My First Piano: Learn To Play: Kids

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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. A popular series of books in the UK, I’m not sure how widespread this series is, but if you can get hold of it wherever you are it’s definitely worth evaluating. Pauline Hall has written numerous books in this series, including a complete piano course from the very beginning, to seasonal editions such as Piano Time Christmas Carols, which can certainly add a lot of interest to your piano lessons.

Fingers: A First Piano Book (Pauline Hall) Tunes For Ten Fingers: A First Piano Book (Pauline Hall)

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. Sitting in front of the keyboard, explain that the right hand plays high notes, and the left hand plays low notes simply because it is more comfortable to do so. Encourage them to explore some high and low notes, and make sure they can tell the difference. The fact remains, however, that the Alfred series is a staple of piano teachers in the US and around the world, and will remain so because it does what it does very well. What I particularly like about the Alfred series is how comprehensive it is. I’ve referred to the prep course here, however, there are four separate series for beginners produced by Alfred. 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. Again, this series is designed for children at the very beginning of their piano journey. It contains, as you would expect, colourful illustrations and a fresh, bright presentation to keep a child interested. However, one remark I would have to make is that this series is a little drier than the others I’ve mentioned. This is presumably due to the fact that it is a bit older.You'll be playing music in no time with Caillou! This all-in-one keyboard and music book is the perfect introduction to reading and playing music--it even sounds like a real piano. Children learn their first notes by following the simple diagram: Each note is represented with a color that can be found on the corresponding key. Straightforward instructions with illustrations and a touch keyboard make it easy for even very young children to learn and practice some of their favorite songs, including Old MacDonald Had a Farm, the Alphabet Song and Caillou's own theme!" Trivia Legato and staccato are not included, but there is always the option for individual students to add these where they are capable; 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

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

The problem with this is that students learn finger positions and don’t learn the stave. This is not conducive to long-term musical progression and likely confuses children more than helps them. I like how this particular book from John Thompson does away with this, and focuses on associating the notes on the keyboard with notes on the stave right from the outset. My First Piano Book introduces young children to the piano and music-making through fun activities, rhymes, songs and pieces. 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.The last one is B for BEAR– repeat the process, and all the notes have been named, as we have reached C again! Memorising The book isn’t too patronising; you could use this book for quite a wide age range without putting off some of the older students. The book also isn’t too long, which is always brilliant; sometimes this seems like a bit of a marketing scam to get you to buy more books, but in actuality I’ve found when I’m working from a large book with a student they can get disheartened as it seemingly takes forever to get through the book. 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. This is a good idea, and it allows for a much more complete experience as the publishers aren’t just trying to cram everything into one book.

Childs First Piano Book : Lela Hoover Jibbidy F and A C E Childs First Piano Book : Lela Hoover

It's also the first time Caillou wears a blue tuxedo and a red bowtie when he plays the piano, He also wears that on Caillou can count from 1 to 10. 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. 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.

This is the first book that I’ve featured in this article that is geared towards the older beginner; either a teenager or an adult, it’s suitable for both. This is probably the best piano method for those piano students; it’s clear that most beginner piano methods are geared towards children, and these books are not suitable for more mature students who wish to learn the piano from scratch. 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.