Antonietta Loffredo on our workshop at Cernobbio

The Toy Piano Is Not a Toy

 in Revista Vórtex | Vortex Music Journal

v.8 n.2, 2020 | ISSN 2317–9937
Dossiê | The Toy Piano Takes the Stage

Abstract: this paper describes a two-day composition workshop dedicated to the toy piano held in 2019 at a state middle school with a musical address in Italy. Eight young pupils in the early years of their piano studies took part. The resulting compositions are shown and indicate that the toy piano is a useful means to stimulate creativity in young pupils. A further consideration addressed is that operating in the educational field means expanding the future audience with respect to new musical languages and means of musical expression. In discussing both pedagogical practise and composing and performing, the author’s aim is to contribute to the comprehension of the ‘toy piano phenomenon’ which in recent years has increasingly seen this instrument take centre stage on the contemporary music scene

http://vortex.unespar.edu.br/loffredo_v8_n2.pdf

 http://vortex.unespar.edu.br

TOY PIANO FESTIVAL 2019 _Music as Play-The Toy Piano Takes the Stage

-World Premiere of Toy dance, by Antonietta Loffredo

-Paper: From piano to Toy Piano: composing as a Rite of Passage. 

-Concert: Pupils of the middle state school I.C. Cernobbio (toy piano). Mercedes Zavala (conductor)

The Associazione Carducci in Como, Italy, is organizing a musical festival entitled "Music as play – the toy piano takes the stage" with the aim of increasing the knowledge and practice of the toy piano.
Composers, musicologists and institutions in Italy and abroad have been invited to take part.
This festival will include a call for scores for concerts and a call for papers for a conference.
Conference and concerts will take place on the 6th and 7th of July 2019 and will be hosted by the Istituto Carducci in Como.

For more information please visit the official website of the festival www.music-as-play.wixsite.com/toypiano
Email: masp.toypiano@gmail.com

From Piano to Toy Piano: composing as a Rite of Passage

MUSIC AS PLAY FESTIVAL2019 - THE TOY PIANO TAKES THE STAGE

From Piano to Toy Piano: composing as a Rite of Passage 

Mercedes Zavala 

Conservatorio Profesional de Música Teresa Berganza, Madrid, Spain 

ABSTRACT

In this talk I will discuss the work I did with the piano students of Antonietta Loffredo in the workshop "Seriously or jokingly? Toy piano composition workshop for early stages".  As a result of this workshop, the students wrote a series of pieces composed by them for toy piano. We also worked on improvisation as a complementary activity with elements  differentiated from, but also related to,  musical composition.

The choice of the toy piano favors some aspects that help the initiation to compose. At this student level, to compose means a change of perspective, a step to another way of understanding music, indeed a passage to another musical reality. The toy piano is a new instrument for all of them, so they have to do prior work of exploration to understand how that new instrument works, and they have to react to its sound and possibilities; but at the same time it is a familiar instrument, so they can manage it very well. Also, it has a restricted range of possibilities that makes the writing easier. Last, but not least, the toy piano is freed from the sometimes overwhelming weight of music repertoire of the past. This gives the act of creating music a playful aspect, outside the overwhelming responsibility that the concept of composing sometimes implies. The response of the pupils was very interesting in many senses, as you will see and hear.

Seriamente o per scherzo? Toy piano composition workshop

2019 - 23 y 24 Febrero de 2019

Cernobbio (Como, Italia)