Easy Piano Selections from the Sound of Music - Brief Article - Sound Recording Review

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2004 by Rachel Snyder

by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hamerstein; arranged by Robert Russell Bennet. Williamson Music/Hal Leonard Corporation (7777 W. Bluemound Rd., P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213), 2003. 54pp. $ 9.95.

In Easy Piano Selections from the Sound of Music, Robert Russell Bennet arranges thirteen selections from one of the best-known Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals of our time. Students will be delighted by these pleasantly arranged favorites.

Selections range in difficulty from the late-elementary arrangements of "Edelweiss" and "Do-Re-Mi," to more challenging selections in the intermediate range such as "So Long, Farewell" and "Sixteen Going oil Seventeen."

Even though most pieces are written in easy keys with no more than two voices per hand, some pieces call for strong independence within and between the hands, finesse of unstationary hand positions and determination of pedal and fingering choices.

This volume poses a variety of possible learning situations and challenges and could serve beautifully as a supplement for an intermediate student, a handful of the pieces could be learned independently, while others could encourage valuable learning experiences, such as choosing effective practice techniques for leaping accompaniments and varying articulations between hands. Chord symbols are included, which could provide a helpful framework for exploring harmony.

While these arrangements may not work well for the elementary student, I think they do provide some excellent opportunities for carefully guided learning for the intermediate-level student. Youth and adults alike are sure to find these arrangements to be motivational and fun to perform.

Rachel Snyder, Evanston, Illinois.