Introducing new FJH composer, L.E. Bolden, Festival Dance, is a polymetric (7/8 and 4/8) piece written with light-hearted fun! In three sections, the first and third are light and bouncy while the second is connected and flowing. In the key of G major, it requires fast fingers in repeated patterns, and uses LH octaves and large leaps frequently.
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Bolden brings genuine joy to the contemporary keyboard repertoire with this polymetric romp. Most pieces at this level either embrace metrics or avoid them; Festival Dance plays with both 7/8 and 4/8 in a way that feels natural and playful rather than academic. Your students will develop real metric flexibility while having actual fun.
What to expect
Festival Dance captures the energy of a celebration, with quick feet and bouncing rhythms in its outer sections that feel spontaneous and celebratory. The middle section offers contrast, inviting students into a smoother, more connected musical line before the brightness returns.
Who it's for
Late elementary to early intermediate pianists who are ready for metric variety and hand independence challenges. This works for students building technical facility in octaves and leaps while gaining confidence navigating unusual time signatures.
How to get the most out of it
Lock the repeated patterns into muscle memory before worrying about tempo. Once your fingers own the LH octaves and leaps, the piece accelerates naturally.
Treat the meter changes as groove shifts, not obstacles. The 7/8 sections should bounce with the same energy as the 4/8.
Let the middle section breathe. Its connected, flowing character is the emotional center of the piece; don't rush it just because the outer sections are light.
Record yourself early and listen back. Metric pieces reveal rhythmic confidence (or tension) immediately on playback.
How to use it
Open a student recital or chamber concert with this to establish an energetic mood. Its light character and manageable length also make it an excellent teaching example when you're introducing metric flexibility to a group class.
Skills your students will build
Reading and executing mixed meters (7/8 and 4/8)
LH octaves and large intervallic leaps
Repeated pattern fluency at faster tempos
Contrast between articulate, bouncy rhythmic sections and connected, flowing passages
Metric independence between hands
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