Going Buggier.

* Going Buggier, by Mary Leaf. FJH Music Company Inc. www.fjhmusic.com; [phone]), 2006. $5.50. Elementary.

Composer Mary Leaf has bundled three bonuses with the eight imaginative solo piano pieces in this collection. Each composition includes a teacher duet part, but many could be assigned to another student. Beneath each evocative title we find the name of the insect that inspired it and a mini-lesson on its role in nature. A charming poem drives the melodic line of each piece, a big plus for developing the elementary student's interpretive skills.

This collection belongs to FJH's Composers in Focus series, described as "an artistic elementary collection for solo piano." Evocative poetry, suggestive mood and tempo indications, illustrative articulation and dynamic gradations, and well-crafted compositions live up to the artistic promise. The melody often passes between the hands and often features the "south paw." All pieces require rudimentary hands-together coordination and use harmonic intervals; several use staccato versus legato playing. None stray too far from the initial five-finger position. Layout is clean with the duet part in only slightly smaller type at the bottom of each page. Missing, but not crucial, are individual illustrations for each piece. These pieces work perfectly well as solos, but the duet parts add sparkle and sophistication. This collection offers a range of difficulty and expression and is so much more than a one-hit wonder.--Reviewed by Cheryl Staats, Cincinnati, Ohio.

* This items can be ordered via the MTNA website through our affiliation with Amazon.com. Go to www.mtna.org for more information.