Snow is Dancing, The

This is a level 8 arrangement of the 4th movement of Debussy’s famous piano piece “Children’s Corner.” For most of the piece, guitars 1 and 3 perform subtly interlocked 8th notes while guitar 2 plays the melody. In the latter portion of the movement the melody is passed around to each player as the character of the accompaniment changes. The end is a brief and altered reprise of the beginning. The technical challenges for this piece are slight, but include one or two position shifts and the ability to maintain a steady pulse while listening to how each part interacts. More complex rhythms should be modeled for the students. As always, accent, dynamics, phrasing and tone are the most important aspects of the piece when teaching. Historical Note “Children’s Corner” was dedicated to Debussy's daughter, Claude-Emma (known as "Chou-Chou"), who was three years old at the time. The pieces are not intended to be played by children; rather they are meant to be evocative of childhood and some of the toys in Claude-Emma's toy collection. This piece in particular describes snow and the muted objects seen through it.