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Free Sheet Music from Arden Wilken


            One of the biggest issues facing sight-readers is having enough sheet music on hand to develop sight-reading skills. If you constantly buy new sheet music just to have something to sight-read, you will find this quickly becomes expensive. Fortunately, in the digital age options for freely available sheet music are abundant, especially on the well-known IMSLP website.

            However, outside of the larger public domain sites, more contemporary composers sometimes offer free sheet music on their websites. One such person is Arden Wilken. Her music is unique in that she writes music for therapeutic purposes. This music facilitates transforming the listener’s emotions into beneficial states of well-being.

            Arden’s website, https://www.innersoundonline.com/albums, offers a free PDF download of sheet music for “Rainbows (for inner peace)”. The link to this specific sheet music is listed at the end of this blog. “Rainbows” is approximately at the early intermediate level, meaning it is not that advanced, but its difficulties are beyond the beginning stages.

            When I first sight-read “Rainbows,” I noticed that the physical gestures felt graceful, flowing, and dance-like. Although the textures are thin, the music still conveys strong emotions that speak directly to the heart. The ending is particularly interesting as the pedal is to be held until all of the sound fades away.

            Curious about the physical aspects of “Rainbows,” I asked Arden if she had thought about the kinesthetic movements when she composed the piece. She stated that she most definitely did. Arden stressed the importance of following the given fingerings and hand positions as this will enable the music to flow and the pianist to bring out the emotional content.

            While I am excited to share this music as a potentially unique sight-reading selection, it is important to note that the therapeutic benefits of this piece culminate from playing it many times. In other words, the value of this music is far greater than just sight-reading practice.

Direct link to “Rainbows (for inner peace) download:

https://www.innersoundonline.com/_files/ugd/4be11b_9f37d815ad434bb2a104531da688288c.pdf

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