Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMary Cohen has contributed so much towards new ideas in teaching materials and this is another brain wave come to fruition. She has found 14 contemporary composers to contribute elementary pieces to the repertoire along with their birth dates, and some of their favourite things, such as puddings, film, hobbies etc. This is a humanising touch that will hopefully bring composers as a breed more to life for students. It is such a good idea to introduce contemporary writing in the earliest stages of learning…..They are all well written and comprise a number of different styles including tango, fandango, descriptive/narrative and reel. Each piece contains one or two technical or musical points of interest. Some examples are cross rhythms:6/4, 3/4; 4/8, 5/8 alternating; string crossing; ties across bar lines; etc. There is very little out of first position, but the last piece contains a lot of third position and other relative complexities as a challenge at the end f the book. Two of the pieces are for violin alone. I will certainly be using this in my teaching.
European String Teachers Association, Winter 2006
Table of ContentsStorm at sea (Ned bennett);Time wars Mary Cohen; Waves of thought (Charles Dickie); Floating (Jonathan Girling); Redwood reel ( Paul Hart); Leapfrog (Matthew Hindson) **Trinity Guildhall selected piece: Violin syllabus 2010-2012; Winter walk (Thomas Hewitt Jones); Sunday on fifth avenue (Cecelia McDowell); Thoughts by the rocky stream (Eddie McGuire); Jumping jive (Christine Myers); Reinvention (Richard Peat); The solidier and the dancer (Julia Usher); Folk song (Huw Watkins); Fandango and tango! (Sarah Watts)
