Huge congratulations to Orla on achieving a full Music Scholarship to both Haberdashers’ Aske’s and Prendergast Schools. Orla plays the piano and French horn and is the recipient of our Junior Achievement Shield for her recent scholarship success! Orla studies piano with Lorraine and learns the French horn at her primary school.
Category: SE22 Piano School
Jazzy Christmas Tunes for Piano Students
The start of the new half-term means it’s officially time to crack(er) out the jazzy Christmas tunes. I must admit I’ve been tempted to try and slip these into lessons back in September but I’ve managed to resist until now! We have 7 lessons coming up until Christmas so there’s plenty of time to get stuck into learning these great tunes.
My favourite book of jazzy Christmas tunes has to be Nikki Iles’s Jazz on a Winter’s Night Vol 1. I Saw Three Ships and In The Bleak Midwinter are my favourite – they’re not your usual jazzy Christmas fayre and they really appeal to my teenage students. I’d recommend this book for students at Grade 3 level and above. If you like this book then you should also look at Volume 2 of Jazz on a Winter’s Night that was published last year. Nikki has also arranged the same tunes from Volume 1 for violinists.
There’s a gorgeous version of Silent Night in A Jazzy Christmas. There’s also a 2nd volume of this book that I’ve just spotted so I’ve placed an order for that. I’ll let you know what it’s like when I’ve had a play through the pieces.
I also love Pam Wedgwood’s After Hours Jazz Christmas. Pam is well known for her compositions aimed at piano learners but this collection really comes into its own with quite challenging arrangements of everyone’s favourite tunes. It’s also very reasonably priced too.
Piano Festival Entries 2019
Here is a list of students that may like to the Clementi Junior Piano Competition in Kensington in March 2019.
Some of you started learning the pieces so do enter soon if you are keen to participate as there are limited numbers per class.
If you have entered the competition but not printed the pieces then I have included the links to the piece to print and bring to each lesson so that you can have it ready in time to perform.
Clementi Competition in Kensington. Class 1. 9 spaces available. [Enter]
Suggested piece to perform: Arietta in C (page 2 of this PDF)
Heidi, Ella W, Scarlett M, Scarlett F, Eleanor, Alexis, Alice, George
Already entered: Theo, Eva
Harpsichord Performance, Non-Competitive for Beginners. 6 spaces available.
Heidi, Ella W, Scarlett M, Scarlett F, Eleanor, Alexis, Alice, George, Theo, Eva
You can also play Arietta in a non-competitive harpsichord event in Bond Street.