Teaching Analysis outline for Andante by JC Bach (from Piano Adventures)

Prerequisites:
 Concepts student should already know
o Keyboard range: E2 to G5
o 2/4 time signature
o 8th and quarter notes and rests
o Articulations: slurs and staccatos
o Pedaling
o Dynamics: p, mf, f, crescendo, diminuendo
o Fermata
o Tenuto
Technical skills the student should already be comfortable with:
o A harmonic minor scale, arpeggio, and chords
o Two-note slurs
o Reaching an octave
o Playing hands in contrary motion
o Dynamic shaping of a phrase
o Playing parallel thirds with one hand
o Finger crossovers hinging on thumb, similar to scales

Pieces to assign prior to the current piece

 “Clowns” by William Gillock – LH 2 note slurs with RH playing blocked notes
 “Chase” by Elissa Milne – ABA form
 “Highland Dance” by Chrissy Ricker – practicing wrist lifts with both hands
 Other pieces with independent left hand parts
 Other pieces with ABA form that the student has analyzed

Score analysis: (what do you see? Exhaust the score!)

 --rhythmic analysis
o A section:
 Rhythmic motive of 8th note followed by a quarter note
 Almost perpetual motion with the feeling of constant 8th notes (due to
the quarter note of one motive overlapping with the 8th note in a
different voice, so a new note is played on each 8th note count) until the
cadences at measures 8 and 15
o B section:
 The dominant is firmly established with a strong quarter note established
on count 1 of measures 1 17 and 19, followed by octaves of the same
note and then neighboring tones around the dominant which return to
the dominant
 Count 1 of measures 21-24 do not emphasize the dominant through
rhythm, but through lingering on the E chord before quickly moving to a
 different one and directly back to the E chord on the heaving beat of each
measure
 --harmonic analysis
o on score, included at the end of this teaching analysis
o thicker texture with chords and pedaling in B section
o each A is a think single-note texture for the most part, but they end with a
chordal cadence.
 --melodic analysis
o Melody is in the RH, despite the hocket-like feel with LH contributions
o The A sections have a melody that is continually rising to the high point and then
tapers down at the end of the phrase
 --form/structure
o ABA ternary form
o B section has chromaticism and harmonic instability
 --phrasing
o Each A section has 2 phrases, almost identical but ending texturally differently
and with different cadences
 --dynamic plan
o In each phrase, crescendo to the high point and then diminuendo to the cadence
 --articulations
o 2-note slurs plus some longer slurs
o staccato at the end of each A section
o B section with longer slurs and pedaling
 --tempo
o Andante – keep this very moderate as the emphasis should be on good
technique, voicing, and dynamic interest

Multi-week teaching plan:

 Week 1
o Activities
 Tap rhythmic pattern of 1st 2 lines with appropriate hands on table – KEEP
THIS ANDANTE! Students love to rush. 
 Demonstrate good technique with wrist lifts at end of 2-note slurs
 Have them mimic the wrist lifts
 Play RH motive in measure 2-3, then sequence it up by rote (student does
not see music)
 Then play that while alternating with LH tapping rhythm,
incorporating wrist lifts with both playing and tapping hands
o Questions to ask the student during the lesson
 Where is the melody? Can you sing it with me?
 What pattern do you see with the RH?
 Where else do you see this motive and sequence in the RH? Let’s mark
each recurrence with a specific highlighter color.
 o Assignment for the week
 Play the a harmonic minor scale, arpeggio, and chords
 Play the rote exercise from above (RH motive and sequences played on
piano with LH tapping on the fall board; both hands execute wrist lifts
after 2 note slurs)

