A musician of rare artistry, the self-effacing yet charismatic Yo-Yo Ma connects with his audiences with startling effectiveness. He remains devoted to the classical repertoire yet has long roved far beyond the Western classical music canon. Despite his real superstar status and thriving solo career, he has often sought out musicians outside the classical sphere and collaborated with them on fascinating recordings. Above all, he is committed to the ever-evolving musical odyssey of his Silk Road Ensemble, itself part of a broader Silk Road Project aiming to explore the deep and varied artistic connections between East and West. Ma's legions of admirers seek out his musical genius in his recordings. Here they can become acquainted with the energetic and charming Ma himself and trace the trajectory of his unique and distinguished career.

Canada’s Prince Edward Island is home to one of the oldest and most vibrant fiddling traditions in North America. First established by Scottish immigrants in the late eighteenth century, it incorporated the influence of a later wave of Irish immigrants as well as the unique rhythmic sensibilities of the Acadian French, the Island’s first European inhabitants. In Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler, renowned musician and folklorist Ken Perlman combines oral history, ethnography, and musical insight to present a captivating portrait of Prince Edward Island fiddling and its longstanding importance to community life. Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler draws heavily on interviews conducted with 150 fiddlers and other “Islanders”—including singers, dancers, music instructors, community leaders, and event organizers—whose memories span decades. The book thus colorfully brings to life a time not so very long ago when virtually any occasion—a wedding, harvest, house warming, holiday, or the need to raise money for local institutions such as schools and churchs—was sufficient excuse to hold a dance, with the fiddle player at the center of the celebration. Perlman explores how fiddling skills and traditions were learned and passed down through the generations and how individual fiddlers honed their distinctive playing styles. He also examines the Island’s history and material culture, fiddlers’ values and attitudes, the role of radio and recordings, the fiddlers’ repertoire, fiddling contests, and the ebb and flow of the fiddling tradition, including efforts over the last few decades to keep the music alive in the face of modernization and the passing of “old-timers.” Rounding out the book is a rich array of photographs, musical examples, dance diagrams, and a discography. The inaugural volume in the Charles K. Wolfe American Music Series, Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler is, in the words of series editor Ted Olson, “clearly among the more significant studies of a local North American music tradition to be published in recent years.”

Titles: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations (Shinichi Suzuki) * French Folk Song (Folk Song) * Lightly Row (Folk Song) * Song of the Wind (Folk Song) * Go Tell Aunt Rhody (Folk Song) * O Come, Little Children (Folk Song) * May Song (Folk Song) * Allegro (Shinichi Suzuki) * Perpetual Motion in D Major (Shinichi Suzuki) * Perpetual Motion in G Major (Shinichi Suzuki) * Long, Long Ago (T.H. Bayly) * Allegretto (Shinichi Suzuki) * Andantino (Shinichi Suzuki) * Rigadoon (H. Purcell) * Etude (Shinichi Suzuki) * The Happy Farmer from Album for the Young, Op. 68, No. 10 (R. Schumann) * Minuet in C, No. 11 in G Major from Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, BWV 841 (J.S. Bach) * Minuet No. 2 from Minuet in G Major, BWV 116 (J.S. Bach).
This title is available in SmartMusic.

Strings teaching and learning has tended to emphasize performance rather than the quality of experience for the children. School instruction has become rigid and focused on technical accuracy. Alternative teaching strategies must be pursued in order to provide a challenging yet enjoyable experience of playing and learning the bowed string instruments for students. Applying Flow Theory to Strings Education in P-12 and Community Schools: Emerging Research and Opportunities offers a comprehensive reference for string teachers and learners of the instruments in P-12 and community schools to understand the conceptual framework of flow theory-based strings pedagogy. This book addresses critical issues to facilitate children's musical flow and the elements required to construct the pedagogy. Featuring a range of topics such as alternative assessment, musical pedagogy, and teacher training, this book is essential for music teachers, band directors, instructional designers, academicians, educational professionals, administrators, researchers, and students.

A book that clearly explains the principles of jazz soloing. Logically organized, with hundreds of musical examples, this method is the result of many years of Ted's teaching and research.