“…he really enjoyed the lead sheets at Christmas time. I also appreciate your positivity and the excellent piece curation you do.” - Piano parent
Choosing music for our piano students can sometimes be a difficult task! The variety of method books available to piano teachers gives us no lack of options, but if we are not devoted to one method or another (or we realize a student needs something more/different), finding just the right music that suits the interests and abilities of our students can feel daunting.
I have by no means perfected the process, but thought I would give you a glimpse of what I am using this year in my studio:
For beginners (ages 5-8) - Faber Piano Adventures or Alfred Premier. These methods are pretty similar, starting the student on black keys with off-staff notation before introducing landmark notes and the grand staff. I like them because I have been using them for years, the pages aren't too cluttered, and the directions are simple enough for non-musical parents to understand and assist their children with at home. I use the Lesson book, Theory book, and Performance book in each method for the first two years. I also use the Faber supplemental books for Christmas and summer (Jazz/Blues, Rock and Roll, Disney). In year three, I add a Faber Piano Literature book as we begin to transition into “real” literature.
For beginners (pre-teen/teen) - Supersonics, Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano, or Alfred Older Beginner. This age group generally needs easy wins and music that sounds appealing right away. They are motivated by cool-sounding or familiar music, but still need to build proper technique and reading skills. I like Supersonics and Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano for the “cool” factor and steady progression of skills. The Alfred method is solid, but in my opinion less appealing for modern kids as the songs tend to be folk songs. (Alfred, we need an update!) For theory, I am trying out Mark Sarnecki's Elementary Music Theory books this year. I love the clean layout of the pages and the fact that he incorporates music history into the lessons. I also love Worship at the Keys by Donna Gielow McFarland for this age. A lot of my students come wanting to learn how to play in a worship band at church, and Donna's book is a wonderful introduction to reading chord charts and lead sheets; she incorporates a number of modern songs!
For early intermediate - RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) Etudes books, Faber Piano Literature books, Mark Sarnecki's Essential Music Theory books, Diversions 1 and 2 by Juan Cabeza, various supplemental literature. My “core” for my early intermediates is an Etude book, a Piano Literature book, and a Theory book. We also follow the RCM technique charts for learning scales and chords. I add to that depending on the students' interests and skills that need addressing. For instance, I have one student who is fabulous at rhythms and loves Celtic music. He is working through the Diversions books (each piece a “quick win” and a chance to analyze patterns and work on transposing on sight), a Celtic book, and a fun Mario book. Another pair of students works very slowly through their core books (practicing isn't consistent), so we don't do much beyond that other than adding Christmas music in Nov/Dec. Another student loves Classical music and we've been supplementing with some of Frank Lynes' sonatinas and other music found on IMSLP.org.
The older intermediate and advanced students that I have taught generally have been transfer students and have come with repertoire they want to work on. Often it is above their reading level, and I supplement with easier pieces and scales and chords work to improve their sightreading and technique.
It is important for students who are intermediate level to have music at their reading level (learn in 1 day), a little above their reading level (learn in 1 week), and then a stretch goal (learn in a month+). They need to be able to play music for pleasure (those quick wins!) as well as be challenged to practice to achieve a long-range goal. And if we can find music that accomplishes both things and that the student enjoys working on, we can spend more of our time enjoying the teaching and learning process and less time coaxing students to practice things that are uninteresting or too difficult for them to see much short-term progress.
How do you choose music in your studio? Do you have methods/publishers/composers that you find yourself turning to again and again? Let me know in the comments!
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