are these appropriate for children?

ello everybody,

I've spent many months working on three short new piano pieces for beginning to intermediate students. These are originally intended for children to play, but could also be for beginning adults. In these pieces, I've also tried to discover my own voice and style, do let me know how I've done in those areas. Other feedback related to technique, harmony and playability would be much appreciated. 

Poem 1: "based on a theme by Beethoven", updated score

Poem 2: "the quirky detective", updated score

Poem 3: "the crazed capybara", score

Hi @Mooravioli!

I especially like the crazed capybara piece!  It is so quirky and reminds me of Debussy's Children's Corner - Golliwog's Cakewalk!  I think with the complex harmonies and key signatures and meter changes, this is far from a beginner piece.  Perhaps it might not seem that hard to play in terms of the technique etc.  But to learn the right notes and rhythms conceptually for a child would be quite a challenge I think!

At measure 57 you have the tempo marked as quarter = 120?  Are you sure that's correct?  That part seems to be quite slow.  I have to say that my favorite parts are ones marked quarter = 165.  The figurations there make me think of a flurry of capybara activity!  LoL  Thanks for sharing these pieces!  I think the last one especially is quite unique and individual to you!

Hello Peter,

Thank you for your quick reply to this. I do think your point is very valid, in that the child may need time to really absorb the harmonies and rhythms; I've also included a few unorthodox hand crossings which makes the technique trickier. Now that I think of it, the capybara piece would probably be a mid to late intermediate piece. As for the tempo, I just thought there should be a very subtle and gradual ritardando into the B section(measure 71) starting from measure 57. Perhaps, if I recorded my own piece, the quirky tempo change would be more clear. I'll try to work on learning it myself. 

very happy you enjoyed the capybara piece, though. It definitely took a while to conceive and the whole piece pretty much grew out of the idea at measure 101 - 104. I am also quite glad I am finding my own style with the piece, though perhaps the blend of styles could be a bit smoother in my subsequent numbers. 

Hello

All three pieces are very good and beautiful.
What I have no idea is if they are suitable for children? I guess it will depend on the age and level.
There are big chords and a lot of chromaticism.
I also think the expressive level required is quite high.

I think everything's already been here regarding their suitability for children, but these still make up a nice little trio of pieces and i think they definitely represent a unique voice for yourself! Do you see them as a suite of sorts or are they separate as far as you're concerned?

Hello Luis,

Thank you for your reply, as always. You are right, there are a lot of strange techniques and chord spacings in a few of the pieces. Perhaps, the pieces are more appropriate to intermediate learners. I am also glad you mentioned the idea of musicality; since I don't specify too many articulation and dynamic markings, that will be up to the pianists to decipher. 

hello user011235(Darachmiad I believe),

Thank you for your kind words, glad you found a few things unique about it. These are actually conceived as a set, but maintain distinct personalities from each other. I was planning on unifying the work a bit more, but am also happy with the final product. 

Hi my bro, 

As I have heard all of these before, I think they would be suitable for intermediate children pianist. I like you’re trying to vary your style which is always nice for a composer no matter the result is, and the result here is good. My favourite is poem no.1. No.2 and 3 are quickly funny and I like them too. Thx for sharing!

Henry