Jumping Jacks. Piano Solo. Elementary. Studio License

Jumping Jacks

This piece was commissioned by Nicola Cantan of Vibrant Music Teaching for her Concept Collection 2: The Other Pedals.

Have your students ever experimented with the Sostenuto pedal? Most don’t encounter it until they hit more advanced literature, but why wait? Jumping Jacks is a fun piece to introduce Elementary students to this unusual pedal.

The Sostenuto pedal, which is the middle pedal that only holds down selected notes, is the focus of this piece. Here’s the idea: In m. 1, play the Bass C on beat 1, then depress the Sostenuto pedal on beat 2 and hold it until the first beat of m. 3. and lift it when you play the Bass D on beat 1 of m. 3. Meanwhile, Left Hand crosses over to play the Treble cleff C on beat 1 of m. 2. The pattern remains the same throughout the piece. Doesn’t this remind of you Jumping Jacks?

Notice that there is a gradual crescendo throughout the piece in the Right hand from m. 1 until reaching forte in m. 10, then decrescendo to the end. Left hand is the star in this piece! Practice this a lot before you increase the tempo. How fast should this go? As fast as you dare!

This is a STUDIO LICENSE: One purchase - One person is allowed multiple copies for students in their Studio. Thank you for honoring the creativity and work of the composer.