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Artina McCain’s Folk Songs Collection is a welcome collection of late beginner to intermediate arrangements that are hard-to-find in either in method or repertoire books.
Please Be Careful When Shopping Amazon
This is a bit tl;dr. However, I haven’t found a good way to shorten it. Please read the summary warning below and click Read More if you want more information.
All of the links below, unless otherwise marked, are to Amazon.com. When I post an Amazon link, it’s because I have verified that the book is Sold and Shipped by Amazon.com. That could change without my knowledge. Please pay attention that the book you are buying is Sold and Shipped by Amazon.com. That usually guarantees that you will be paying at most the publisher’s retail price, and sometimes a small discount.
If you suspect you’re seeing a price above retail – it’s rare, but I’ve seen it happen – you can always check the title at a full-priced site like SheetMusicPlus.com.
In those cases where I can’t find a book being consistently offered by Amazon.com at a good price, you have other options. You can order it through a brick-and-mortar music store. You can order it through SheetMusicPlus.com; I will sometimes provide an affiliate link. I place music orders for myself a couple of times a year through Cliff Hill Music. If I’m about to place an order, I’m happy to commingle your order and pass on whatever discount I receive plus pro-rate the shipping charges.
Some independent publishers like Piano Safari and Piano Pronto only sell directly via their own Websites. I can procure any Piano Safari books for you at a small discount. If you need to order through Piano Pronto, please do it through their Website. They offer all of their softcover books as instant downloads as well, in case you need something quickly or you prefer to save on shipping. I value their newsletter because it informs me to their rotating sales plus frequently offers freebie downloads.
Method Books
Piano Safari
For students who start lessons with me, or transfer into my studio at a beginner level, I typically recommend switching into Piano Safari. There are separate series for children and older learners. An older learner is typically 10 or older, including adults. To learn more about my use of Piano Safari in lessons, please visit this link.
Repertoire Books
Standard Repertoire Collections
I use two sets of standard repertoire books: Alfred’s Masterworks Classics, edited by Jane Magrath, and The FJH Festival Collection, edited by Helen Marlais. When I took the project to find the best repertoire books for my studio, I found that I couldn’t decide between these two choices. Therefore, I use both!
The Magrath editions are lightly edited, a good thing, but the repertoire selection stops in the 20th Century (no living composers). Also, the included CD is only valuable to those students who have a CD or DVD player. The Marlais books are more heavily edited, which I don’t like. However, it includes living composers and the recordings are available via download code.
Alfred’s Masterworks Classics
Masterworks Classics – Levels 1 & 2 (One Book)
Masterworks Classics – Level 3
Masterworks Classics – Level 4
Masterworks Classics – Level 5
FJH Festival Collection
FJH Festival Collection – Preparatory Book
FJH Festival Collection – Book 1
FJH Festival Collection – Book 2
FJH Festival Collection – Book 3
FJH Festival Collection – Book 4
FJH Festival Collection – Book 5
FJH Festival Collection – Book 6
Sonata/Sonatina Collections
These collections are listed in order of difficulty, covering the beginner and intermediate levels. I only include here easy-to-obtain collections since preparing for festivals often means getting music in a timely manner.
I also like some harder-to-obtain collections and single copies that need to be ordered in advance with a music store. They are not listed here.
Poe, John Robert
Silly Sonatinas: Four Non-Traditional Sonatinas in Traditional Form – Early to Mid Beginner
Olson, Lynn Freeman
Beginning Sonatinas: Five Original Works in Varying Styles for the Early Grades – Mid to Late Beginner
Sonatina Masterworks, Book 1
Sonatina Masterworks, Book 1 – Alfred/Magrath – Late Beginner – Early Intermediate
Sonatina Masterworks, Book 2
Sonatina Masterworks, Book 2 – Alfred/Magrath – Early to Mid Intermediate
Clementi Six Sonatinas and Much More
Sonatina Album: A Collection of Favorite Sonatinas, Rondos, and Other Pieces for the Piano – Early Intermediate to Early Advanced
Single Composer Collections
Bach, J.S.
Inventions and Sinfonias: Two- and Three-Part Inventions (Alfred Masterwork Edition) – Advanced
Burgmüller, Friedrich
Twenty-Five Easy and Progressive Studies, Op. 100 – Early Intermediate
Eklund, Jennifer (Piano Pronto)
The two sets of books are offered as the most popular choices among a very large selection offered by Piano Pronto. The Songs I Love to Play are tasteful arrangements of harder classical arrangements, whereas the Spotlight Solos are original compositions by Eklund. Supplemental books like these can help offer students the variety they need to stay motivated to practice.
Songs I Love to Play (Vol. 1) – Late Beginner (PianoPronto.com)
Songs I Love to Play (Vol. 2) – Early Intermediate (PianoPronto.com)
Spotlight Solos (Vol. 1) – Late Beginner (PianoPronto.com)
Spotlight Solos (Vol. 2) – Early Intermediate (PianoPronto.com)
Kabalevsky, Dmitri
24 Pieces for Children, Op. 39: Piano Solo (Schirmer’s Library of Musical Classics) – Mid to Late Beginner
Schumann, Robert
Schumann – Album for the Young, Op. 68 – With 2 CDs – Intermediate
Schumann – Album for the Young, Op. 68 – No CDs – Intermediate
Technique
Scales Book
The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, etc – Late Beginner to Advanced
Czerny, Carl
Although these books can be purchased in bound form with the links below, I recommend you print these and put them in a 3-ring binder yourself. The download links are available through MyMusicStaff – Online Resources.
- Practical Method for Beginners on the Piano, Op. 599 – Late Beginner – Mid-Intermediate
- One Hundred Progressive Studies for the Piano, Op. 139 – Early Intermediate – Late Intermediate
- 125 Exercises for Passage Playing, Op. 261 – Late Intermediate – Advanced
How to Practice
Practice Pie – Nicola Cantan’s step-by-step guide to helping your child enjoy their music practice.
Theory Aids
Music Theory
I’m currently rethinking my theory curriculum. Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory is an excellent book and comes with 2 CDs, but it’s a very dense book and is a better choice for older learners than young children.
Miscellaneous
Little Red Book
Wide Staff Manuscript Paper – Can also be purchased at Musicworks or any music store
Metronome
My favorite Seiko metronomes are no longer made. It’s not surprising given that many students use a metronome app on their phone instead of purchasing a stand-alone model. But what if you don’t have a phone available, or want a sturdy device you can just pull out of your music bag?
While I love the traditional Wittner mahogany pendulum metronome that sits on top of my Yamaha U1, it’s not suitable for most kids. The Korg below, however, is compact and decent for the price. I suspect it’s not as durable as the old Seiko ones were.
Korg MA-2 Digital Metronome (Red & Black) – This model also comes in blue, so check to see which one is cheaper.
Zoom Recorders
Zoom Q2N-4K Handy Video Recorder with XY Microphone – Video Recorder
Zoom H4n Pro 4-Track Portable Recorder – Digital Audio Recorder (No Video)