Hopeful Dream

Misty Morn, composed by Ryan Chesser, is an elegant intermediate lyrical solo. This selection is part of the Brand New Day songbook.

Mystery and uncertainty are just around the corner with this minor key solo by Ryan Chesser. This piece is great for teaching artistic expression and balance between hands. Your moody teenage students will love this expressive showcase solo!

Rhapsodies and Reveries Volume Two features eleven contemporary lyrical solos for intermediate pianists of all ages composed by Chrissy Ricker. Inspired by the sights and sounds of nature, these solos range in style from quiet and reflective to powerful and dramatic.

Kaleidoscope Volume 2 is an evocative collection of lyrical showcase solos composed by Rick Robertson. These elegant solos will allow advancing early intermediates to work on musicality and expressive playing via works that are stage-ready and appropriate for all age groups.

Reflection is a lyrical solo by Sara Tomlinson with a reflective quality. The piece is in 6/8 time in the key of A minor. The listener could easily get lost in the melody, which is supported by a hypnotic left-hand accompaniment.

Soul Searching, composed by Jenny Walker, is a pop-style lyrical solo for intermediates. This piece offers ample opportunity for pianists to work on flowing left-hand accompaniments and syncopation.

Winter Reverie is a haunting, minor key, contemporary lyrical piano solo for intermediates that is part of the New Horizons songbook. Music by Jennifer Eklund.

Be Yourself is a contemporary lyrical solo by Lisa Donovan Lukas. This uplifting selection is ideal for intermediates of all ages.

Long-Legged Spinners is a whimsically macabre solo composed by Stacy Fahrion. This solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages and is part of the Lullabies for Arachnophobes songbook.

Regrets, composed by Rick Robertson, is an intermediatelevel solo in a neo-Romantic lyrical style. It features a melody in light jazz style featuring some parallel seventh chords, often in stepwise motion. Its sophisticated sound will also appeal to teens and adults. This piece is part of the Kaleidoscope Volume 2 songbook.

Haunted Reverie, composed by Ron Levy, is a haunting lyrical solo, in the style of Erik Satie, for intermediates and beyond.

When You Smile, composed by Rick Robertson, is an intermediate level solo in a lyrical light-pop or jazz style. It is dedicated to jazz singer Dubby Spivak, widow of the American bandleader Charlie Spivak, who is a friend of the composer.

It’s Just Right, composed by Ryan Chesser, is an uplifting lyrical solo for right-hand only. This selection is part of the Winds of Change songbook.

Circle of Friends, by Rick Robertson, is a two-volume collection containing a total of 24 character pieces for piano in each of the major and minor keys (minus enharmonic equivalents), in a manner similar to the Prelude sets by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and the like. The sequence as published is arranged in a rough order of difficulty, allowing for convenience in page turns here and there.

The title alludes as well to the familiar “Circle of Keys’. As for “friends”, each piece is dedicated to a close friend, colleague, or student. A few pieces in Volume One are at the early intermediate level, while Volume Two is solidly at the intermediate level with a steady trajectory of more demanding musical concepts.

Lamentations is suite of solos composed by Joanne Griffiths for intermediate players to explore time signature changes, comparisons between simple and compound time, minimalism, and mostly how to express mood and emotion. Breathe is a peaceful, calming minimalist piece pushing the boundaries of 3/4 time and crossing it with more than a suggestion of 6/8. For Carolyn is an uplifting piece with lilting, contrasting themes, in Rondo form. Finally, Sorrow is an expression of grief, with a “bell tolling” theme throughout. It is also minimalist, centered around A minor and changing from 3 to 4 beats in the bar and covering several octaves of the piano.

In a French Cafe, composed by Rick Robertson, is an intermediate level lyrical solo. Its lilting waltz melody is presented in contrast with a slightly more animated middle section. It is an effective recital and festival selection.

Castle in the Clouds is an elegant solo for advancing early intermediates of all ages composed by Jennifer Eklund. This showcase solo is a great way to introduce syncopation and an advanced key signature since the piece requires very few shifts in hand position.

March is a gentle lullaby for intermediate pianists by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM. The melodic line is brought to life by a hauntingly complex, yet very accessible, harmonic accompaniment which never requires stretching more than an octave.