Choosing music for a student / Knowing what's available

[Bob]

I'm thinking in text....

How do you choose pieces for a student?  ->>> From scratch?  How do you choose from scratch?

A list maybe?  Graded.....   Then how to find the music?  And a good edition.   But conveniently.



Any other thoughts?

[bernhard]

Let them choose.

If they don´t have a clue, give them a CD with a selection of pieces you like, and hope that they like it too.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

P.S. In academical circles, there is something known as the "Standard Repertory", so for most of these academic fellows your question is meningless. No one chooses anything: they just go through the list. (One of the reasons in competitions everyone is forever playing the same pieces).

[amanfang]

What level are you talking about? 

In jr high and high school, my teacher used the Alfred Masterworks Classics books edited by Jane MaGrath.  Levels 1-10 were available, and you can get them all now with cd.  Each book contains baroque-modern.  There are a lot of books like this out there.  Get some sort of anthology or collection with a recording.  THen as Berhard says, send them home with the book and cd and have them mark the pieces that sound appealing to them.

[phil13]

P.S. In academical circles, there is something known as the "Standard Repertory", so for most of these academic fellows your question is meningless. No one chooses anything: they just go through the list. (One of the reasons in competitions everyone is forever playing the same pieces).

What is this 'Standard repertory'? Do you have a link or a list of the works?

Phil

[amanfang]

This is always an option....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0253336465/sr=8-1/qid=1152742772/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9303220-7781557?ie=UTF8

[pianistimo]

i still have to get that book.  thanks to pianoforum - i've got the graded syllabus (and before that MTNA's) and yet there are always new works coming out.  don't forget the trips to the music store just for fun.  (and don't take ur own children if you really want to browse).  i've picked up stuff i never intended to buy and have invariably used it somewhere.  though buying 'treat' items is probably better at the dollar store - but it won't have musical logos - so you can end up losing money on those items - but they are nice. 

you can spend a lot of money on music - so make sure you get teacher discounts or just tell your students what books to buy and where to go.  ordering works well. 

music libraries are fantastic because you can try out some of the music at your leisure after copying a few pages.  if you like it - and it fits the student level - then you can buy it. 

something i've come to think over the years is that piano lessons have often been such a lonely affair.  practice alone - perform alone.  i think every student should also have some sort of chamber experience.  whether piano duet/trio or learning also about accompanying voice/instrument.  i think we should try to integrate piano students into many performance experiences.  often, when a student has a degree of 'responsibility' for a situation - they'll progress a lot.  i felt that way with church hymn accompanying and choir rehearsals and performances.  even if a choir already has an accompanist - encourage students to sit by this person and turn pages or fill in when they are not there. 

ok. back to knowing what repertoire is available...maybe going to recitals and seeing what's popular.  some students don't want to be playing clementi sonatas if their friends are doing something mroe interesting.

say, besides piano forum - you can get cd's of sheet music.  much cheaper way to buy!

[mschopinliszt]

Another great resource is the book called 'The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature', edited by Jane McGrath.  As it states on the front, *an invaluable resource of Piano Literature from baroque through Contemporary periods for teachers, students and performers*.  It gives summaries of works at  all levels appropriate for the intermediate to advanced student. 

Here's a short list of some of my favorites [though some are overplayed!] for this level:
Villa-Lobos: Oh Polichinelle
Grieg: March of the Dwarfs
Haydn: Gypsy Rondo
Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
Khatchaturian: Toccata
Debussy: Dr Graddus ad Parnassum
Schumann: Aufschwung and Knecht Ruprect
Prokofiev: Prelude in C
Bach: P&F C minor, G Major, d minor
Burgmuller: The Storm
Chopin: Waltz in a minor [posthumous]
Most of the above are pretty flashy and impressive...and not too difficult for the intermediate/adv. student.

There are tons more... the above mentioned book lists more than i can remember!

MsChopin.