Mozart's emergence as a mature artist coincides with the rise to prominence of the piano, an instrument that came alive under his fingers and served as medium for many of his finest compositions. In Mozart's Piano Music, William Kinderman reconsiders common assumptions about Mozart's life and art while offering comprehensive and incisive commentary on the solo music and concertos. After placing Mozart's pianistic legacy in its larger biographical and cultural context, Kinderman addresses the lively gestural and structural aspects of Mozart's musical language and explores the nature of his creative process. Incorporating the most recent research throughout this encompassing study, Kinderman expertly surveys each of the major genres of the keyboard music, including the four-hand and two-piano works. Beyond examining issues such as Mozart's earliest childhood compositions, his musical rhetoric and expression, the social context of his Viennese concertos, and affinities between his piano works and operas, Kinderman's main emphasis falls on detailed discussion of selected individual compositions.

Master musical skills quickly and easily! From classical music to new age, hard rock, and pop, music has always played an important role in everyday life. Whether you're an intermediate musician or an aspiring music major, The Everything Essential Music Theory Book is a guide to mastering one of the most important tools for every musician: musical understanding. This compact, portable volume covers all the basics, including: The construction of chords and scales How to understand rhythm and time signatures How keys are identified and organized Creating harmonization and melody With each clear and easy-to-understand chapter, musician and educator Marc Schonbrun takes you through the essentials of music theory--the very glue that holds music together.

El Sistema - "the system" - is a music education phenomenon. Since its inception 40 years ago, over a million Venezuelan children from many different socio-economic backgrounds have participated in its mission of "social change through music". This book therefore offers practical information for those seeking knowledge, inspiration or guidance for adapting El Sistema to widely divergent socio-economic settings, particularly within the USA. Designed as a collection of essays, it explores the voices and experiences of teachers, leaders, parents, and experts from related fields with the hope of inspiring actions, both large and small, to advance social change through music.

Following on the heels of his Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble, John F. Colson takes students to the next level in conducting practice with Rehearsing: Critical Connections for the Instrumental Music Conductor. Colson draws together the critical connections for those seeking to become fully capable and self-assured instrumental music conductors. As he argues, too often conductor training programs treat the problems and challenges of the rehearsal-perhaps the single most critical element in any effort to achieve competency as a conductor-as secondary. Colson supplies the missing link for conductors looking for advice that allows them to complete their training for reaching complete competency as a conductor. He demonstrates throughout the specific connections that the advanced conductor must know and regularly employ-connections that few, if any, other works on the art of conducting address or bring together. One connection, for example, illustrates the joining of music imagery, inner singing, and conducting technique to score study. Throughout, these connections describe the nitty-gritty of what it really takes to stand up in front of an instrumental music ensemble and successfully rehearse in order to achieve its highest performance level. Also, Colson argues and demonstrates the pitfalls of the commonly mistaken assumption among instrumental music conductors that score study alone is sufficient to prepare them for the rehearsal process. This grave error is regularly belied by the fact that a number of other steps precede the actual rehearsal process, from the use of instrumental pedagogy during the rehearsal process to teaching through performance concepts. Colson's work addresses the entire rehearsing process thoroughly and authoritatively.

This book will prove to be of inestimable value to the student, the teacher and the professional trumpet player. It not only traces the development of the trumpet from the earliest times to the present day, but gives clear and concise practical instruction for playing instruments of the trumpet family, with numerous musical examples. Both experienced and aspiring trumpeters will be guided from the basic elements to the rediscovery of forgotten skills of the past. These include not only conventional trumpet and cornet playing but also directions regarding the art of "Clarino" playing with further instructions for Baroque trumpet, Renaissance cornetto, cavalry trumpet, bugle, coach horn, Flatt-trumpet, slide trumpet, keyed-trumpet, keyed bugle, cornopean, mutes and many more - all with photographic illustration. The history and mechanisms of even the most obscure instruments are examined, and guidance is also offered upon attitudes to breathing, relaxation, posture, presentation and the important subject of choosing a mouthpiece.Exercises are suggested for extending range and stamina and guidance provided to solving the problems encountered by many players at some time in their careers.

