Magic Carpet for Cello: Concert Pieces for the Youngest Beginners
Concert Pieces for the Youngest Beginners
By Joanne Martin
Item: 00-PB-0001811
$13.99
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Description
Magic Carpet is a collection of audience-pleasing concert pieces for the youngest beginners. These pieces can be used in either a reading-based or Suzuki teaching environment, and teachers can choose whether the children learn them by reading or by ear. Magic Carpet is available for violin, viola, and cello students, with a separate book (with audio) and piano accompaniment for each instrument.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
32
SKU:
00-PB-0001811
Instrumentation:
Cello
More about this title
About the Composer: Joanne Martin
Joanne Martin splits her time between Canada and France, bringing decades of experience across performance, teaching, and composition to everything she writes. A violist by training, she has performed with ensembles including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra while also commanding the violin, cello, bass, piano, and button accordion. Her deep roots in the Suzuki movement run through her work as a certified Teacher Trainer recognized by both the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the European Suzuki Association, and she received the 2007 American Suzuki Institute Suzuki Chair Award for her contributions to Talent Education.
Martin's publications have shaped how young string students learn and perform. Her I Can Read Music series became the standard note-reading method for beginning Suzuki students internationally, while her ensemble works including Festive Strings, Folk String series, and Trio Tapestry have earned their place in rehearsal rooms worldwide. Magic Carpet represents her latest initiative, designed specifically for the youngest beginners who are ready to perform with confidence and joy.
Why we love this
Joanne Martin understands the exact moment when young cellists are ready to play real pieces for an audience, and Magic Carpet meets them there with writing that sounds musical without demanding virtuosity. Each piece works equally well whether students learn by reading or by ear, giving you genuine flexibility in how you teach them. The collection feels designed by someone who has actually sat in the studio with young students and knows what builds their confidence and musicality at this stage.
What to expect
These pieces carry the quality of storytelling without sentimentality. There is something transportive in the way they unfold, like the journey suggested by the title, with melodies that feel natural to the cello and accompaniments that support rather than overshadow the young soloist.
Who it's for
Beginning cello students across both Suzuki and reading-based curricula who have reached the point of learning full concert pieces. Teachers looking for repertoire that serves dual purposes: a genuine performance opportunity for students and a flexible teaching tool that adapts to their methodology.
How to get the most out of it
- Encourage cellists to shape phrases through bow weight and arm height rather than rushing the tempo; the accompaniment gives them time to breathe.
- Create a performance ritual during rehearsals where students play the piece in full for each other, building stage comfort before the actual concert.
- Use the audio recordings to help students internalize the harmonic context, particularly useful if you're teaching by ear in a Suzuki environment.
- Attend to left-hand positioning and tone quality above all else; these pieces reward singing tone more than technical display.
How to use it
Slot these into spring or end-of-year studio recitals where each beginning student needs a solo turn that feels substantial yet achievable. They also work beautifully in group performances where mixed-level cellists can play the same piece at their own developmental stage, creating ensemble moments that build community.
Skills your students will build
- Playing sustained, singing tone across the full range of early position
- Managing phrasing and breath in longer musical lines
- Accompanying awareness and listening to a live pianist
- Concert repertoire suitable for public performance
- Applying reading or ear-training skills to actual performance contexts