| MOST RECENT GENERAL MEETING
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 2:00 pm -
American Popular Piano, a Course of Study, with Christopher Norton
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow Street, New York, NY
Review by Mirna Lekic, PTC
Christopher Norton (www.christophernorton.com)
is active as a contemporary pianist, composer, arranger and educator, and his newest project created in collaboration
with Scott McBride Smith, aims to provide well-written pieces designed to appeal to students less attracted to standard classical repertoire.
His presentation on October 26, 2008, came not long after a general meeting of the Piano Teachers
Congress featuring 'pupil saver' materials, which like the American Popular Piano Series, attempted to address the growing number of students
who begin to lose interest in and end their piano studies after the initial few years.
There's sound pedagogy behind Norton's compositions regardless of one's personal taste and style preference.
They introduce a variety of popular styles, including blues, bossa nova, cha cha, and jazz, and aim at developing the same skills necessary
for refined performance of classical repertoire. The pieces are both lyrical and rhythmic, solo and duet, and cover all levels of pre-college study.
Norton is highly effective in promoting his work and using technology to enhance both his method and workshop, including creating CD accompaniments
different from those written out for the teacher. American Popular Piano includes four books at each level (Repertoire, Etudes, Skills, and Technic)
and unlike most other piano courses and methods, it features the study of improvisation done in a structured and easy-to-follow environment.
For these reasons the series is likely to find its place in the study of piano and musical arts in general.
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