- Level: Early Elementary
- Pages: 4 pages, 2 pages of music, cover included!
- Style: Peaceful
- Bonus and Features: mp3 performance track; Black key; Hand positions pictured
- Format: PDF instant download
- Series: Finding Beautiful Places – Set 1, Set 2
Autumn is a reminder that a slower season is on its way – but there is still steady movement and beautiful things happening in the preparation. Autumn Glow perfectly captures a feeling of both nostalgia and looking ahead to what comes next. Teens and adult students will love that they can pull such a mature sound from the piano at a beginner level, and can already begin painting a picture while playing.
The steady notes in triple meter give the feeling of constant motion, much like falling leaves. Gentle melody lines keep this from feeling hurried however, and instead remind the player and listener alike to pause and enjoy this last glow before the change of seasons.
What level is Autumn Glow?
Autumn Glow is an early elementary piece written on black keys (two fingers play white keys, in a natural-feeling position). All fingerings are indicated, and helpful instructions are written throughout telling students when a change is occuring. There is quite a bit of movement across registers throughout the piece, but in easily repeatable patterns that do not stray from the original hand position. The smallest note value is a quarter note. Dynamics are indicated.
The piece is written in triple meter, which gives it a feeling of constant movement. This is a wonderful way to prevent beginning students from stopping between measures, and repeated patterns make it easy for students to “see” across the bar. The damper pedal is held throughout the piece, which allows beginning students to sound mature without adding in the difficulty of true pedaling before they’re ready.
Bonus recording included!
Autumn Glow comes with a bonus mp3 recording performed by Wendy Stevens. You are permitted to send this example performance track to your students to help them learn the piece.
More About the Finding Beautiful Places Series:
Autumn Glow is part of the Finding Beautiful Places series that gives older students (like teens and adults) beautiful music that doesn’t make them sound like a child. This series is especially easy and helpful as hand positions are pictured, finger numbers are indicated on each note, and the hands are mostly on the black keys so finding the correct notes are easy. This series is made especially for teens and adults as is part of our Music Adults Love® and Music Teens Love® collection – beautiful, mature sounding music that doesn’t sound like it comes from a child’s method book.
The collections in this series include:
- Finding Beautiful Places 1 – EE (Early Elementary) Music on the black keys; For those with no prior piano experience
- Finding Beautiful Places 2 – EE (Early Elementary) More of the same kind of music as above. Bittersweet Creek is part of this set.
- Entering Beautiful Places 1 – E (Elementary) Music for those who are transitioning to the white keys or who need to review their white key note names
- Entering Beautiful Places 2 – E (Elementary) More music for those transitioning from black to white keys.
- In Beautiful Places – E (Elementary) Music for mid elementary students containing some across the bar line syncopation, but music that is still quite achievable and beautiful at this level
- Exploring Beautiful Places – LE (Late Elementary) Music for the late elementary pianist that contains eighth notes that are easy to feel and play.
What is the Studio License?
Autumn Glow is delivered digitally (through your email receipt) and is studio licensed. This means that you can print and use this for any student that you directly teach for your entire lifetime of teaching.
Lisa –
My students are preparing for a Fall/Halloween event at our local ice cream shop. One student was working on his Halloween piece, but when I heard “Autumn Glow” at a recent Wendy Stevens webinar, I thought of him. I sent Wendy’s video clip of the piece to his mom and asked them to decide if he would like to stick with the original piece or switch to “Autumn Glow”. His mother quickly replied that he wanted to switch because he wanted to challenge himself and he liked the sound of the piece. Within 2 lessons, he’s playing through it beautifully! I like that it is reinforcing finger numbers, patterns, steady beat, offers the full range of the piano, changing of tempo and more. Thank you, Wendy!
Megan Hughes –
2 of my students are playing Autumn’s Coming, one adult and one child. It’s satisfying for both. The child has played the melody on the viola and is planning a piano/cello duet with her sister. The adult sings along. It’s a good piece on many levels.
Lisa K –
This has been a much loved piece for students of varying abilities! Beginning students love this piece (and other Beautiful Places pieces) for the sophisticated sounds (even the youngest folks I work with), and the more advanced student who selected this for their autumn/Halloween piece loves the chance to just focus on technique and to have a fairly quick win for their 40 piece challenge. Another piece that’s Music Kids Love! Thank you Wendy!
Patsy –
My students in the studio have really enjoyed working on: Top Dog, Leaf Surfing, Autumn’s Awakening, Autumn Glow, Hay Ride, Falling to New. We will be starting both versions of Over the River and Through the Woods, Deck the Halls, Sledding Shenanigans, and likely some others from the past. The students really enjoy working on your music. They find it easy to read, enjoy the colorful title pages, and older ones are using the QR codes as well.