Following on the heels of his Conducting and Rehearsing the Instrumental Music Ensemble, John F. Colson takes students to the next level in conducting practice with Rehearsing: Critical Connections for the Instrumental Music Conductor. Colson draws together the critical connections for those seeking to become fully capable and self-assured instrumental music conductors. As he argues, too often conductor training programs treat the problems and challenges of the rehearsal-perhaps the single most critical element in any effort to achieve competency as a conductor-as secondary. Colson supplies the missing link for conductors looking for advice that allows them to complete their training for reaching complete competency as a conductor. He demonstrates throughout the specific connections that the advanced conductor must know and regularly employ-connections that few, if any, other works on the art of conducting address or bring together. One connection, for example, illustrates the joining of music imagery, inner singing, and conducting technique to score study. Throughout, these connections describe the nitty-gritty of what it really takes to stand up in front of an instrumental music ensemble and successfully rehearse in order to achieve its highest performance level. Also, Colson argues and demonstrates the pitfalls of the commonly mistaken assumption among instrumental music conductors that score study alone is sufficient to prepare them for the rehearsal process. This grave error is regularly belied by the fact that a number of other steps precede the actual rehearsal process, from the use of instrumental pedagogy during the rehearsal process to teaching through performance concepts. Colson's work addresses the entire rehearsing process thoroughly and authoritatively.

The Italian singing technique Bel Canto instructs, "He who knows how to breathe and how to pronounce, knows how to sing." Singing: The First Art incorporates the techniques of Bel Canto along with those of masters like Berton Coffin and Manuel Garcia to promote and facilitate vocal excellence. Many concepts are described, from correct posture and alignment to improving and maintaining proper breathing, from good pronunciation and diction to producing an even, pure tone, and from vocal ranges to singing within and smoothly shifting between vocal registers. Mannes Vocal Faculty member Dan H. Marek effectively breaks down these complicated concepts with clear exercises, helping the vocal student to achieve freedom and complete control over his or her instrument. A primary section on the history of singing stresses the importance of understanding vocal history while inspiring and motivating the student through the experiences of opera stars such as Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas, and Jussi Bjoerling. The second section explains vocal techniques, including the use and proper pronunciation of the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), and provides 64 specific exercises with clearly defined goals designed to overcome faults and to develop vocal virtuosity. Complete instructions for transposing the exercises for both male and female voices are included, as well as drawings of the exercises, musical examples from vocal literature, excellent anatomical illustrations by Frank Netter, MD, and copious photographs of opera stars. Singing: The First Art is an invaluable text for students, professionals, singers, conductors, composers, and vocal medical professionals, or anyone interested in understanding and appreciating the vocal art.

What does it mean to perform expressively on the cello? In Cello Practice, Cello Performance, professor Miranda Wilson teaches that effectiveness on the concert stage or in an audition reflects the intensity, efficiency, and organization of your practice. Far from being a mysterious gift randomly bestowed on a lucky few, successful cello performance is, in fact, a learnable skill that any player can master. Most other instructional works for cellists address techniques for each hand individually, as if their movements were independent. In Cello Practice, Cello Performance, Wilson demonstrates that the movements of the hands are vitally interdependent, supporting and empowering one another in any technical action. Original exercises in the fundamentals of cello playing include cross-lateral exercises, mindful breathing, and one of the most detailed discussions of intonation in the cello literature. Wilson translates this practice-room success to the concert hall through chapters on performance-focused practice, performance anxiety, and common interpretive challenges of cello playing. This book is a resource for all advanced cellists-college-bound high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, educators, and professional performers-and teaches them how to be their own best teachers.

The art of singing is constantly evolving and reflecting our changing world, proving the importance of versatility for opening oneself to other cultures and styles, enriching the experience of communicating with the human voice, and most importantly, enjoying more opportunities for professional performance. While singers explore the myriad ways to communicate emotion and ideas, they experiment with different timbres, instruments, languages, and musical genres. As situations vary, the demands on the voice as a musical instrument, and the act of singing itself, must be modified. In this follow up to her 1999 volume, The Professional Vocalist, author Rachel L. Lebon continues to give expert advice on the singing profession, describing the musical and vocal adjustments essential to becoming a versatile vocalist. She addresses proprioception, the kinesthetic feedback, vocal adjustments associated with "crossing over" and exploring new sounds and styles, and performing authentically within contrasting performance situations. Many facets of performance are considered: differing venues from small studios or clubs to large concert halls; singing acoustically or with sound reinforcement; singing in various styles of music be it commercial, popular, jazz, or classical; and varieties of instrumental accompaniment whether a single instrument, a small ensemble, a full orchestra with strings, a big band with horns blaring, or rock bands with wailing guitars. The book discusses factors that influence vocal approaches, including recording studio technology, live sound reinforcement, speech, language, and microphone styles and their affect on musical genres. Practical aspects of music preparation, song learning, rehearsal techniques, and achieving vocal longevity are given, as well as "real world" strategies and advice from Lebon and other working professionals.

