Earth Day Recital – Nature Theme Piano Recital

Hundreds of teachers visit and download the ComposeCreate Recital Themes each year. So I thought it might be helpful to start a series of posts with piano recital themes. Let me know if you like this idea in the comments…I’ll bring out more!

Since so many piano recitals happen in April each year, I thought I’d start with an Earth Day Recital/ Nature Themed Piano Recital. Even if it’s too late to choose other repertoire, I hope the decoration and refreshment ideas will work for you.

Be sure to leave your own suggestions and ideas in the comments below. So many teachers read the comments and get their wheels spinning with your ideas too!

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Refreshments for an Earth Day Recital – Nature Piano Recital

I’m a firm believer that think piano teachers should not do all the recital work themselves! Be sure to ask parents to help bring items or help you serve at your earth day recital. Since Earth Day is about preserving the beauty and sustainability of the earth, then foods that come from nature would be perfect:

• Nuts
• Fruit with fruit dips. Use toothpicks for silverware.
• Fruit kabobs
• Chocolate
• Coffee – Parents would love this especially in the morning!
• This Earth Day Cupcake recipe from Mrs. Fields looks amazing!

Decorations for an Earth Day Recital – Nature Piano Recital

• If you have a helium machine (which are pretty cheap these days), then these earth balloons would be perfect!
• Green tablecloths
• Any kind of floral arrangement can decorate the table or be put in front of the piano
• This Spring Recital Program Package is actually perfect for an Earth Day Recital or nature piano recital. Or you could easily use the Fall recital Program Package (since you can edit the title) which has nature themes as well.
• Beeswax candles on the tables
• This world map table cloth is pretty awesome, but more expensive than you might want unless you can use it for something else.

Other ideas

• Put interesting information about the earth in your recital program if you have room. Things like:
  27,000 trees are cut down each day so we can have Toilet Paper.
  The world’s oldest trees are more than 4,600 years old.
  If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, earth would be the size of a nickel.
  You can find interesting information here and here.
• Include information about how the earth intersects with the piano. For example:
  Talk about various kinds of wood that make pianos. (Robin Steinweg’s idea. See her comment below the post for more ideas.)
  Talk about the history of pianos such as when they began to replace the wood frames with metal in order to bear louder and more forceful playing
• Purchase an inexpensive world map like this and then put pins in where the composers of the pieces live! You could put a flag on the pin to show the composers names OR the names of your performers.
• Better Homes and Gardens suggests here to tell parents to bring a recyclable item as their “ticket” to get into the earth day recital. But personally, I think that’s too much to ask parents to do. Just getting them and their student there is a success!

Piano Music for Earth Day Recital

There are many repertoire pieces that would go with an Earth Day or a nature theme piano recital. These links go to either the piece on ComposeCreate or Sheet Music Plus. I get a very small percentage if you order on SMP (except ComposeCreate pieces which you would get here), but it does not make your order any more expensive. Here are just a few repertoire suggestions:

Early Elementary Earth Day Music

• Vancouver Island Sunset by Wendy Stevens – Early elementary Reading and Rote (ComposeCreate)
• Candy Rain by Naoko Ikeda – Early Elementary (Willis Piano Music)
• Once Upon a Rainbow Book 1 by Nancy Faber – Early Elementary (Hal Leonard)
• Gentle Mountain Stream by Martha Mier – Early Elementary (Alfred)
• A Day in the Country by Mary Leaf – Early Elementary (FJH)
• The Little Butterfly Garden book by Timothy Brown – Pre-Reading to Early Elementary (FJH)
• The Butterfly Garden book by Timothy Brown – Early Elementary (FJH)

Elementary Earth Day Music – Nature Piano Recital

• I Want Some Water! by Wendy Stevens – Elementary Reading and Rote piece (ComposeCreate)
• For the Beauty of the Earth arranged by Wendy Stevens in Easy Hymn Solos 1 (Hal Leonard)
• Drifting Sunset Clouds by Randall Hartzell (Hal Leonard)
• Walk in a Rainbow by Nancy Faber – Elementary (Hal Leonard)
• The Rainbow by Carolyn Miller – Elementary (Willis)
• Sunflowers and Daffodils by Millie Eben – Elementary (Alfred)
• Sky Blue by Robert Vandall – Elementary (Alfred)
• Forest at Twilight by John Robert Poe – Elementary (Alfred)
• The Dandelion Song by Kevin and Julia Olson – Elementary (FJH)
• Dancing with My Shadow (Winter Sky, Seaside Air, Spooky Forest, Windy Trees) by Lisa Donovan Lukas – Elementary to Late Elementary (Piano Pronto)
• Duet: Along the Blackfoot River by Mary Leaf – Elementary (FJH)

Late Elementary Earth Day Music – Nature Piano Recital

• 

  A Distant Blue by Wendy Stevens – Mid to Late Elementary (ComposeCreate)

• The Soggy Sonatina by Wendy Stevens – Late Elementary to Early Intermediate (ComposeCreate)
• Springs and Sprinkles by Wendy Stevens – Late Elementary (ComposeCreate)
• Snakin’ Through the Bayou by Wendy Stevens – Late elementary to Early Intermediate (ComposeCreate)
• View from the Canoe by Wendy Stevens – Late elementary (ComposeCreate)
• Sunrise at San Miguel by Ronald Bennett – Late Elementary(Hal Leonard)
• A Break in the Clouds by Wendy Stevens – Late Elementary (Willis)
• Chasing Away the Clouds by Randall Hartsell – Late Elementary (Willis)
• Twister by Wendy Stevens – Late Elementary (Hal Leonard)
• Gathering Storm by Carolyn C. Setliff – Late Elementary to Early Intermediate (Willis)
• Into the Storm by Chrissy Ricker – Late Elementary (Piano Pronto)
• Once Upon a Rainbow book 2 by Nancy Faber – Elementary (Hal Leonard)
• The Great Frontier book by Catherine Rollin – Late Elementary to Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Tunes for a Rainy Day by Valerie Ruth Roubos (FJH)
• Duet: In the Hall of the Mountain King arranged by Mary Elizabeth Clark (Alfred)

