as the viewer are free to fill in the extra details in your mind.

Famous impressionist painters include Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Mary Cassatt, Degas, Pissaro, and Renoir.

Take a moment to peek at some of their art here.

Impressionism in music embodies many of the same qualities as impressionist art. Impressionist composers paint with tone colors and leave the listener with an idea about their subject. You as a listener are free to fill in the rest of the picture in your own imagination. Some of the composers we will be studying this year include Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Albeniz, Granados, Satie, and Scriabin.

Our first listening assignment will be "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" by Claude Debussy, written in 1910. Listen to this piece several times and draw your "impression." What do you think the blonde-haired girl in the piece is doing? Be ready to share one thing about the music you observed.