It does a very good job of explaining concepts such as sight-reading and theory, and putting them into practice by providing good exercises to practice what the student has learned. However, my main concern with this book is that it is overwhelmingly focused on sight-reading, which while being a key skill a student should learn, is not the only aspect of playing piano, and I would have liked to see more actual pieces that the student would be able to learn. This is probably one of the best books I’ve come across for teaching note reading. So many of the beginner piano courses that I’ve used leave note-reading as a supplemental concept, and don’t introduce it until the student has a firm grasp of other basic concepts. The last one is B for BEAR– repeat the process, and all the notes have been named, as we have reached C again! Memorising This book is an introduction to the piano and early musicianship. The focus is not on the artistry of piano-playing. The aim of the book is to simply provide a gateway to music through the piano.’ My First Piano Book

Piano Book? - Piano Reviewer What Is the Best Beginner Piano Book? - Piano Reviewer

There are plenty of opportunities for improvisation and teacher accompaniments are provided for most of the songs and pieces. My First Piano Pieces, Puzzles & Activities Just remember that what works for one student, does not necessarily work for another, and you need to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to the learning needs of your students. The author’s tried-and-tested progression covers note learning, theory, aural and composing through a creative and holistic approach. Many pieces have simple teacher duet parts to encourage ensemble playing from the start, and the book is illustrated throughout in the charming Get Set! style. This carefully designed tutor will inspire, entertain and, most importantly, nurture a love of music that can last a lifetime.

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The books are designed to introduce young children (from the age of around five) to the piano and music-making through ‘fun activities, rhymes, songs and pieces.’ The author writes: As a teacher having four books can also be a source of frustration; it wastes lesson time to go to another book to try and find the material in question, when they could simply have condensed everything into four systemic progression books, rather than one master book and three supporting books.

Get Set Piano – Collins Primary | Music | Get Set Piano – Collins

Just like Alfred, the Bastien series of books has been a staple of piano teachers for many years. My first lessons were with the Bastien books; the red series which is designed for beginners aged 4 to 6. There is enough material in this series to keep a student occupied for many, many lessons; right from a total beginner level through to late beginner and beyond. I’m sure anyone teaching for any length of time has figured this out by now, but it’s worth mentioning here. When you teach the piano, working from any one book does not work. You need not only to have a series of beginner piano books to work from, but you need to be prepared to cultivate your own piano method based on what you believe is most valuable from each individual book. It is again geared towards those who don’t have much time to dedicate to learn to play the piano, presenting musical concepts and ideas in a compact and straightforward way. This is a slightly slower-paced version of Alfred’s other adult piano course books, with a greater emphasis on sight-reading exercises. What I particularly like about this series is that it comes as four separate books; performance, theory, technic and piano. The idea is that the “piano” book is what you work from. On occasion, this book will call on one of the other books for a particular exercise, so you use that particular book and then return to the “piano” book. Karen Marshall must be one of the few people who has inspired as many teachers as she has students. It is always a pleasure to review her publications because they have clearly been tried and tested in practice. My First Piano Book is no exception.Obviously we know the basics that we have to teach our students; scales, sight reading, aural training, etc; but which book provides the most engaging and most straightforward method? We all know that most students become disengaged the moment you ask them to practice scales.

First Piano Book by Karen Marshall, Julia Patton - Waterstones My First Piano Book by Karen Marshall, Julia Patton - Waterstones

Other than this, the presentation is good, if a little dated. The material is excellent, and offers good progression through basic keyboard knowledge, sight reading and learning to play pieces. What I also really appreciate is that the author has made it much easier than usual for a parent to assist their child in practice, even if they are not musical or have never taken music lessons. What also sets this series apart is that it seems to have been designed for busy people who might not have 30 minutes to an hour each day to sit down and practice. This could be a working professional, or a teenager with exams to study for; this course makes learning the piano accessible for those with significant demands on their time. The next note is G for GIRAFFE, find all the Gs up and down the keyboard, always making sure that the right hand is used for higher than middle C, and the left hand is used for lower than middle C. Legato and staccato are not included, but there is always the option for individual students to add these where they are capable; Suitable for children aged 5 years and over, this book facilitates a seamless transition from pre-stave reading onto stave reading, leading effortlessly into the highly acclaimed Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 1.What’s also interesting is that this book doesn’t really focus on other aspects of playing the piano, such as technique or theory. It seems very focused on getting the student to play pieces, which can get a little boring after a while as there is no variance in the lessons if you just get the student to work from this book. Daddy, Gilbert, Leo, Clementine, Sarah, Emma and Miss Martin all appeared in the book. But Grandma doesn't appear, so Caillou has to play the piano all alone now!