Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Puccini Pooch Cover Image

Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Puccini Pooch: Piano Plush Toy

$7.99 USD
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Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Puccini Pooch Cover Image

Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Puccini Pooch: Piano Plush Toy

By Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Level: 4

Item: 00-17487

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Description
Puccini Pooch is a friendly toy dog who is a well-trained opera singer. His parents were opera buffs and named him after their favorite composer, Giocomo Puccini. When he was just a puppy, they taught him the words and music to every opera they had heard.

Puccini Pooch is a replica of the character first introduced in Lesson Book 4. Suggestions are made in the Lesson Book for integrating the animals into the lesson.

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Additional Details
Series: Music for Little Mozarts
Publisher: Alfred Music
UPC: 038081185354
SKU: 00-17487

More about this title

About the Authors

Christine H. Barden
Christine H. Barden stands as a leading voice in early childhood music education and co-authored Alfred's Music for Little Mozarts, a widely used preschool piano method. Based in Reno, Nevada, she maintains an independent teaching studio where she instructs numerous award-winning young pianists and composers while conducting Music for Little Mozarts preschool classes. She holds a degree in piano performance from San Francisco State University, where she studied under Vladimir Brenner, a piano soloist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

Her career reflects deep international expertise in music pedagogy. Barden spent four years in Europe studying, performing, and teaching, and was among the first American educators to train with Yamaha Music Foundation instructors in Japan. She then served as a national staff member with Yamaha for 17 years, holding positions including Director of Curriculum and National Chief Instructor for the Yamaha Music Education System.

As a sought-after clinician, Barden has led workshops for piano teachers at conferences across the United States, England, Norway, and Singapore. Her published compositions through Alfred include the Music for Little Mozarts series and several piano solos, notably "Etude Toccata," which was selected as a Junior Festival piece by the National Federation of Music Clubs.
Gayle Kowalchyk
Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk is a piano educator and pedagogy specialist at California State University, Northridge, where she teaches class piano, applied piano, and piano pedagogy courses. She earned her bachelor's degree in piano performance from Ohio University, her master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University, and her doctorate in piano pedagogy from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kowalchyk has held faculty positions at Eastern Illinois University, Oklahoma Baptist University, and the University of Oklahoma. At Eastern Illinois, she coordinated the class piano program, directed the piano preparatory program, and taught graduate level pedagogy courses. During the early 1980s, she spent four summers teaching class piano and piano ensemble at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan.

Dr. Kowalchyk is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator who has presented at major conferences including the Music Teachers National Association, Music Educators National Conference, National Group Piano Symposium, and World Piano Pedagogy Conference. She co-authored more than 300 educational piano publications with her husband, Dr. E. L. Lancaster, including the widely used Alfred's Premier Piano Course and Music for Little Mozarts series. Based in the Los Angeles area, she continues her work as a clinician for Alfred Music.
E. L. Lancaster
Dr. E. L. Lancaster served as Executive Editor for Piano at Alfred Music and currently teaches piano as adjunct faculty at California State University, Northridge. He earned degrees from Murray State University and the University of Illinois, culminating in a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

During his 19-year tenure as Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma, Lancaster established both the master's and doctoral programs in piano pedagogy in 1980. He mentored more than 50 doctoral candidates in this field while teaching piano pedagogy courses and overseeing the group piano program. From 1981 to 1996, he and his wife Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk operated a substantial independent piano studio in Norman, Oklahoma, and he directed the Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program for pre-college students.

Lancaster has held significant leadership roles within the music education community, serving as National Chairman of Group Piano and National Chairman of Student Chapters for MTNA, as well as 2020 National Conference Chair. His contributions earned him multiple honors including the University of Oklahoma's Regents Award for Superior Teaching (1984), the David Ross Boyd Professorship (1991), and the Provost's Outstanding Academic Advising Award (1996). In 2013, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia recognized him as a Signature Sinfonian, and Murray State University presented him with the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Why we love this

Puccini Pooch connects a tangible, beloved character directly to the Music for Little Mozarts curriculum, giving young pianists a friend who shares their learning journey. The toy reinforces the lesson book's integrated approach by bringing storytelling and imagination into practice routines, making abstract musical concepts concrete and emotionally engaging.

What to expect

Puccini Pooch embodies the delightful spirit of a young music student: eager, well-trained in operatic tradition, and ready for adventure. With a name honoring Giancomo Puccini, this friendly companion carries the warmth and theatrical joy of opera into the piano studio.

Who it's for

Music for Little Mozarts students at Level 4 will recognize Puccini Pooch as the character introduced in their lesson book and form an immediate connection. Teachers using the program can integrate this plush toy into lessons as a motivational tool and practice companion, following the specific suggestions provided in Lesson Book 4.

How to get the most out of it

  • Use Puccini Pooch as a visual reminder during practice sessions to stay in character. If the music calls for elegance or drama, invite your student to imagine how a well-trained opera singer would perform these passages.
  • Create duets between student and teacher where Puccini 'sings' along to the student's playing. This playful framing helps younger pianists hear their own musicality reflected back to them.
  • Reference the Lesson Book integration suggestions directly. They're designed to anchor the toy's presence in actual musical moments, not just as a mascot on the piano bench.

How to use it

Introduce Puccini Pooch during Level 4 lessons using the integration suggestions in Lesson Book 4 to enhance students' connection to their musical learning. The toy serves as a practice motivator and can become a beloved studio mascot who celebrates student progress throughout the year.

Skills your students will build

  • Emotional engagement with musical characters and narrative
  • Connection between composed music and storytelling
  • Independent practice motivation through tactile, character-based learning

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