I'm coming back to teaching after a 4 year break and would really like some advice on which books are good to use. I be teaching basic piano so any piano teachers out there, could you let me know which starter books you use/would recommend?

Thanks.

Hi There!
I usually use the chester books for young beginners, as they are quite colourful and appealing. i supplement this later on with prep test stuff and the 'making the grade' books. not all that experienced myself though, and I 'inherited' children that had started using the chester books from the previous teacher. there are loads of things out there though, for all ages, there are even quite a few adult beginner books these days, certainly the provision is much more extensive than for my principal study, which is percussion!
hope this helps - will be interesting to see what people have to say eh?
Emma

I use mainly the Pauline Hall beginner books - Tunes for 10 Fingers and More Tunes for 10 Fingers for the very young children, age around 6-8, depending on maturity. I like Piano Time Books 1, 2 and 3 for the older children and for (much) older adults. They are very clear and logical in progression. There is extra music avalable online on the OUP Piano Time site, as well as repertoire books. I would not use these for teenagers as they would see them as childish. They, and younger adults who are able to learn quickly, would be better off with an adult book such as Carol Barratt's Classic Piano series or another adult tutor, but look at adult tutors carefully as many progress too quickly or are just downright confusing to look at.

It's a good idea to go and browse through the tutors in a good music shop as there are plenty on the market. It's also a good idea to assess your pupil first to get some idea of the style that will appeal to them and be suitable for their likely learning rate.

I pretty much like the same books as Suepea.. but do try to get to a shop where they stock a few choices.
There are some books which I have heard highly recommended which I, personally, could not see myself working with.

I find that part way through most tutors is a point where I start to supplement them with other material, either because of a big jump in the level or as extras at a particular level to consolidate before going on.

I like books which don't go too quickly.. you can always get through them faster with a more able pupil and move on to something which goes at a faster pace later if appropriate.

I use Bastien Piano Basics for very young age 5-7s, I like the clear print and very uncluttered presentation-it is from the US though, so talks about quarter notes, etc. For older-approx 8-10-I like Pauline Hall piano time 1. For 11 upwards, teen beginners, I tend to use James Bastien, Piano for the Older Beginner -I like the gradual progression, and the way it uses chords early on, which always sounds good. I've also discovered a really good starter book in the Microjazz series, by Christopher Norton-which I think is ideal for about 11 upwards-I've yet to use it as a tutor book, but have used it for duet sight reading-every single piece has a jazzy style duet part and the couple of people I've tried it on so far have really enjoyed it.

My favourite is the John Thompson Easiest Piano Course. There are 4 books. In common with so many 'courses', they become less coherent as the level rises. Books 1-2 are excellent; book 3 is ok; book 4 is useless.

Any pupil completing the first 3 books is ready for books such as Wedgwood 'Up-Grade' book 1 and the ABRSM 'Original Pieces' book 1.

I like most of the books others have mentioned - the following have worked well and continue to do so ...

Tunes for Ten Fingers and More TTF (Pauline Hall)
Oxford Piano Time three books
Chester's Easiest
(although I like books 2 and 3 better than book 1, not quite sure why that is!)

I also get on alright with Me and my Piano (Waterman-Harewood). Many teachers don't like the way it's divided up into right and left hand sections - but I just hop around as seems appropriate with any individual pupil, and it seems to work ok. Book 2 goes too quickly for many young pupils though, and I don't find it quite as logical.
Some beginner books do have too many finger numbers in - at some point we agree to "snopake" out a few numbers as we prepare each piece..
Also like Jane Sebba's Piano Magic, although I have yet to use it with an absolute beginner.

Maggie

I would always recommend Razzamajazz by Sarah Watts (published by Kevin Mayhew) as it comes with a CD backing track. The tunes start with just one finger moving up to hands together too.
David

QUOTE (dcmbarton @ May 15 2005, 11:35 AM)

I would always recommend Razzamajazz by Sarah Watts (published by Kevin Mayhew) as it comes with a CD backing track. The tunes start with just one finger moving up to hands together too. David

That sounds like fun, David.

I am right into repertoire for the kids written within the last 10 years or so - Pam Wedgewood, Mike Cornick et al. It has revolutionised the practise patterns of a lot of pupils.

Do the kids play along with the Razzamajazz cd? Does it work wonders for their rhythm? Do you use the cd in the lesson? Where do you go after they finish the book?