Early Intermediate Earth Day Music – Nature Piano Recital

• Willow Tree Watz by Nancy Faber – Early Intermediate (Hal Leonard)
• Designs at Daybreak by Randall Hartsell – Early Intermediate (Willis)
• Through the Storm by Randall Hartsell – Early Intermediate (Willis)
• Rainbow Prelude by Jennifer Linn – Early Intermediate (Hal Leonard
• Majestic Mountain by Mike Springer – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• The Great Smokey Mountains by David Carr Glover – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• The Murmuring Forest by Martha Mier – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Woodland Sonatina by Robert Vandall – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Chasing the Wind by Ted Cooper – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Whirlwind by Melody Bober- Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• A Leaf Collection book 3 by Mary Leaf – Early Intermediate (FJH)
• Drifting Leaves by Mary Leaf – Early Intermediate (FJH)
• Mountain Rhapsody by Kevin Costley – Early Intermediate (FJH)
• Mashed Potato Clouds in Attention Grabbers 2 by Diane Hidy – Early Intermediate (Kjos)
• Duet: Turquoise Skies by Robert Vandall – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Duet: Lost in the Wind by Wynn-Ann Rossi – Early Intermediate (Alfred)
• Duet: Mountain Wildflowers by Kevin Costley – Early Intermediate (FJH)
• Classical: Storm and Stress Album for the Young, Op. 140, No. 20 (Gurlitt)
• Classical: Avalanche – twenty five Studies, Op. 45, No. 2 (Heller)
• Classical: Allegro con Fuoco Op. 163, No. 6 (Diabelli)
• Pop: Song of the Lonely Mountain from The Hobbit arranged by Dan Coates (Alfred)

Intermediate Earth Day Music – Nature Piano Recital

• Yellow Rose of Texas arrangement by Wendy Stevens – Intermediate (ComposeCreate)
• Morning at the Falls by Wendy Stevens- Intermediate to Late Intermediate from the book American Portraits (ComposeCreate)
• Summer on the Prairie by Wendy Stevens – Intermediate to Late Intermediate from the book American Portraits (ComposeCreate)
• Eye of the Storm by Susan Alcon – Intermediate (Willis)
• Stormy Seas by Carolyn Miller – Intermediate (Willis)
• Fountain in the Rain by William Gillock – Intermediate (Willis)
• Once Upon a Rainbow book 3 by Nancy Faber – Intermediate to Late Intermediate (Hal Leonard)
• Prairie Sunrise by Melody Bober – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Sunflowers and Wheat Fields by Catherine Rollin – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Big Sky by Catherine Rollin – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Rainforest Rhapsody by Carol Matz – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Stars and Wind by Catherine Rollin – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Misty Falls by Martha Mier – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Land of Many Waters by Kevin Costley – Intermediate (FJH)
• Sea Voyage by Mary Leaf – Intermediate (FJH)
• Duet: Fountain the Rain Duet by William Gillock – Intermediate (Willis)
• Duet: Morning Rain Duet by Naoka Ikeda – Intermediate (Willis)
• Duet: The Northern Prairie Duet by Melody Bober – Intermediate (Alfred)
• Classical: Classics for the Advancing Pianist Book 1 – Selections from Edward MacDowell including To a Wild Rose, Op. 51, No. 1, Beauty in the Rose Garden, Op. 4, No. 3, In Autumn, Op. 51, No. 4, To a Hummingbird, Op. 7, No. 2 (Alfred)

Late Intermediate Earth Day Music – Nature Piano Recital

• Meanwhile by Wendy Stevens – Late Intermediate (ComposeCreate)
• Everything Made New by Wendy Stevens – Late Intermediate(ComposeCreate)
• Spirit of the Mountain Stream by Wynn Anne Rossi – Late Intermediate
• Planet Earth book by Dennis Alexander – Late Intermediate to Early Advanced (Alfred)
• Canyons and Waterfalls by Melody Bober – Late Intermediate (FJH)
• Diamonds on the Water by Wynn-Anne Rossi – Late Intermediate (FJH)
• The Enchanted Woods by Mary Leaf – Late Intermediate (FJH)
• Waves in the Moonlight by Mary Leaf – Late Intermediate (FJH)
• This is My Father’s World arranged by Wendy Stevens – Late Intermediate to Early Advanced (ComposeCreate)
• Classical: Buds and Blossoms selections by Cornelius Gurlitt
• Classical: Woodland Sketches by Edward MacDowell – Late Intermediate to Early Advanced
• Classical: Classics for the Advancing Pianist Book 2 includes MacDowell pieces: The Brook, Op. 32, No. 2, To an Old White Pine, Op. 62, No. 7, Shadow Dance, Op. 39, No. 8, To a Water Lily, Op. 51, No. 6
• Classical: To the Rising Sun by Trygve Torjussen – Late Intermediate (Alfred)

Advanced Earth Day Music

• Big Sky Montana by Dennis Alexander – Early Advanced (Alfred)
• Planet Earth book by Dennis Alexander – Late Intermediate to Early Advanced (Alfred)
• Classical: March Wind by Edward MacDowell – Early Advanced (Alfred)

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