385: Meet TopMusicSheets Composer: William Suit

The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

Today, we're exploring the journey of Will Suit, the TopMusicSheets composer for October. Will is a native of North Georgia whose lifelong love for music has profoundly shaped his career. Starting piano and singing at the tender age of five under the guidance of his musically inclined parents, Will's talents flourished in a nurturing environment. We discuss the importance of integrating lyrics into teaching, a technique that helps students connect more deeply with music. He shares stories of student interactions, his methodical yet creative approach to composing, and his influences from various musical traditions, including bluegrass, gospel, and classical. Join us as we listen to Will's incredible journey and gain insights into his unique approach to music education.

• Discussion on Will Suit's piece "Dance," aimed at early intermediate level students.
• Will shared a brief overview of his background and his music studio.
• Conversation on pedagogical composition and writing for specific student needs.
• Importance of lyrics in teaching, especially for engagement and memory.
• How he writes methodically for students and improvises to meet student needs.
• Discussion on elementary pieces like "Busy, Buzzy, Fuzzy Bumblebee" and "Night of Halloween," which introduce chromatic scales early on.
• Will's varied musical influences, including bluegrass, southern gospel, and classical.
• His inspiration from historical composers, like Gustav Holst, Samuel Barber, and Verdi.
• Importance of using improv with students using left-hand accompaniments, and connecting songs to different learning paths.

Links Mentioned

• Learn more about TopMusicSheets here
• Will Suit Website
• Will Suit Music at Music Teacher Resources
• Watch Tim playthrough this TopMusicSheets Collection here!

Today's Guest

Will Suit is a native of North Georgia. His involvement in music is a lifelong love. He owns a small music school near Atlanta. Will began singing and playing piano at age 5. His dad was a church pastor and his mom the pianist. So, needless to say, his talents were developed and pursued in that setting. Upon graduation from college, he spent more than twenty years as a church music director. After leaving that profession in 2005, Will continued his love for writing as well as providing private music instruction. He worked as an independent contractor until 2018 when he opened Pedal Point Music where he continues to maintain a full studio of students, as well as a myriad other activities. He loves blogging, writing poetry, and, of course, composing music. Will’s love of music is not lost on his young students, who eagerly look forward to lessons with “Mr. Will”.

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