Sharon Hatton has had a look at some new and soon to be released books from Willis Music. Two new great repertoire books and a COMPLETE Gillock collection!
Sharon Hatton is a piano teacher based on the Central Coast, NSW and teaches out of her private studio, The Piano Bug Music School. She also teaches at the Central Coast Conservatorium. She received a year of free piano lessons at the age of 5 when her Kindergarten teacher discovered that she was playing tunes on the classroom piano by ear. This kicked off her whole journey of learning and playing the piano, ultimately leading her to teaching piano for nearly 24 years now. She loves inspiring her own students to enjoy and grow in their piano learning and musical journeys. Musical learning is indeed a lifelong journey!
Dreams and Imagination
Carolyn Miller
10 beautiful pieces that are exactly as the title suggests. The descriptive titles help students to play with expression. These pieces would be wonderful to help the student master a range of dynamics. The styles represented in the book is also impressive, with “Beautiful Day” being a dreamy ballade, “The Lonely Castle” sounding like it’s straight out of a movie soundtrack and the joyful and jazzy, “Walking on Air”, is a pleasure to play.
They sound more difficult than they are to learn which makes them a fabulous set of pieces for a recital or simply to play for a grandparent or a relative. The performance notes at the back of the book are excellent for students to refer to as a guide if they were working through these pieces as supplementary pieces.
From the publisher
10 original piano solos perfect for the advancing young pianist needing a little boost. Carolyn’s trademark compositions sound more difficult than they are and these are no exception. Titles: Beautiful Day • Floating on Cloud Nine • Flying on a Broomstick • Fountain in the Garden • The Lonely Castle • Midnight Reverie • Star Gazing • Walking on Air • Whispering Wind • Who’s That Knocking at My Door?
Strange Sounds
10 Bewitching Piano Solos for Recitals
A collection of 10 pieces that are presented in different modes and minor keys. A great way to help students jump that hurdle of ‘scary’ accidentals or dissonant sounds because every one of these pieces just sound so awesome to play for friends and family. Small hands will like playing “Spooky Night”. The styles explored in this collection will suit the preteen crowd too, with pieces sounding like straight out of a favourite book. Students also get a turn at creating their own little strange sounds and writing it down at the end of the book, on a page of printed staff, which is a nice feature to help budding composers along. A personal note from each of the composers in the “Performance Notes” is a nice little touch to add to the stories behind the strange sounds.
From the publisher
Welcome to a world of strange sounds. The 10 unique piano solos in this collection are great for a Halloween-themed recital, but they are also perfect at any time of the year to stimulate imaginations and encourage inventiveness! There’s something for everyone with titles such as: The Cool Skeleton (Carolyn Miller) • Creepy Crocodile (Carolyn C. Setliff) • Escape from the Dark Forest (Randall Hartsell) • The Goblins (Thompson) • A Haunted House (Burnam) • Into the Abyss (Charmaine Siagian) • Lupus Ululat (Jason Sifford) • The Midnight Ball (Naoko Ikeda) • On This Eerie Night (Glenda Austin) • Spooky Night (Gillock).
Accent on Gillock Complete
All Eight Volumes in One
If your teaching studio is a fan of Gillock, (like we are!), you’ll love this collection of all 51 pieces of Gillock in one edition! The volumes are organised progressively, from volume 1 to 8, possibly from Preliminary Level to Grade 4. This will be a great addition to your studio, with a few pieces listed in the AMEB syllabus.
There is a simple arrangement of “Fur Elise” which might suit an early intermediate student who is wanting to learn that classic piece! “German Dance” by Beethoven, being the other arrangement by Gillock
What a great resource for budding composers too, to study the various works of Gillock and learn from 20th century composer of children’s music literature.
From the publisher.
All eight volumes of the Accent on Gillock series in one collection! This newly edited edition features all 51 classic Gillock compositions in progressive order and are freshly engraved. A must-have for every piano studio!
