Piano Adventures 2B – Gold Star Performance

The Piano Adventures®: Gold Star Performance – Level 2B is an adventurous collection for the late-elementary pianist featuring changing moods, keys, and hand positions. The series offers performance pieces ‘with a challenge.’

This collection may also be used as a graduation book to improve artistic, technical, and rhythmic skills before advancing to the next level. As the title Gold Star suggests, these pieces are especially appropriate for recitals and other musical events.

A broad range of styles are presented to enhance the young musician’s awareness of classical, jazz, folk, and impressionistic sounds. Pieces need not necessarily be taught in the order presented. The Gold Star Performance CD is a discovery in sound for both listening and play-along. Repeated listening, with and without the score, will familiarize students with diverse musical textures and sonorities – an ancient Chinese folk song, a gypsy dance by firelight, a humorous ‘blues’, or a sonatina accompanied with orchestra.

The educational recordings provide more than student demonstration – they provide settings in harmony, style, and rhythm which explore the expressive and dramatic qualities of the piano. Solo piano performances, superlatively performed by Randall and Nancy Faber, are included at the end of the CD. Gold Star characteristics of each piece are listed in the table of contents and a Gold Star music dictionary and certificate conclude the book. G-O-L-D Star Performance: a Guide Offering Lyricism and Drama at the Keyboard!