New December Store Update - Fun AND Educational!
Season’s greetings! We’re happy to share that we’ve updated the avatars and backgrounds available in the Practice Space shop - as we do every month. As always, our goal is to make the store updates fun, motivating, and educational!
In case you weren’t aware, your students can add avatars and backgrounds to their inventory to keep their home screen fun and fresh. Students can only purchase from the Practice Space shop after completing their practice goal for the day! (A great motivator, I know!)
Take a look at the composer/musician update below! Each one comes with their own quotes so the talented individual can tell us about themselves and their musical period. Below are the six composers for this month and the facts they’ll share on the app. We’ve also included a little biography if you’d like to share with your students!
Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist, was a pivotal figure in early 20th-century music, known for blending folk music with traditional classical forms. His innovative works, including "Concerto for Orchestra" and "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta."
Facts in app:
I am a Hungarian composer who demonstrated musical talent at a very young age. I studied piano with my mother and gave my first recital at the age of 11.
During this recital, I performed "The Course of the Danube," which was an original composition I had written at the age of nine.
I was known as an ethomusicologist, which means I collected and analyzed folk music of my time, which greatly influenced my music.
I traveled across Eastern Europe, collecting and recording music.
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist of the Romantic period, renowned for his deeply emotional style and masterful compositions. His significant works include four symphonies, the "Hungarian Dances," and the poignant "German Requiem."
Facts in app:
I first studied music with my father, learning violin, cello, and piano.
I made my concert debut at the age of 10.
As a teenager, I used my musical talent to help support my family by playing the piano in dance halls, inns, taverns, and along city docks to supplement their income.
I was known to write music with a songlike purity, including my famous lullaby.
Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt was a French musicologist and composer in the early 20th century, known for her extensive research and preservation of traditional music from around the world. Her significant contributions include scholarly works on the music of Vietnam and Oceania.
Facts in app:
I was born in Paris and was a composer and ethonomusicologist.
I researched South American and Canadian fold music, publishing texts with my husband.
I wrote many types of pieces, including Twenty-four Folk Songs of Old Quebec, and Sonatine for flute and piano.
My legacy is like a musical treasure map, leading future generations to discover and appreciate the vast world of global music traditions.
Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, and pianist, celebrated as one of the most talented and versatile musicians of the 20th century. Best known for his long tenure with the New York Philharmonic and for composing the music for "West Side Story."
Facts in app:
I was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts to Russian/Jewish immigrants.
I began playing piano at young age of five.
Though I'm considered a conductor and great pianist, oddly enough, I never performed a solo piano recital.
I was the first American to conduct at the famous La Scala opera house in Milan.
Joshua Bell is an American violinist, renowned for his virtuoso techniques and the deep expressiveness of his performances. A celebrated soloist and recording artist, Bell has captivated audiences worldwide with his renditions of classical repertoire.
Facts in app:
I am a living American violinist and conductor.
My parents gave me violin lessons at age 4 when they found me taking rubber bands and stretching them across furniture all over the house and plucking them to hear the music I heard my mother play on the piano.
When I was 14 years old, I appeared as a soloist for the first time with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
I made my Carnegie Hall debut in 1985, when I was only 17 years old, I played with the St. Louis Symphony.
Samuel Barber was an American composer of the 20th century, esteemed for his lyrical and often melancholic compositions that resonated deeply with audiences. He is best known for his "Adagio for Strings," his wide-ranging works spanned operas, symphonies, and choral pieces.
Facts in app:
I was born on the 9th of March, 1910 in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
I wrote my first piece at age 7 and attempted my first opera at age 10.
At the age of 14, I entered the Curtis Institute, where I studied voice, piano and composition.
One of my most famous pieces was written for a small orchestra, Adagio for Strings, is quite often performed as America's semi-official music for mourning and has been performed at the funeral of several presidents. It has also been performed in several movies.
Background Update
Some other fun additions
These all cheer the student on but also talk about tempo and other musical terms!
