Kayla’s Navigator
Spring, 2025
Writing for winds
Listening to some cool music for winds to prepart for our next composition project; works and methods are found here HERE
Portamento
String Quartets
Getting to know the string quartet literature; HERE
Musicianship
Here is a brief introduction to this methodology. Portamento
These are the initial stages of a wonderfully old-fashioned but highly flexible approach to teaching theory, keyboard skills, and (to the extent we want it to). The complete set of exercises can be found HERE.
we will at first not be using notation, though you may write out your baseline
don't worry, we'll write down plenty of notes in the future
Phase 1
1a | in two keys (neither C)
1b | in two keys (neither C)
LH : do-re-mi-fa-sol-(sol)-do
RH: diatonic triads least motion voicings, constant with the bass
Fluent labeling of the triads (RQI & RN)
1b | in two keys (neither C)
LH : do-ti-la-sol-(sol)-do
RH: diatonic triads least motion voicings
Fluent labeling of the triads (RQI & RN)
Phase 2
2a | in three keys (including the two from Phase 1)
LH : do-re-me-fa-sol-(sol)-do in two keys,
RH: diatonic triads least motion voicings
Fluent labeling of the triads (RQI & RN)
2b | in three keys (including the two from Phase 1)
LH : do-te-le-sol-(sol)-do in two keys,
RH: diatonic triads least motion voicings
Fluent labeling of the triads (RQI & RN)
Analysis
Roman numeral and phrase/cadence analysis (RNPC) of the fsi movement of the 3rd Piano Sonata of Haydn
A real question here is HOW will you present/represent your analysis:
hand written on a copy of the score?
in Musescore?
something more abstract, like Schenkerian analysis?
or something less abstract, but more dynamic, like this analysis I use when teaching more deeply into sonata form
After you do you rough RNPC ‘tagging’ we’ll talk about how to make these decisions.
Expanding our Repertoire
Some music here just for listening. Given your study of the piano, I think a good starting point for some work on history and context would be just listening and talking about some repertoire for piano
This may lead to some analysis work, but for now, we'll just talk through them in our lesson time, but after you've listened in advance.
It's also a nice change of gear after keyboard work
Haydn Sonata No 24 in D major, Hob XVI-24
Debussy Estampes, L.100
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfYEkk9nir4 (fabulous little lecture on the piece
Ligeti
l'escalier du diable :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLam2O3gtY
ricercate #7 :: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXsRlMneOS0
Boyce : piano music
Five Polite Waltzes is the first piece I wrote that has remained ‘in the catalog.’
Here are some videos of pieces of mine for solo piano; there are links to many videos on that page, and you are free to poke around if you want.
This is a longer collection of audio recordings of music for solo piano
Resources
musictheory.net is a fairly flexible and comprehensive site for drilling, even in it’s free form.
Rob Hutchinson’s Music Theory for the 21st Century Classroom has most everything you’ll bump into. It’s not very exciting, but it’s clear and tidy in its design and its logic.
possible future work
warp and weft
texture as the lost technics of composition
pocket Botstein
a way to hear the 20th century
Better Know Your Sonatas
Be a baller like Clementi; Understand the difference between form and structure