In Singing in Greek: A Guide to Greek Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire, Lydia Zervanos reveals to singers the vast riches of Greek vocal music. Dating back to 1770, Greek art music-following the Western European styles, often drawing on themes from folk music and motifs-long awaits its rightful place in a truly international vocal repertoire. Modern singers in search of new musical opportunities will find in Singing in Greek the necessary tools to locate and perform art songs and arias from this extensive national vocal repertoire. Concisely written and full of practical advice, the book opens with an introduction to the Greek alphabet and pronunciation, navigating the assignment of International Phonetic Alphabet symbols. Zervanos covers such topics as Greek vowels, digraphs, consonants, binary consonants, consonant combinations, palatalization, basic Greek grammatical concepts and their role in stress and length, syllabification, and punctuation-all separated into easily referenced chapters and supported by online recordings of native Greek opera singers. In the second half of Singing in Greek, Zervanos offers a short history of Greek art music, biographies of prominent Greek composers, texts of their most representative works with IPA transcriptions, and word-for-word and poetic translations, with arias and art songs chosen for all voice types and levels. This book also includes indexes of direct vowel-to-IPA and consonant-to-IPA transcriptions, as well as useful appendixes on publications, organizations, and famous Greek poets. Singing in Greek is a must-have resource for every singer, voice teacher, vocal coach, collaborative pianist, and opera and choral conductor seeking to perform and teach in this unique language, explore the wealth of music available, and expand their knowledge of Greek repertoire.

In The 21st-Century Voice: Contemporary and Traditional Extra-Normal Voice, Michael Edward Edgerton considers contemporary vocal techniques within an acoustic and anatomical framework. Throughout, he proposes new directions for vocal exploration. Much more than a historical treatise on 20th-century masterworks or vocal science, The 21st-Century Voice explores experimental methods of sound production, offering a systematic series of approaches and methods for assessing, engaging, and, in some instances, overcoming the assumed limits of vocal singing. Appearing a decade after the publication of the first edition, this second edition draws on and advances our current understandings of voice production. Divided into four parts-air flow, source, resonance/articulation, and heightened potentials-Edgerton considers crucial matters affecting vocal production, such as 1.Registral challenges 2.Filtering 3.Airflow modification 4.Combinatorial, multiphonic principles 5.Extreme voice possibilities 6.Multidimensional vocal issues With more than 250 illustrations, 150 associated audio tracks, an extended appendix on voice science, a glossary of key terms, and lists of representative compositions, The 21st-Century Voice will appeal to composers and performers interested in exploring the ever-broadening range of vocal possibilities. Its engagement with the complexities of vocal production should also be relevant to students and scholars of voice science, acoustics, linguistics, computer modeling, and more.

This guide to the piano literature for the one-handed pianist surveys over 2,100 individual piano pieces which include not only concert literature but pedagogical pieces as well. Following the introduction are four chapters cataloguing original works for the right hand alone, original works for the left hand alone, music arranged or transcribed for one hand alone, and concerted works for one hand in concert with other pianists, instruments, or voices. Each entry assesses the individual composition, its quality, its difficulty, its particular appeal, and its uses with the composer's name, dates, and nationality, where possible. Also included is a selected discography of commercially produced phonodiscs, compact discs, and cassettes.

Instructors and pianists alike will appreciate this exhaustive guide to one-handed piano music. To aid further research, a bibliography of books, articles, and theses about the literature is provided along with a chapter that lists the contents of thirty-six anthologies devoted to one-handed piano music. This unique reference also includes an index.

In The 21st-Century Voice: Contemporary and Traditional Extra-Normal Voice, Michael Edward Edgerton considers contemporary vocal techniques within an acoustic and anatomical framework. Throughout, he proposes new directions for vocal exploration. Much more than a historical treatise on 20th-century masterworks or vocal science, The 21st-Century Voice explores experimental methods of sound production, offering a systematic series of approaches and methods for assessing, engaging, and, in some instances, overcoming the assumed limits of vocal singing. Appearing a decade after the publication of the first edition, this second edition draws on and advances our current understandings of voice production. Divided into four parts-air flow, source, resonance/articulation, and heightened potentials-Edgerton considers crucial matters affecting vocal production, such as 1.Registral challenges 2.Filtering 3.Airflow modification 4.Combinatorial, multiphonic principles 5.Extreme voice possibilities 6.Multidimensional vocal issues With more than 250 illustrations, 150 associated audio tracks, an extended appendix on voice science, a glossary of key terms, and lists of representative compositions, The 21st-Century Voice will appeal to composers and performers interested in exploring the ever-broadening range of vocal possibilities. Its engagement with the complexities of vocal production should also be relevant to students and scholars of voice science, acoustics, linguistics, computer modeling, and more.

