Description
My goal in creating the Shades of Sound listening and coloring curriculum is to help piano students gain an interest in and a love and appreciation for great classical music.
Aspiring pianists need to know the literature, hear the greats perform, and be inspired and excited by the great music that is available! Just as writers need to read, pianists need to listen! Through this fun and engaging curriculum, students will learn about the great composers and their works. Listening repertoire selected includes selections from the solo piano literature, as well as piano and orchestra literature, and orchestral works.
My hope is that students can add just 5-10 minutes of listening per day to their normal practicing. Listening to great music will change their understanding of music and will vastly increase their music history knowledge. It will excite and inspire them, encourage further study and listening, give them new pieces to add to their own repertoire wish list, infuse more great music into their lives, homes, and families, and will boost their musicianship and expression to the next level.
This music history and listening curriculum utilizes four different learning modes simultaneously, creating a super engaging and memorable experience! Students will read and write as they read the biographical and background information and answer the questions included with each listening example; they will use auditory learning as they listen to the music, visual learning as they look at the coloring pages accompanying each piece, and kinesthetic learning as they color the pictures! We know that children learn better by moving, and so the act of coloring while listening really helps students to remember the music. It is a really engaging experience that all ages, young children all the way up to adults, can enjoy!
Composers included in this volume:
- Hildegard von Bingen
- Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
- Maria Hester Park
- Marie Bigot
- Maria Szymanowska
- Louise Farrenc
- Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
- Clara Wieck Schumann
- Cecile Chaminade
- Amy Beach
- Rebecca Clarke
- Lili Boulanger
- Judith Lang Zaimont
- Alexina Louie
- Cecilia McDowall
- June Armstrong
- Jennifer Higdon
- Natalie Klouda
- Kristina Arakelyan
Lizbeth Atkinson (verified owner) –
Shades of Sound – Women Composers Coloring Book
When I received Jennifer’s coloring book in the mail, I was very impressed by the quality and quantity of the pages. The book boasts one hundred and fifty-seven pages packed with nineteen fabulous female composers ranging from the Medieval era to present day. Each composer has a brief biography and a few selections that students can listen to while answering questions and coloring a picture. Students can either do a search for the pieces on YouTube or scan a QR code to find the pieces. Students can also create a wish list of the pieces they would like to one day play.
I love that this book comes in two formats. Students and teachers can purchase it in hardback or as a digital version. I have both and will use the digital version in group classes to focus on a single composer. The hardback version would be a great gift for students of all ages or to be used as a curriculum for piano students.
I have used Jennifer’s other coloring books before with my students during group classes and have found that coloring while listening helps keep them focused. I love watching the children think about the music while they are creating a beautiful picture. It seems their entire bodies are engaged when they experience music this way. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful resource! I am a big fan.
Lizbeth Atkinson, NCTM
Kelly Koch –
This is a beautiful interactive music history course for my students! We try to find resources that help us teach visually, aurally and kinestetically and this book fills ALL our needs! The drawings are beautiful and correspond with the spirit of the composer (whimsical, impressionistic, etc). So much thought has gone into this book! My students love all of the Shades of Sound books…they like to rate the piece and leave their comments. Thank you for this amazing Interactive Music History Course!
Emily Durrant –
Recently got this book and she has definitely done her research. It’s a beautiful book with all the “well-known” female composers from the past and a good collection of living composers. I’ve enjoyed the play-lists from the ones I’ve listened to. The drawings are detailed enough for older ones to enjoy coloring, but not too complicated for younger students. What a great concept to allow them to be exposed to hearing different music. I had a hard copy for a studio copy and just got a digital studio copy to print off one at a time for my studio’s group lessons.
Bonnie Jack –
This is a gorgeous book, and a fantastic resource for students and teachers. The sensory experience is pleasing from the moment you pick up the book. The cover art is appealing, and the cover even feels silky and smooth. And once you open the book, you are guided through every detail on how best to use it, right down to a QR code that sends you to a YouTube listening list. The book includes a wonderful selection of composers, from the most well-known to several unheralded gems. The biographies are well-written and interesting to read, and we are even treated with a brief description of each piece, often with a tidbit of historical context or a charming image to keep in mind while listening. The coloring pictures are beautifully drawn, with surprising variety, so you will never get bored. I have already started enjoying the soothing experience of coloring while listening, and I am looking forward to using this book with my students, to broaden their knowledge and appreciation of women composers. Thank you, Jenny Boster, for such an outstanding addition to my pedagogical library!