Really Easy Piano – Billy Joel
This 16 piece collection, filled with an assortment of rhythmic patterns and genres, is a perfect choice for the more mature beginner who is looking to develop their skills. Students explore genres including Jazz, Rock and Pop, while learning to play such great and familiar tunes as “Piano Man”, “New York State of Mind” and “Movin’ Out”.
The pieces are perfect for students who have played for 1-2 years. Once the student has developed a working knowledge of the staff, they’ll be ready to dive into any of the pieces which each use the full range of treble and bass staff. For a more advanced student, the chord charts included in the notation could be used to provide a chance for improvisation in the left hand.
I love the inclusion of notes on each piece that provide an explanation of the background of the work as well as the key technical aspects to look out for such as the key signature or rhythmic patterns. These notes are helpful to both student and teacher in identifying the key learnings and artistic elements of each piece.
Really Easy Piano – 40 Disney Songs
It is so exciting to have a book that includes songs from recent Disney movies! Included in this collection are a selection of songs from new movies including Encanto and Frozen 2. Without a doubt, this is the perfect comprehensive Disney book for students who can now be excited by the new Disney while also having access to classics such as Circle of Life.
With 40 popular songs ranging from a preliminary to grade 2 difficulty, the collection allows students to grow with the book as they develop their artistry. This book has immense pedagogical value as it requires the use of so many techniques and styles; with opportunities to work on left hand jumps, syncopated rhythms, triplets, and many more. Songs such as Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride provide difficult rhythmic patterns, while A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes has the LH carry the melody for the entire piece.
First 50 Chords – You Should Play on Piano
This is an enormous collection of varied works from both classic and contemporary musicals that would be suitable for students playing at a preliminary to grade 3 level. The songs generally follow a simple LH chord pattern and RH melody line, employing a wide variety of rhythmic patterns and time signatures. The songs vary in difficulty and length, with some works, including ‘She Used to be Mine’ (Waitress the Musical), being up to 10 pages long. The longer pieces are ideal for stretching younger students to practice concentrating and understanding larger works, as well as being great performance pieces for students who are at a lower level but still want to play something exciting and recognisable.
Having such a large volume of work in the book allows students to work through it over several years and use an accompaniment to their general work in order to extend their musicality. There are a great variety of songs from traditional styles such as ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables, latin inspired rhythms in ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ from Evita to the dissonant chord patterns and swaying melody line of ‘Agony’ from Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Songs from musicals provide a great chance for students to both express themselves, as well as to practice performing emotive and theatrical pieces.
First 50 Theatre Songs – You Should Play on the Piano
This is an enormous collection of varied works from both classic and contemporary musicals that would be suitable for students playing at a preliminary to grade 3 level. The songs generally follow a simple LH chord pattern and RH melody line, employing a wide variety of rhythmic patterns and time signatures. The songs vary in difficulty and length, with some works, including ‘She Used to be Mine’ (Waitress the Musical), being up to 10 pages long. The longer pieces are ideal for stretching younger students to practice concentrating and understanding larger works, as well as being great performance pieces for students who are at a lower level but still want to play something exciting and recognisable.
Having such a large volume of work in the book allows students to work through it over several years and use an accompaniment to their general work in order to extend their musicality. There are a great variety of songs from traditional styles such as ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables, latin inspired rhythms in ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ from Evita to the dissonant chord patterns and swaying melody line of ‘Agony’ from Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Songs from musicals provide a great chance for students to both express themselves, as well as to practice performing emotive and theatrical pieces.
Brianna is a Brisbane based piano teacher with a background in both music and the psychology of learning and development. Her passion for piano instruction stems from a love of cultivating creativity and building confidence through musical education.
Her typical week revolves around musical enjoyment as she moves between her home studio, primary school work, and orchestra involvement. It’s safe to assume there is always a piano piece stuck in her head!
