SKU: GI.G-9545

ISBN 9781622772551.

How choir members listen directly impacts the quality of their music making. Listening Awareness is a practical book that guides choral singers—and members of any music ensemble—to become more aware of their own sound as well as the sound of their ensemble. The goal is to help musicians take ownership of the sound they create so singers and musicians learn to provide effective feedback to improve the sound of the entire ensemble. Author Anthony Bernarducci’s approach is simple: Students need to be taught to accurately hear musical concepts before they can apply them in their own music making. He provides a practical and pedagogical approach to concepts such as tone, balance, form, and texture. He also includes exercises that apply aural concepts to style and nuance of historical and contemporary literature—always recommending suggested repertoire, composers, and recordings for each style period. Other topics in Listening Awareness include the different levels of listening, the impact of seating position on sound, strategies for starting a new work, and the characteristics of harmony and melody. Finally, Listening Awareness includes reproducible worksheets to assist with many of the exercises. States Bernarducci, “Our ability to listen, evaluate, and transform will need to be constantly sharpened throughout our careers, our students’ abilities are no exception to this need.” Anthony Bernarducci is Assistant Professor of Music at Clemson University, where he conducts the Men’s Choir and mixed chamber choir Cantorei. He also teaches courses in music theory and composition.

SKU: GI.G-6577

“There is no doubt in my mind about the pedagogical potency of the use of the Swiss Ball for conducting study. This simple device transfers responsibility for teaching from heretoforeused verbal explanations to a new world of instruction that uses body awareness as the primary vehicle.” — James Jordan, Learn Conducting Technique with the Swiss Exercise Ball   Traditional conducting methods rely on how conductors look––not how they feel. James Jordan’s groundbreaking Learn Conducting Technique with the Swiss Exercise Ball takes the study of conducting beyond the mechanics to a higher plane. Using the Swiss Exercise Ball, everyone from the most experienced conductor to the beginner can tie into a state of awarenessthat opens the door to increased musical expression and kinesthetic awareness. With the aid of a Swiss Exercise Ball and the Body Mapping techniques described in this book, conductors can reach a new level of artistic expression and mastery. The Swiss Exercise Ball is available in four sizes from GIA Publications, and each comes with a pump. Choose the ball size based on the height of the conductor: • 45 cm ball, under 5’ tall (G-6575) • 55 cm ball, 5’ to 5’8” tall (G-6576) • 65 cm ball, 5’9” to 6’3” tall (G-6577) • 75 cm ball, 6’3” and taller (G-6578).

SKU: GI.G-6576

“There is no doubt in my mind about the pedagogical potency of the use of the Swiss Ball for conducting study. This simple device transfers responsibility for teaching from heretoforeused verbal explanations to a new world of instruction that uses body awareness as the primary vehicle.” — James Jordan, Learn Conducting Technique with the Swiss Exercise Ball   Traditional conducting methods rely on how conductors look––not how they feel. James Jordan’s groundbreaking Learn Conducting Technique with the Swiss Exercise Ball takes the study of conducting beyond the mechanics to a higher plane. Using the Swiss Exercise Ball, everyone from the most experienced conductor to the beginner can tie into a state of awarenessthat opens the door to increased musical expression and kinesthetic awareness. With the aid of a Swiss Exercise Ball and the Body Mapping techniques described in this book, conductors can reach a new level of artistic expression and mastery. The Swiss Exercise Ball is available in four sizes from GIA Publications, and each comes with a pump. Choose the ball size based on the height of the conductor: • 45 cm ball, under 5’ tall (G-6575) • 55 cm ball, 5’ to 5’8” tall (G-6576) • 65 cm ball, 5’9” to 6’3” tall (G-6577) • 75 cm ball, 6’3” and taller (G-6578).

SKU: PR.31241902S

UPC: 680160690589. English.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?

SKU: GI.G-9987

ISBN 9781622773985.

Coordinate Movement for Pianists explores the art and science of playing piano from a fundamental yet often overlooked perspective: sound is the result of movement. What movements, then, produce the most desirable sounds at the piano? Drawing from experience in the fields of piano instruction, medicine, and Body Mapping, author Lisa Marsh presents a detailed discussion—complete with anatomical drawings and music examples—about the types of movement that contribute to a healthy, fluid, and versatile piano technique. This resource is divided into three parts. In the first, Marsh establishes several foundational concepts, including the relationship between sound and movement, sensory awareness, and the practice of inclusive awareness. This section also introduces the key anatomical structures involved in playing piano. Part II focuses on the development of a piano technique based on relaxed, efficient, and anatomically accurate movements. Technical skills addressed include: tremolos, trills, leaps, scales, navigating black and white keys, octaves, chords, voicing, articulation, pedaling, fingerings, repeated notes, and tone production, among others. The dozens of music examples included in Part II, excerpted from the standard piano literature, offer an opportunity for pianists to practice healthy movements in context. This section also includes several chapters that offer practical tips for practicing, learning, and memorizing music. Part III rounds out this resource with a thoughtful discussion about musicians’ physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Topics covered include finding community and employment, combating performance anxiety, preventing injury, and rehabilitating after injury. Coordinate Movement for Pianists is a brilliant reminder that healthy movement is the basis for a fulfilling and lifelong enjoyment of piano. Regardless of experience or level, students and teachers alike are certain to gain new inspiration and reap the benefits from applying these ideas to their own craft. Lisa Marsh is Director of the Coordinate Movement Program at Portland State University, where she specializes in wellness for musicians. Her work as an educator, performer, and composer is informed by years of experience in the fields of medicine, piano study, Body Mapping, and Alexander Technique.