Songs & Verses

As we approach the new year, I invite you to continue to find some fun and funny moments to share in your music making. We intend to do just that in 2020!–Life is too short to be stressed out over making mistakes at the piano and worrying about playing everything perfectly all the time. And, […]

Percussion & Chords

This week’s homework is about listening…You are invited to listen and watch a performance of a Percussion Concerto…on YouTube. I learned about the piece and the performance options from one of my piano students. Check out the Percussion Concerto by composer Jennifer Higdon. See if you can recognize some of the chords/harmonies. Among the instruments […]

All About Sound Effects & Chords

This week’s homework is all about sound effects and chords. See if you can hear the blues theme that dominates the work in William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony. Listen for the style of the harmonization. Then listen to the music of Florence Price, Harry Burleigh, Antonin Dvorak, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. Note: The spirituals […]

Piano Accompaniment Chords

For this week’s homework, see if you can find out some names of chords found in various piano accompaniment scores. We mentioned “accompaniment” briefly in yesterday’s episode on CMajor Before The Show. I’ve been invited…to help out with recitals this year. On an extra episode of the CMajor Radio Show, I’ll be rehearsing some accompaniment […]

Holiday 10

Thank you for listening to CMajor’s Holiday 10! Please see our list of picks below and happy holidays: Underneath the Tree Please Come Home for Christmas Do They Know It’s Christmas Cozy Little Christmas What Christmas Means to Me You Make It Feel Like Christmas Believe The Christmas Waltz Cold December Night Carol of the […]