The art of singing is constantly evolving and reflecting our changing world, proving the importance of versatility for opening oneself to other cultures and styles, enriching the experience of communicating with the human voice, and most importantly, enjoying more opportunities for professional performance. While singers explore the myriad ways to communicate emotion and ideas, they experiment with different timbres, instruments, languages, and musical genres. As situations vary, the demands on the voice as a musical instrument, and the act of singing itself, must be modified. In this follow up to her 1999 volume, The Professional Vocalist, author Rachel L. Lebon continues to give expert advice on the singing profession, describing the musical and vocal adjustments essential to becoming a versatile vocalist. She addresses proprioception, the kinesthetic feedback, vocal adjustments associated with 'crossing over' and exploring new sounds and styles, and performing authentically within contrasting performance situations. Many facets of performance are considered: differing venues_from small studios or clubs to large concert halls; singing acoustically or with sound reinforcement; singing in various styles of music_be it commercial, popular, jazz, or classical; and varieties of instrumental accompaniment_whether a single instrument, a small ensemble, a full orchestra with strings, a big band with horns blaring, or rock bands with wailing guitars. The book discusses factors that influence vocal approaches, including recording studio technology, live sound reinforcement, speech, language, and microphone styles and their affect on musical genres. Practical aspects of music preparation, song learning, rehearsal techniques, and achieving vocal longevity are given, as well as 'real world' strategies and advice from Lebon and other working professionals.

You can now teach yourself to play the piano, even though you have never taken a lesson. Teach yourself to play the piano and progress at your own pace! Covers the basic fundamentals of piano playing in a concise and logical fashion. Its appealing music will encourage you to play every day. Features: Rhythms made simple; How to form the most important chords; Finger aerobics help to make playing easier; Techniques of playing with feeling and expression; Step-by-step approach to learning the entire keyboard; Letter-notes provide and easy introduction to reading music. The Enhanced CD for this book contains great audio accompaniments you can play on your stereo and doubles as an interactive and fun multimedia learning tool that works on any Windows-compatible PC. The song player shows you exactly how each song should be played, lets you customize the audio levels, adjust playback tempo, and even record your own performance! CD-ROM is for Windows & Macintosh.

Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Instrumental Music is a long awaited compilation of best practices for instrumental music education. This unique book contains practical and pedagogically oriented chapters written by leaders in the field of instrumental music education. Designed for instrumental music teachers or for use in instrumental methods courses, the book covers a wide range of topics, such as: *student readiness for instrumental music *beginning an instrumental music program *teaching instrumental music at the intermediate and advanced levels *working with strings and orchestras *motivating students *incorporating improvisation into the curriculum *selecting repertoire based on curricular goals *engaging students in assessment *marching band pedagogy and techniques *integrating technology *considering "traditional" instrumental music practice *becoming an instrumental music teacher *communicating effectively with stakeholders Contributions by James Ancona and Heidi Sarver, Kimberly Ackney and Colleen Conway, Christopher Azzara, William Bauer and Rick Dammers, Brian Bersh, Suzanne Burton & Rick Townsend, Patricia Campbell and Lee Higgins, Robert Gardner, Richard Grunow, Mike Hewitt and Bret Smith, Dan Isbell, Nate Kruse, Chad Nicholson, Alden Snell, and David Stringham.

In A Notebook for Viola Players, Ivo-Jan van der Werff offers a guide to playing the viola with the greatest freedom, dexterity, and ease. It includes right and left hand exercises to build a sound technique, sections on how to practice them, how to hold the viola and bow, how to think about good posture, how to create a good sound, how to play with the least amount of tension, how to deal with anxiety, and thoughts on wellness and practice techniques. Alongside these are photographs and a companion website of video demonstrations of the exercises played by the author, as if in a lesson. Interspersed throughout the book are lively and illuminating anecdotes of van der Werff's own experiences as a student and as a professional musician, as well as a number of blank pages and staff paper for the student to literally 'make notes' and write down their own ideas, offering a space for creative expression using the skills they learn in reading and playing along with the text. Bringing together decades of teaching and performance experience from one of the most respected figures in viola pedagogy, A Notebook for Viola Players is a master class in viola ideal for any player hoping to perfect the fundamental areas of their practice.

In Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media, professor, composer, arranger, and producer Michael Zager describes the process of composing and arranging music specifically for commercials across the growing variety of media formats. Writing music for commercials requires composers not only learn the craft of writing short-form compositions that can stand on their own, but also understand the advertising business. In this third edition of his original Writing Music for Television and Radio Commericals, Zager walks starting composers through the business and art of writing music that aims for a product's target audience and, when done well, hits its mark. Chapter by chapter, Zager covers a broad array of topics: how to approach and analyze commercials from a specifically musical perspective, the range of compositional techniques for underscoring and composing jingles, the standard expectations and techniques for arranging and orchestration, and finally the composing of music for radio commercials, corporate videos, infomercials, theatrical trailers, video games, Internet commercials, websites, and web series (webisodes). This third edition has been updated to include more in-depth analysis of the changing landscape of music writing for modern media, with critical information on composing not only for the Web but for mobile applications, from video-driven advertising in online newspapers to electronic greeting cards. Zager also includes new interviews with industry professionals, updated business information, the latest sound design concepts, and much more. Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media features: *Easy-to-read chapters for beginning and intermediate music composition students *Over a hundred graphics and musical examples *Interviews with industry professionals *An assortment of assignments to train and test readers, preparing them for the world of writing music for various media *Online audio samples that illustrate the book's principles Writing Music for Commercials is designed not only for composers but for students and professionals at every level.

In Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media, professor, composer, arranger, and producer Michael Zager describes the process of composing and arranging music specifically for commercials across the growing variety of media formats. Writing music for commercials requires composers not only learn the craft of writing short-form compositions that can stand on their own, but also understand the advertising business. In this third edition of his original Writing Music for Television and Radio Commericals, Zager walks starting composers through the business and art of writing music that aims for a product's target audience and, when done well, hits its mark. Chapter by chapter, Zager covers a broad array of topics: how to approach and analyze commercials from a specifically musical perspective, the range of compositional techniques for underscoring and composing jingles, the standard expectations and techniques for arranging and orchestration, and finally the composing of music for radio commercials, corporate videos, infomercials, theatrical trailers, video games, Internet commercials, websites, and web series (webisodes). This third edition has been updated to include more in-depth analysis of the changing landscape of music writing for modern media, with critical information on composing not only for the Web but for mobile applications, from video-driven advertising in online newspapers to electronic greeting cards. Zager also includes new interviews with industry professionals, updated business information, the latest sound design concepts, and much more. Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media features: *Easy-to-read chapters for beginning and intermediate music composition students *Over a hundred graphics and musical examples *Interviews with industry professionals *An assortment of assignments to train and test readers, preparing them for the world of writing music for various media *Online audio samples that illustrate the book's principles Writing Music for Commercials is designed not only for composers but for students and professionals at every level.

Engaging Musical Practices: A Sourcebook for Instrumental Music is a long awaited compilation of best practices for instrumental music education. This unique book contains practical and pedagogically oriented chapters written by leaders in the field of instrumental music education. Designed for instrumental music teachers or for use in instrumental methods courses, the book covers a wide range of topics, such as: *student readiness for instrumental music *beginning an instrumental music program *teaching instrumental music at the intermediate and advanced levels *working with strings and orchestras *motivating students *incorporating improvisation into the curriculum *selecting repertoire based on curricular goals *engaging students in assessment *marching band pedagogy and techniques *integrating technology *considering "traditional" instrumental music practice *becoming an instrumental music teacher *communicating effectively with stakeholders Contributions by James Ancona and Heidi Sarver, Kimberly Ackney and Colleen Conway, Christopher Azzara, William Bauer and Rick Dammers, Brian Bersh, Suzanne Burton & Rick Townsend, Patricia Campbell and Lee Higgins, Robert Gardner, Richard Grunow, Mike Hewitt and Bret Smith, Dan Isbell, Nate Kruse, Chad Nicholson, Alden Snell, and David Stringham.

The Suzuki Method of Talent Education is based on Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's view that every child is born with ability, and that man is the son of his environment. According to Dr. Suzuki, a world-renowned violinist and teacher, the greatest joy an adult can know comes from developing a child's potential so he/she can express all that is harmonious and best in human beings. Students are taught using the "mother-tongue" approach. Suzuki Viola School materials include: Viola Parts (Vol. 1-7) * Piano Accompaniments (Vol. 1-7) * Cassettes (Vol. 1-7 performed by Bill Preucil). Suzuki Method Core Materials available for piano, violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, harp, guitar, and recorder.