For the last couple of months I have been
consumed with preparing for my trip to Europe for my daughter’s wedding. She married her lovely Italian man in Barolo, a gorgeous wine region in the Piedmont District of Italy. I had a wonderful time at the wedding and was so happy to be celebrating with family and friends, famiglia e amichi. This month I am spreading the Italian love by giving away free sheet music for Giacomo Puccini’s Musetta’s Waltz. Musetta’s Waltz gained popular attention when it played throughout the film Moonstruck, a romantic comedy starring Cher and Nicolas Cage, in 1987. I arranged this piece for my piano instruction book series for older adults, Upper Hands Piano: A Method for Adults 50+ to Spark the Mind, Heart and Soul (BOOK 3) because it is so melodic and beautiful; it’s the quintessential Italian aria. Notice in the sheet music that there is a highlighted bass measure; practice this left hand chord progression first, as it’s a little tricky to play.
Demonstration video: Musetta’s Waltz
Remember: my free sheet music is only available for 1 year, so print it today!
Intermediate and advanced pianists might like to play this original arrangement. Just ignore the top vocal line of each staff:
Now that I am back home, still savoring memories of the beautiful wedding, I’m also excited to get back to my routines and practices. On Sundays I like to do my scheduling for the week. I schedule meditation, exercise, piano, accordion and French practice for the week into my phone calendar. It’s so easy to let days go by without getting to the piano bench or other desired activities, so I find that when I schedule them in, I do them, and end the day feeling content and accomplished. Of course I want to leave room for spontaneity and don’t want to feel over-scheduled, so I try to keep my expectations realistic.
Do you have activities you want to pursue or skills you would like to improve this summer? Please share your summer projects and tell us what pieces you are working on.
With love and music, Gaili
P.S. If you are new to this blog, welcome! I am a veteran piano teacher of 35 years! I post free sheet music every month, arranged for beginning to intermediate piano students, plus worksheets, practice tips and information on music and the brain (see the sidebar for previous posts ➡️). I have written piano instruction books for older adults (UpperHandsPiano.com), younger adults and teens (PianoPowered.com), Songs of the Seasons easy/intermediate piano sheet music books for seasonal classical and popular favorites, and my latest intermediate/advanced piano/guitar/vocals books called The Music Remedy: sheet music collections to restore and revitalize the spirit. Check out my books on the websites above, or click below to view a few of them on Amazon.com.