Dynamic markings have been given as suggestions only. The player should treat each section as having a particular character and bring their own unique interpretation accordingly.
For example, the F minor sections beginning at bars 10, 26 and 44 may be treated more 'dolce' ie: more gently and sweetly, while perhaps the F major sections beginning at bars 32 and 50 may be a little more animated ... or maybe they could be even more thoughtful or pensive. And the return of the main D minor sections may be quite strong and assertive ...
Feel free to try out different possibilities.
Intermediate Level
3rd - 4th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th - 5th Grade ABRSM
2. Random Thoughts
Each section is self-contained and may be regarded as a starting point, a finishing point or anything in between. Suggestions have been given of to where each section can proceed. The player should experiment with different adaptations - the way you like it to sound today may be quite different to the way you would like it to sound tomorrow!
Intermediate Level
3rd - 4th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th - 5th Grade ABRSM
This collection was written for my teenage students, to both inspire and fulfil their emotional and spiritual needs and is dedicated to my beautiful niece Sophie who is the driving force behind so much of my music for teens and honours me with her beautiful and expressive rendering of it.
The Journey through adolescence can be a dark and lonely experience and there is often a tendency for young people to immerse themselves in melancholia. In writing this music, my aim has been to create a balance between allowing the young person to live fully into their emotional life while also giving them a window of light, hope and joy to aspire to and to enrich their psyche.
In this collection, I've also tried to give young people the experience of finding their own voice in the music. This can be intimidating and often a gentle hand is needed to encourage stepping out beyond one's comfort zone. That gentle hand has been extended by making suggestions for dynamics while allowing for and encouraging personal interpretation; by allowing the opportunity for the young person to construct the music in their own way and according to their mood on any particular day; and in providing a step by step walk through rubato - often the most intimidating technique as it requires us to risk so much and put so much of ourselves out there.
As far as possible, I've tried to avoid putting too much suggestion on the actual music as most teens find their voice best with minimal clutter. Instead, performance suggestions are prefaced here and briefly at the beginning of each piece. A supplementary version of 'Swept Away' and of 'Awakening Valentine' is provided at the back of the book so that guidance is possible without overly influencing the student's interpretation.
I've kept the pieces in this collection at an intermediate level as my experience has been that most teens are happy playing at this level - whether more advanced and enjoying some light relief or less advanced and willing to work hard for something they really want to play. The returns or recapitulations of the main themes in one or two of the pieces may be too difficult for some students and where possible I've offered the option of returning to a previous statement or exposition of the theme.
And finally, these pieces have been thoroughly loud tested in my studio and all have been received with joy and shining eyes - even those who tell me they only want sad music want to play these pieces and the reason is in the balance: the sad is there ... but so is hope.
3. Return to Eden
Dynamic markings have been given as suggestions only. Each person will feel the music differently and should play it accordingly.
Intermediate Level
3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th Grade ABRSM
5. Swept Away
I've tried in this piece to walk the player through the application of rubato. At the very least, the suggested tempo changes will give an idea of how the music can be 'tightened' to create a sense of excitement or urgency, or 'stretched' to create a sense of expectation or release.
The suggestions are simply a learning aid, intended to provide guidance and once the technique has been understood, each person should apply their own interpretation. So as not to permanently influence this, the version with suggested tempo changes is included in a supplementary section at the end of the book, leaving a relatively unmarked version in the main body of the album.
Intermediate Level
3rd - 4th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th - - 5th Grade ABRSM
7. Turning The Tide
Here again, I've tried to encourage the player to explore the use of rubato without being too prescriptive. As this piece has a different mood, there is less of the 'rushing or abating wind' feel that characterises 'Swept Away' and more of the subtle 'pause for thought' as has guided my suggestions in 'Awakening Valentine'.
Again, these are only suggestions to encourage exploration and experimentation and each person may feel this piece very differently. Clearly there are two distinct characters or moods portrayed in the different sections of this piece and these should be considered when deciding on what kind of 'light and shade' to apply.
Intermediate - Late Intermediate Level
4th - 5th Grade AMEB/ANCA
5th - 6th Grade ABRSM
4. Breaking Through
Left hand notes should 'sing' pretty much throughout, however there are a few places where the right hand notes can give an effective sound if given more emphasis, such as the first RH notes of bars 2, 4, 6 and their similar returns in bars 13, 15, 17.
Aside from this, any dynamic markings have been given as suggestions only and each person should feel free to bring their own interpretation to the music.
Intermediate Level
3rd - 4th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th - 5th Grade ABRSM
6. Awakening Valentine
As always, the dynamics given are only suggestions, with each person free to explore other options, including the use of rubato to create a sense of poignancy, dreaminess or 'awakening'.
Try some of the suggestions made in the supplementary version, which can be found at the back of this book. Instead of quickening the tempo as in 'Swept Away', I've suggested bringing the tempo back to normal - the idea being to pull the speed back a little at the end of each bar as a preparation to a return to the regular tempo in the next bar.
This will work more effectively in some places than others so don't be too rigid - sometimes an 'access' may work better than 'a tempo' ... sometimes it may feel better to keep the tempo stable - just try out some different combinations and see what feels right.
Intermediate - Late Intermediate Level
4th - 5th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
5th - 6th Grade ABRSM
8. Close To Home
Very few dynamic markings are given here, leaving each person open to interpret the piece as she or he chooses.
It's a 'feel good' piece and a fitting conclusion, I feel, for this collection. I hope you enjoy it!