This piece is a contemporary exercise in lyrical expression, designed to showcase melodic shaping and atmospheric use of the damper pedal. Its character is rooted in the tradition of the piano romance, favoring emotional depth over bravura.
Students must pay close attention to the phrasing and the balance of voices in the slow, melodic line.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Big Decisions is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Big Decisions lasts about 4 minutes.
Big Decisions is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Black to Grey by Robert Davidson, Albumblatt by Johannes Brahms, (Four Note) Pavan by Richard Farrant — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.