Sarah Reaser O’Brien

Upgraded, composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, is a 1950s-style showcase solo for early intermediates. This piece is part of the Smart Tones, tech-themed songbook.

The Magical Garden, composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, is a flashy lyrical solo for early intermediates and beyond. This piece is part of the Star City Solos songbook.

This is a lyrical piano ballad in waltz time for intermediate pianists by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM. The melody is made almost entirely of ascending and descending pentascales (5-note scales) on white keys. The accompaniment for left hand requires a hand span primarily of melodic octaves with an occasional melodic tenth. The ternary form features a middle section with surprising harmonies and a deceptive cadence. Middle and high school students will find this piece both accessible and rewarding.

Broken-Hearted You is an upbeat country-style solo composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This light-hearted swinging solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages!

Trillium is a graceful lyrical solo composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This elegant waltz is ideal for intermediates.

City Jazz Club, a selection from Sarah Reaser O’Brien’s Star City Solos songbook, is an upbeat jazzy solo ideal for intermediates of all ages.

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.

May is a late intermediate pop-style solo with a broken chord accompaniment and singing contemporary melodic line. This is one of a set of 12 month-titled pieces by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM.

June is a dramatic solo for later intermediate pianists. The mysterious setting evokes the mood of a summer storm with tumultuous wind. Crashing pops of lightning punctuate the primary theme while arpeggiated flourishes mimic the downpour of sudden rain. This is one of a set of 12 month-titled pieces by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM.

August is a new age piano solo, composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien NCTM, for intermediate and late intermediate pianists. The pedagogical focus of this selection is small hand accessibility. The waltz-time setting and straight eighths are ideal for helping players achieve a fluid technique and a sense of forward motion. The melodic content is “hidden” within the right hand eighths and gives ample opportunity for developing sophisticated voicing.

October is an intermediate new age piece by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM. The constantly moving triplet figures in both hands are meant to evoke the swirling motion of colorful autumn leaves blowing about in the breeze. Rather than centering on a traditional melodic line, October allows students to create a mood or effect by experimenting with dynamic inflection and rubato to vary each performance. Dynamic indications in the score are merely suggestions – performers are meant to make this free-flowing piece their own.

Open Spaces, composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, is a part of a series of pieces focused on contemporary idioms. This piece serves to introduce students to playing in a free meter with the absence of barlines and is suitable as a contemporary festival selection.

12-Toed Foe is a twelve-tone solo over a blues progression composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This pieces serves as a great introduction to contemporary idioms and includes a glossary of terms and the twelve-tone matrix used in the piece.

July is a ragtime solo for intermediate pianists composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien.It is ideal study material for those who would enjoy historical rags but need a more manageable arrangement and hand span than those typically offer. There is syncopation throughout all of the three principle melodies with a steady quarter note accompaniment in the left hand for the majority of the piece.

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today in a majestic setting arranged by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This sacred Easter classic is full of lush modern harmonies and will be enjoyed by late intermediates of all ages. Includes a full sheet of lyrics with all verses.

The Day of Resurrection!, in a jubilant setting arranged by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This Easter classic is full of lush modern harmonies and will be enjoyed by intermediates of all ages. Includes a full sheet of lyrics with all verses.

Be Thou My Vision in an elegant setting arranged by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This sacred classic is full of lush modern harmonies and will be enjoyed by late intermediates of all ages. Includes a full sheet of lyrics with all verses.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus in a peaceful setting arranged by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. This sacred classic is full of lush modern harmonies and will be enjoyed by intermediates of all ages. Includes a full sheet of lyrics with all three verses.

April is an intermediate jazz solo with a leisurely, easygoing feel. The syncopated rhythmic accompaniment is offset by a straight-eighth melody with built-in improvisational bits. This is one of a set of 12 month-titled pieces by Sarah Reaser O’Brien, NCTM.

This combo deal includes both volumes of Backyard Bash featuring easy, engaging solos with music and lyrics by Sarah Reaser O’Brien. These volumes are ideal for beginners and late beginners.

Terrifying Trilogy is an eerie and mysterious three-piece set with Hitchcock-inspired titles spanning late-elementary to early intermediate levels. All three pieces are in an expanded C minor five-finger hand position. With fast-slow-fast tempo indications, the three solos work well as movements of a modern sonatina or as stand-alone material.