<![CDATA[An ear-catching mood piece for an Advanced Beginner is a great learning opportunity]]>It was near 11 p.m. last night when my Oregon piano Penpal, Lisa, shot off three PDFs of Kevin Olson’s “Navajo Legend.” They came just as I was sorting through photos of my Landlord’s art work that had been on display in our apartment complex’s communal garage. (A basic storage area for tenants)

The one-day conversion for exhibit purposes by our very own Roger Morgan, caught my eye as I snatched a few beautiful landscapes, intending to import these pics along an iMovie track, but having no clue about choice of musical accompaniment.

For some reason, Bach, Chopin, and Debussy didn’t seem to fit.

Lisa’s serendipitous e-mail about her grandson (and piano student) Collin, having fawned over “Navajo Legend,” suddenly clicked as a possible soundtrack. It could be the perfect match for Roger’s assemblage of paintings.

Meanwhile, I sat down at my Steinway, quickly learned the piece, and parceled out clips for photo embedding. It was well past midnight before I feverishly put the final touch on my movie.

By this morning I had decided that “Navajo” had earned itself a tutorial spotlight because it was a repository of learning opportunities: drawing on awareness of interval recognition, sequences, modal and rhythmic shifts; and finally, demanding sensitive phrasing and dynamic contrasts.

It’s no wonder a teaching video followed my posted performances—one having been specifically designed to accompany a flow of art.

Instruction:

Navajo Legend p1

Navajo Legend p. 2

Navajo p. 3

LINK

https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/an-adult-piano-student-teaches-her-grandson/

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