What people are saying...
Boyanna Toyich (Piano Performance, Performance Skills, Piano Pedagogy, Performance Master Class) University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, The Royal Conservatory of Music, President & CEO, Toyich International Projects (TIP), TIP Rome Conference
“Susan Griesdale has participated in the Performance Master Classes which I teach at the University of Toronto and The Royal Conservatory of Music and has performed many of her compositions for this advanced class. I find her compositions to be charming, imaginative and delightful and would certainly recommend them for a most creative inclusion in students’ repertoire.”
Maria Case, Chief Examiner, Theoretical Subjects, RCME (Royal Conservatory of Music Examinations)
“Susan Griesdale’s music for the developing pianist holds its place admirably in a long tradition which provides the student with interesting technical and musical challenges, while appealing to the young imagination. Her pieces exploit the resources of the piano in inventive ways, ranging from warmly lyrical works to those which exhibit a strong and often humorous character. I have enjoyed hearing them played with great flair in festivals and recitals, and look forward to teaching them in my own studio.”
Michael J. Rudman, Composer
“In her piano music for young people, Susan Griesdale follows in the tradition of Bach, Schumann and Kabalevsky showing again that music of modest technical demands can also be artistically rewarding.”
“We can expect great things from a Composer who has produced such striking miniatures as ‘Sleepwalking’ and ‘Shhhhh’.”
Iana Ahilov, Author of Piano For Everyone, An Easy Book for Beginners, IRRA Publishing
“Little Hands, Big Pieces is a wonderful book and I will choose the test piece for the Spring Festival at the Academy of Music from your book. The music, the illustrations and the titles are great. I also like the comments for each piece. I look forward to working on the book with some of my young students. Your book is a real treasure’. ‘Out of the Box’ is another wonderful book, which shows again your talent in three aspects — music, art and literature. I am sure that the book will open different communications lines with the students and this is great. I am happy to have the book and work on the pieces with some students.”
Andrea Battista, Past President, Hamilton/Halton/Burlington ORMTA...
“I have been teaching Susan Griesdale’s Little Hands, Big Pieces, a collection of elementary piano solos and Piano Mime, a collection of junior piano solos, for a few years now, and this past year purchased Let’s Pretend, 14 Enchanting Piano Solos. I find each book to be challenging for the level, extremely creative and quite unique. My students are very interested in her drawings, which accompany each piece, and her careful directions capture their imaginations.”
Allison Wiebe, Performer specializing in 20th Century Music, Instructor at the University of Western Ontario, RCM Examiner, Adjudicator
“I have had the pleasure of becoming personally acquainted with Susan’s new piano repertoire. As a performer, it is idiomatic yet challenging with its depth and multifaceted layers. As a teacher, it is pedagogically coherent but still animated and entertaining enough to sustain any student’s desire to learn! A pleasure to play and teach! I look forward to exploring her new pieces in the near future.”
Elizabeth Pengelly, Teacher and Examiner for Conservatory Canada
“Susan writes imaginative musical works for children. They are carefully constructed to teach basic concepts and are a great resource for teachers.”
Frank Horvat, www.frankhorvat.com
“As a pianist, composer, and teacher, I really enjoy Susan’s music. It is so refreshing to see someone composing for kids that nurture’s the imagination while using innovative compositional techniques.”
REVIEWS
Read Reviews of her Music
Clavier Magazine, Sept. 2005
”Piano Mime — These pieces combine polytonality with traditional forms. A wide range of the keyboard is used, yet the hand spans are appropriate for the intended levels.”
”Little Hands, Big Pieces has blocked and broken triads to create a variety of sounds and moods. This is an excellent study of chords. All the pieces have a clean look, with many details such as dynamics, tempos and metronome markings included. The titles and artwork are imaginative and appealing for children.”
Manitoba RMT Journal
“The 8 pieces included in the ‘Out of the Box’ collection have all been written without key signatures, showing all accidentals on the music. As Ms. Griesdale states, ‘the music is designed to be light hearted and whimsical’. All selections here are a move away from traditional harmony. The dissonance allows students the opportunity to express the dynamics and feelings suggested by the composer’s titles and performance comments. The tricky rhythms used in all the pieces tend to be played in repetitive patterns so that the student can keep up with the quick changes of pitch. Dynamic changes cover the extremes and make an exciting canvas for any performer. This book provides and interesting introduction to contemporary music for the young pianist.”
CFMTA Canadian Music Teacher Journal
“Little Hands, Big Pieces, Piano Mime, Out of the Box — a very modern sounding collection, these works come with a description of the intended sound of each song. Out of the Box is collection of character pieces that is both cheery and quirky”.
Clavier October 2005
“Students can use their creativity to explore new sounds with these pieces”
Arianne Ewing-Chow, Performer, Teacher, RCM Examiner, founder of Music with a Cause
”Little Hands, Big Pieces — This book is filled with well-written, attractive pieces for children. This is a MUST-HAVE for all piano teachers!”
“Piano Mime —The slower pieces in this collection are so mesmerizing and allow the player to just relax and listen to the fascinating harmonies.”
“Out of the Box — A very creative collection with an excellent variety of pieces. ‘Bounce, Rattle ‘n Squeak’ and ‘Spriggans’ are good crowd pleasers and fun to play!”
Andrea Battista, President — Hamilton/Halton/Burlington ORMTA...
”Little Hands, Big Pieces is based solely on triads, and gets the student moving about the keyboard early. The ten pieces are all different and should appeal to various types of personalities. The book as a whole is a good starting point to discuss what a composer can do with a simple idea, and I have used it as a springboard for student compositions.”
“Piano Mime introduces a lot of dissonant and contemporary harmony, which can be quite difficult for some students. The stretches are large and challenge the student to move about the keyboard. The Trolls are Coming and Lullaby with Ground Bass are current studio favourites. Again, Susan is very careful in her directions for each piece, which helps both teacher and student to interpret the ideas.”
“I find Let’s Pretend to be a fine book, with many styles. I used it at Hallowe’en with great success! Again, some of the pieces are not easy, but they stimulate much discussion with the student and a great sense of accomplishment when they are performed well. I appreciate her performance and practice suggestions which are included in each book as well as the emotional variety of the pieces. More people should be using these books!”
Piano Lesson Reviews.com — on reviewing the Oceanna Music Publishing website
“The site is very visually appealing and includes a music store where the company’s recordings are offered at very reasonable prices. Sound samples are available. I especially likes a piece called ‘Brand New Sneakers’ – go on over and listen to a few!”