 Week 2
o Activities
 Play LH 1st 2 lines alone, blocking the slurred notes
 Get comfortable moving from one blocked set of 2 notes to the
next
 Use good technique and wrist lift to move between sets of
blocked notes
 Now play LH blocked but in the rhythm indicated, and tap RH on
the fall board
 Add the RH to the activity above
 Block RH and LH slurred notes, playing on the fall board to get a
feel for the transfer of melody between the hands and the overlap
of the 2-note slurs
 Continue to observe a wrist lift between slurs in each hand
 Block RH and LH slurred notes on the piano, playing correct notes
 If VERY comfortable with the above steps, play the 2-note slurs
without blocking
 **Isolate measures 7-8
 Demonstrate good fingering for measure 7 through the first count
of measure 8, specifically making sure to move the RH 3 finger to
the 2nd A.
 In demonstration, include the correct fingering as well as a
dynamic tapering, although only verbally discuss the fingering
initially
 Have student circle the finger number for count 1 of measure 8 to
signify that something changes with hand position there.
 Have the student play repetitions of measure 7 through just the
first count of measure 8 (perhaps a couple of times RH alone to
secure the correct fingering, and then hands together the rest of
the time)
 Once the fingering is very comfortable with hands together, add
the last note of the phrase
 ***In section B, play only the RH notes that happen at the same time as a
LH chord. Teacher demonstrates, student mimics.
 Teacher plays LH chord while student continues playing only the
RH notes that correspond to a LH chord.
  Student plays LH chords which teacher plays only the RH notes
that correspond to the LH chords.
 Student plays both parts, but still not RH notes that are in
between LH chords.
 Add pedal – identify the pattern for when pedal is used
o Questions to ask the student during the lesson
 Where does the RH switch from melodic intervals to harmonic intervals?
 Let’s look for a pattern with the LH intervals – what do you see?
 There is a single note that is the most important, and that everything is
centered around, in the B section. While I play the B section, listen and
watch the score to see if you can figure out which note it is, and how J.C.
Bach let you know it was the most important note without just playing
that note by itself.
 Where are there sections or phrases with a texture that is thicker, with
more than just one note at a time?
o Assignment for the week
 Play the a harmonic minor scale, arpeggio, and chords
 Play measures 1-6 with both hands blocking the 2-note slur notes and
observing beautiful wrist lifts at the end of each slur 5x correctly
 Play measures 1-6 with RH playing the music as written and LH blocking
the notes but playing them twice (to keep the correct rhythmic pattern)
5x correctly – keep the tempo where you can play it 100% correctly!
 Play measures 6-7 5x correctly, starting with measure 7 and 1 st count of
measure 8 – if it’s very comfortable play the entirety of measures 7-8 plus
first count of measure 9
 Play measures 17-24, hands together, but just the RH notes that happen
at the same time as the LH chords. Use pedal as practiced during the
lesson!

 Week 3
o Activities
 Sing the melody for section A again, like we did the first week. This time,
sing it like a very dramatic opera singer! Then PLAY it like the very
dramatic opera singer (LH is optional)
 In Section B, student traces the melody line with their finger once, then
traces it again while identifying the ups and downs.
 Circle the RH finger numbers that indicate a shift in your hand or
fingering.
 Identify how many different notes will be used in the RH (just 3,
but 4 different pitches!), and the pattern
 Student plays the RH multiple times while teacher plays the LH
 Put the hands together
o Questions to ask the student during the lesson
 What does the A section SOUND like? Smooth, flowing, graceful dancing?
Marching soldiers? Someone tip toeing? TWO people tiptoeing?
 What does the B section SOUND like? Is this section the opera singer’s
favorite section, or is Section A the opera singer’s favorite? Why?
 What do you think would be happening if you made a movie with people
acting out what is happening in the music?
 Look at measure 14. Why do think there is a fermata followed by
measures 15-16 at regular tempo? Listen to me play it and tell me what
you hear, and what you think the characters would be doing from the
story you described for Section A.
 Look at measure 21. Now look at measures 22-24. What did the
composer do here? Why do you think the composer was going back and
forth between these two chords?
o Assignment for the week
 Play each section 5x correctly. On each repetition, think beforehand:
 How can I make it interesting?
 Is the melody singing out?
 Are my dynamics rising and falling?

Creative activities
 Using the same LH pattern, experiment with creating your own RH 2-note slurs
o Above OR below the LH
o Different octaves
 Using the same RH pattern, experiment with creating your own LH patterns
o Stay with the same chord, but feel free to change the pitches or order of the
pitches and the rhythmic pattern
 Look at the RH’s motive and sequence pattern. Come up with your own 2 note motive
and sequence it for a section A.
o Make it different for a section B
o Return to your motive and sequence pattern for the final section A.
 Section B alternates between two chords. Can you pick 2 different chords in A minor and
go back and forth between them?
 Turn this into a Theme and Variations. Play Section A as the Theme, then modify it five
times. Experiment with some of these options:
o Minor
o Changing articulations
o Changing octaves and dynamics
o Adding neighboring tones, passing tones, grace notes, or ornaments
o Changing texture: lower octaves, switching the blocked and broken chords (if it’s
written as block, try it broken and vice versa)
o Add sequencing in between existing measures