Tricks & Treats

Tarantellas are always a student favorite, and this spritely one, composed by Lisa Shoemaker, is sure to make your intermediate students shine! This is a great piece to work on quick transitions between open and closed hand positions.

The Chase is a fast and flashy showcase piano solo that is part of the Dog Days songbook. Music by Jennifer Eklund.

Prelude in E Minor, composed by Rick Robertson, is an intermediate level showcase solo in a neo-Baroque style. It is written in the style of Bach’s organ works as transcribed for piano by Ferruccio Busoni, and would make a good program opener for a developing pianist. Its minor key and somber sound also makes it suitable as a Halloween selection.

Spooky Ooky! composed by Rick Robertson is an intermediate level showcase solo. Its staccato, jaunty rhythms, and sudden dynamic shifts make it an excellent spooky Halloween solo.

The Ocean’s Fury, by Rick Robertson is an intermediate to late intermediate showcase solo. Written in the style of a “concert etude,” a section of rapid alternating-hand passages contrasts with a more lyrical center section. This piece has the added benefit of being less difficult than it looks or sounds, and should be a “hit” for recitals and festivals.

Tiptoeing is a suspiciously sneaky minor-key piano solo by Canadian composer Lisa Frederick. Full of twists & turns, this wonderful study in contrasting styles is ideal for early intermediates and above.

Insomniac’s Lullaby is a disturbing lullaby appropriate for Halloween or giving your parents strange nightmares. This whimsically macabre solo, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is ideal for intermediates.

Feel the energy and pulse of San Francisco with this set of six character pieces by Barbara Becker. Harmonically innovative showcase solos for intermediates of all ages!

This wistfully whimsical piece by Stacy Fahrion expresses The Farmer in the Dell’s unrequited love for Adele. Ideal for intermediates of all ages.

Toccata Lyrica, composed by Rick Robertson is an intermediate level showcase solo in a flashy, but lyrical style. It is very effective in performance, and makes an excellent recital or festival choice for a developing pianist.

Five Feisty Witches is a ferociously flashy piece in 5/8 composed by Stacy Fahrion. This showcase solo is ideal for intermediates.

Potpourri is an imaginative collection of ten showcase solos composed by Barbara Becker. Full of evocative harmonies and a variety of genres, this is a songbook intermediates of all ages will enjoy growing with.

End Game is a spooky and fun piano solo that is also part of the Dog Days Songbook. Music by Jennifer Eklund.

This piece starts out mostly normal, staying close to Stephen Foster’s piece, but then something goes awry and it ends up in the parallel minor. Music by Stacy Fahrion.

Wayward Blackbird interweaves Chopin-esque basslines with familiar nursery rhymes This Old Man and Sing a Song of Sixpence in this whimsically macabre showcase solo by Stacy Fahrion.

Composer Stacy Fahrion transforms Three Blind Mice, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and a snippet of Rain, Rain, Go Away into a mystical minor showpiece.

A flashy intermediate solo in 7/8 time based on This Old Man composed by Stacy Fahrion.

Once Upon a Time is a whimsically macabre solo composed by Stacy Fahrion that is part of the songbook of the same title. This eerie showcase piece is ideal for early intermediates and beyond.