In My Own Space - Piano Solo: Piano Solo

Alexander's jazz collection succeeds because it treats the idiom seriously rather than as a novelty. Each piece develops genuine jazz vocabulary, blues changes, swing rhythms, syncopated lines, in textures that remain accessible to late intermediate students without condescending to them. Your students will sound like they're actually playing jazz, not just performing pieces labeled 'jazz.'

Conversational and groove-oriented. Alexander balances lyricism with infectious rhythms, giving each piece enough melodic personality that students actually want to play them. The harmonic palette feels sophisticated without requiring advanced harmonic theory.

Late intermediate pianists ready to explore jazz language without sacrificing musical substance. This collection works equally well for students pursuing jazz studies and for classical pianists who want to expand their stylistic range.

• Lock in the swing feel early in rehearsal by counting triplet subdivisions even when the notation shows straight eighths; students often rush when first learning these pieces.
• Have students identify the harmonic framework in each piece before adding stylistic ornamentation, so they understand the underlying structure that supports the jazz flavor.
• Record short practice sessions where they play along with their own tempo settings, letting them build confidence before attempting performance speed.
• Emphasize release articulation on off-beat accents; these rhythms sit differently than classical phrasing and need deliberate attention to sound relaxed rather than choppy.

Include a single selection on a spring recital to showcase jazz repertoire in a classical-heavy program, or perform multiple pieces as a suite in a jazz or contemporary music concert. The collection also serves as a semester-long exploration if you're introducing jazz concepts to intermediate piano students.

• Reading and executing swing eighth-note rhythms
• Recognizing and playing blues changes and jazz chord progressions
• Understanding jazz articulation and phrasing conventions
• Interpreting syncopated melodic lines with stylistic accuracy
• Developing left-hand comping patterns and accompaniment textures
• Building sight-reading fluency across multiple jazz idioms