What are Four Arts Scholarships?
Four Arts Scholarships are a set of seven PDFs given to music educators who are unable to afford them.
These PDFs give piano teachers a way to begin teaching the Four Arts of Music. The idea is this: Once a student learns to improvise freely in many styles and arrange familiar melodies in many styles using a wide variety of chords and interpret the notes of composers, the student has a strong foundation for composition, the fourth main musical art.
Who is eligible for the Scholarship?
Any music educator who wants to learn more about teaching the Four Arts of Music but currently lacks the financial resources to buy Forrest’s books.
How do I request a scholarship?
Use the Contact form on this website to apply. Simply describe the circumstances that make you presently unable to buy books. Type “Four Arts Scholarship” in the Subject line.
How do I know if I have been accepted?
In the first week of every month, we will go through the applications and award scholarships. Scholarship recipients will be notified by email.
Are the PDFs mine to keep?
Yes. However, the PDFs are only for your personal use and cannot be given to others.
Why are we doing this?
In February of 2019, complications from cancer prevented Forrest from being able to teach or perform anymore. He was very grateful to have savings, book sales, and healthcare coverage to carry him through. But he was acutely aware of the many people who had more expenses, less medical coverage, or less savings. He knew of colleagues who had suffered serious losses from fires, floods, and medical crises. Thus, he started the Four Arts Scholarships to give back to his beloved community of music educators.
In Forrest’s words:
“I want to leave the world a more creative, joyous place, and these scholarships are one way I can do that. I don’t want matters of money to get in the way of my essential mission to spread joy and creativity!”
Four Arts Scholarship Package
This book includes 105 short essays that explore the Four Arts of Music (improvising, arranging, interpreting, and composing) and also six supporting subjects: pedagogy, theory, history, flowology (technique), freeology (psychology), and therapy.
Create First is the final “Pattern Play” series from Forrest, enabling teachers to teach improvisation from the very first lesson. Teachers have “musical conversations” with students in many musical styles in each lesson. Each of the 29 pieces comes with a companion video.
Whereas the Duet book is used by the teacher and student in the lesson, the Solo book is used by the student at home. Each of the 29 pieces comes with a companion video.
This is for beginners or people new to arranging. Students who don’t yet read music can be guided through the book by the teacher. This book helps a person learn to play eight of the most popular melodies of all time and add simple bass lines. It prepares a person’s ears, hands, and mind to start the art of arranging.
In this book, students learn about the most basic chords and how to make their own arrangements for solo piano. They learn to style colors, add color tones, and substitute minor chords for the usual major ones. Also, about inverting chords and making arrangements in ragtime and boogie-woogie styles.
Students learn how to transform simple chords into full-sounding accompaniments. This means students will be able to play music with singers and others, and also play in bands of various kinds. In addition, they will be able to accompany themselves when performing or writing songs.
Opposite Twins, Book 1 ($7.95)
This book is for students who have been reading music for at least a year or so and are ready to explore the art of interpreting. With this approach, students play the same piece in opposite ways to explore music “from the inside” and be directed by different sets of feelings.