Two of my Keyboard kids are nearing the end of Keyboard for Young Beginners Book 3, and are expressing the interest in playing Piano. They won't have the opportunity to use a Piano as they only have Keyboards but I'm keen not to let that stop them learning how to read Piano or music on 2 staves.

Which books do you think are best to use? I want a book that goes from the beginning steps (treble clef notes etc) very quickly to the other stuff as they already know the basics from Keyboard, what they don't know is the Bass Clef and how to read 2 lines of Piano music. Any ideas? I'd like to think about it over Christmas!

Piano Time gets moving reasonably quickly with left and right hand shared tunes.

I have used piano adventures level 1 for similar student and fingers crossed seems to be working quite well. I found we had to do lots and lots of work on note reading in both clefs at first though - if I was you I would take it slowly. Also not ideal having a piano, obviously, is there not one they could use for their lessons at least? - the touch is very different. By the way never heard of keyboard for young beginners - would you recommend it? Most of the keyboard books I have seen are terrible.

Have a look at the Kenneth Baker 'Complete Piano Player' books. They are good and get going with well known tunes. He also does keyboard books.

Well, Keyboard for Young Beginners isn't really the best set of Keyboard books in the world, but they do have nice introductions to notes and beats, and simple songs that the children already know. And they introduce chords gradually. It was the set of the books the previous teacher was using so it was easier to carry on with them, but once the kids reach the end of Book 3 I re-evaluate the situation according to the pupil. One thing I don't like is that the book tells you which notes you are reading in letters, all the way up to Book 3 which isn't ideal, as even some of the more advanced students, although they can tell you where middle C is, cannot tell you the others, even though they have learned them. Because they are used to being given the hint. That really annoys me.

And no, it isn't ideal for the ones that have progressed to use a Keyboard instead of a Piano. I've tried talking to the Music Co Ordinator there but he says because the Piano is in the Hall and he can't guaruntee it won't be being used at the time, I can't use it so I have to stick to Keyboard. I have stressed to the parents and the children that it is very different, but by the time they start learning Piano (allbeit on Keyboard) after Christmas, they will be leaving in July for Secondary School and they want to take up Piano lessons there. The two kids I'm talking about also have Violin lessons and they are both going for music scholarships in places in London and Surrey with very good reputations (which, I should point out, is unusual for pupils of this school, as most of them go to comprehensive schools in the area). I don't know how far my teaching should extend in that regard really, whether perhaps I shuold write to the school they enter and ask if they can have Piano lessons as soon as possible, or just leave it be.