Stretching and jumping For the player with small hands, there are some possible problems of stretching and jumping. Technical considerations Some students at this stage may not have discovered that sliding the hand forward puts black notes in reach of the thumb – you may need to explain this to prevent twisting of the wrist in bars 9 and 11. Demonstrations and film clips of minuets are readily available on YouTube. The Character As a minuet is a dance, players need to be aware of the sense of movement and the visual element of seeing dancers gracefully circling and re-grouping. A performance that shows awareness of this will sound more lively and interesting. There is a charming sense of irregularity in the second phrase in both halves, when Mozart makes the total of 12 beats sound like 4 + 3 + 5 rather than 6 + 6. This continues throughout the piece to give it character. The little crescendo in bar 1 need not be exaggerated more important is to lean into the first beat of bar 2 with graceful arm weight in sympathy with the dance gestures. The dynamics follow the phrasing, rising and falling with a sense of reaching a peak in bars 14-15. Phrasing There are four phrases of four bars each, starting each time with a two-quaver upbeat. Older students and those with an interest in music theory can explore the change of key to D in bar 7-8 and the return via A minor in bars 9-10. The first six beats provide the main idea and a recognisable shape of notes and rhythm. Like most Minuets, it is in binary form (two sections) clearly defined by the double bar. There is plenty to explore in this simple piece, especially for older students who will enjoy playing with understanding. The Musical Form Even at early grades it is useful to introduce ideas about musical form and the process of composing. It was originally followed by a Trio (in a three-part texture) and the Minuet would then be repeated. This Minuet was probably written when Mozart was only about 5 years old. In Mozart’s day it could be used for dancing or (as here) as an independent instrumental piece. The Minuet was an elegant dance, in moderate triple time, which was widely popular throughout Europe from around 1650 to 1800. Some large intervals – LH jumps octaves.