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Incorporating Music Theory into a Student Request

Turning a student's special request into a music theory project. Pretty darn sweet.

One of my students has been on my case for weeks, if not months for sheet music from the Bionicle Heroes video game. He even researched information about composer Ian Livingstone to include in my year-end studio recital. I could not find any sheet music in my travels, so I decided to contact the video game composer and inquire. Ian informed me that he didn't have sheet music for Bionicle Heroes. However, he did send me sheet music for No Adrenaline, a piece he dedicated to his son who has the genetic condition CAH - Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

My intermediate and advanced students jumped on the opportunity to play it. However, my "Bionicles" student is only in Grade 1 piano. I was thinking of making a Big Notes arrangement but something stopped me.

This particular student is has rhythm and detail issues. His theory book? Doesn't always make it to lessons.

On a lark, I decided to get my student to write out his own arrangement. He's starting to get that key and time signatures are important and that if he transcribes notes on a different line, it completely changes the sound:

I emailed this photo to Ian Livingstone. My student was shocked. Ian thought the music theory project idea was "fantastic".

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