Steve

I use the Pauline Hall Tunes for Ten Fingers, Piano Time, then some of the Up Grade! series by Pam Wedgwood. I sometimes use the Chester books, but the younger beginners prefer Tunes for Ten. For what its worth, some of my 7 year old students tell me the John Thompson book is boring!

QUOTE

For what its worth, some of my 7 year old students tell me the John Thompson book is boring!

That's interesting Noodle.

I don't use Thompson. The pupils I inherit whose understanding seems least clear and who most need loads of revision are generally the ones who arrive armed with Thompson!

I do prefer the presentation of Tunes for ten over Chester.

Maggie

QUOTE (SteveHopwood @ May 15 2005, 12:19 PM)

QUOTE (dcmbarton @ May 15 2005, 11:35 AM) I would always recommend Razzamajazz by Sarah Watts (published by Kevin Mayhew) as it comes with a CD backing track. The tunes start with just one finger moving up to hands together too. David That sounds like fun, David. I am right into repertoire for the kids written within the last 10 years or so - Pam Wedgewood, Mike Cornick et al. It has revolutionised the practise patterns of a lot of pupils. Do the kids play along with the Razzamajazz cd? Does it work wonders for their rhythm? Do you use the cd in the lesson? Where do you go after they finish the book? Steve

Yes. They play along with the CD. There are performance tracks too so they can hear what the pieces sound like. The tunes are a mixture of popular and jazz idiom pieces with some slower one's too. The book ends up using both hands (though not playing together - i.e. one hand plays one phrase and the other answers etc.) I think.
Only problem is if you are using a real piano as they are not always in tune with the CD.
For the advanced player (Grd 4/5+) Chris Norton's Big Beats are good.
David

This is all really helpful. Thank you everyone.

I already have the Christopher Norton books so I'll give those a try and it seems that most people agree on the merits of Tunes for Ten fingers so I shall seek that one out.

Cheers,
Lauren

For fifteen years, now, I have preferred John Thomson's "Teaching Little Fingers" as a primer, because of its attractive folk song repertoire. However, most of my pupils have a problem with sight reading, both with note recognition during lessons and in exam test results. Could there be a connection? Could there be too many fingerings put over the notes at this early stage, inhibiting line-and-space conciousness?

QUOTE

Could there be too many fingerings put over the notes at this early stage, inhibiting line-and-space conciousness?

It's a thought. A lot of early books make a bit too much use of finger numbers, although they are useful in the very early stages I think.

I do quite a bit of stave -practice to help a child recognise lines / spaces / steps and skips (some tutors have a certain amount of this built in, or have a look at the Oxford sight-reading books), and I find this is useful.

At some point I start encouraging a pupil to "lose" some of the finger numbers in the piece they are going to learn. We choose a bar or two where the intervals are easily readable (2nds and 3rds generally to start with, and not the first note of a new line of music) and I snopake out the numbers after the first reading through. You could first try covering up some of the numbers with a ruler or sheet of paper when a pupil is sight-reading a new tune, and see if it makes a difference.

Maggie

QUOTE (maggiemay @ May 19 2005, 07:24 AM)

It's a thought. A lot of early books make a bit too much use of finger numbers, although they are useful in the very early stages I think.

I agree, Maggie. I use the John Thompson because there are sufficient finger numbers to help but not so many the kids can become reliant upon them to the extent that they can stop reading the music.

With young or low-ability pupils, I combine JT with Waterman's 'Me And My Piano'. These books are so riddled with fingernumbers that it is possible for a pupil to progress through them without learning to read music at all. These become my confidence boosters for the child. I tell the child that reading the finger numbers instead of the notes is 'cheating' but that they are allowed to 'cheat' as much as they want in this book. Their success has a beneficial effect on their work in the JT's.

Steve

I sometimes use Me and my Piano with young beginners as a main book. I have a tippex "mouse" that likes to eat finger numbers and once the pupil is starting to build a bit of confidence we start eating up a few numbers in each tune.

This means that I can use any book that seems suitable without worrying about too many finger numbers.

We'll have to agree to differ on J Thompson though!

Maggie

QUOTE (LaurenR @ May 13 2005, 12:17 PM)

I'm coming back to teaching after a 4 year break and would really like some advice on which books are good to use. I be teaching basic piano so any piano teachers out there, could you let me know which starter books you use/would recommend? Thanks.

I love the Hal Leonard series. I have found it suitable for both adults and children alike. The series also has accompanying cds with each book(optional)my pupils love these also.

Thinking of young children for theory I use the Ng books Theory For Little Children these are wonderful and contain stickers and games.