Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews
The slower pace of the summer break is a great time to catch up with music that has been waiting patiently in my review backlog, and this week I have been enjoying the elementary to intermediate pieces in the latest book from Anna Robinson, the fabulously named Pooches at the Piano.
You may remember Anna Robinson from my previous reviews of her intermediate collection Notes from a Neighbourhood (read the review) and easier Cats on the Keys (reviewed here). The new Pooches at the Piano offers a progressive selection of compositions that are suitable from Grades 0 – 3.
A British-born pianist and teacher now based in Melbourne, Australia, her pieces are inspired by the legacy of the great Walter Carroll, and as he did a century or so ago, she writes imaginative tunes that are as rich in pedagogic content as they are inspiring to play.
Pooches at the Piano can be seen as a companion volume to Cats on the Keys, and as with that collection it is inspired in part by her own pet pooch, Lily, who is featured in the photograph above, admiring the book.
For me, one of the highlights of Notes on a Neighbourhood was the opening piece Dizzy Dog, which was dedicated to Lily, “who loves to roly-poly to chromatic scales”. It’s great to have a whole collection with a canine theme, so let’s find out more…
An Eclectic Album
Anna Robinson introduces her latest collection with the words,
“From the baroque-inspired Sunrise Walk (Bark Prelude) to the synth pop duet of Disco Dogs, each piece portrays an enchanting pooch personality or canine characteristic. Containing valuable technical and interpretative challenges for pianists in their early years of study, Pooches at the Piano is an eclectic album of musical imagery that will appeal to fun-loving (and dog-loving) pianists of all ages.”
This is such a perfect description of the book that I could stop here, and I agree with every word.
You want to know more? Fair enough. The fifteen irresistible pieces in the collection appear in order of difficulty, and are called:
- Sniffari
- K9 Undercover
- Gambolling
- Funky Dunky Dog
- Cha Cha, Chihuahua
- Sunrise Walk (Bark Prelude)
- Best Friend
- Dixie or Rags?
- Snappy-Doo
- Labrador Lost
- Feeling Waggish
- Cosmic Fi-do
- Akita and Shiba
- Unleashed
- Disco Dogs (duet)
Here’s the composer’s own YouTube recordings:
These pieces more than live up to their description of “eclectic”, ranging in style from Latin to Ragtime, from Romantic Classical to New Orleans Funk, and from swing to gentle pop ballad.
Underpinning every piece, Anna Robinson’s infectious humour and playful characterisation of doggy personalities brings a joy to this collection that is often disappointingly absent in music written for players at this level.
The valuable technical and interpretative challenges also come thick and fast. From exploring moving hand positions, contrasting articulation between hands, crossing hands and effective dynamics in the early pieces, to developing a singing tone, understanding syncopations, musical storytelling and duet playing in the latter half of the book, the material offers plenty of helpful pedagogic content, embedded in a fun context.
The Publication
Produced by Anna Robinson’s own Flying Ivories Music, the music book follows the same style as Cats on the Keys, and once again the music is edited by Angela Turner. There is a thick, matt-effect cover, white paper within (32 pages) and staple binding.
Once again, the book has full colour illustrations throughout, which considerably add to the appeal. This time they are by Maisie Amos and Elise Nowicki, and while the artist names have changed the style remains the same: simple, characterful pictures with a humorous touch to match the music.
All the pieces are accompanied by a short but imaginative introduction by the composer, and once again it is surprising how much Anna Robinson can coax us into each piece with just a few evocative words.
The appeal of the book for children hardly needs stressing given the above comments. However as an adult dog-loving pianist, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this collection in all its elements: music, artwork, imagination and humour.
Closing Thoughts
Since my last review of her music, several of Anna Robinson’s pieces have been picked up by examination boards in Australia and beyond (we must hope that the UK boards discover them soon!) and her growing success is more than deserved.
Indeed, each of her books seems better than the last, and it can only be a matter of time before her name and music is established in the minds, hearts and fingers of teachers and students around the world.
If you are in the market for something fresh, fun, and engaging for elementary players of all ages, Pooches at the Piano really is well worth a look!
Pianodao offers over 700 articles and reviews that are FREE to access.
If you appreciate this content, please support and follow the site here:
