Book Recommendations for Beginner Piano
If you’re a piano teacher you may be asking yourself which books are the best to start with a new student. In my years of teaching I have found these books to be the best for beginners. Some books begin right away with reading notes on the staff. Other books begin with learning the finger numbers and learning how to differentiate between the groups of two and three black keys. It’s up to you as the teacher to know which book/s to give to your new student. Going to Sam Ash and looking through all the books can be overwhelming. Especially if you are just starting out and don’t know which books you should use with your student. I like to have a few different books with me in the first lesson to see which one we might begin with. Here are my favorites:
NUMBER 1:
When it comes to teaching very young children I use the My First Piano Adventures series by Faber. This book recommends using it for 5 and 6 year olds but I use this for kids as young as 3 years old. This book moves slowly and works really great for young children. This series has three levels and is followed by Level 1 in the Piano Adventures series by Faber. Depending on the student, I may use all three levels of the My First Piano Adventures or I may skip levels if I see they are speeding through the book.
Reasons I like this book:
This book is mostly NOT on a staff. This is good for young children who are just learning how to write and read letters and numbers.
This book is great at teaching the finger numbers and the keys on the piano.
It introduces Quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes and whole notes.
The songs are catchy and kids love to sing along to them.
The illustrations are great! Although there are many illustrations, the pages are not busy and easy to read. There are many books out there that have a lot of writing and illustrations and are black and white…I find colorful illustrations and big print to be easier for children. It makes learning the songs more fun.
NUMBER 2:
With children around 7, my go-to is Piano Adventures Lesson Book - Primer Level . Here are some reasons I like to use this book:
It’s clear and easy to read. The font is a good size and it’s very clear unlike other books I’ve seen.
It starts off simple by learning the groups of two and three black keys and understanding your finger numbers.
This book makes its easy to learn how to read notes on the staff by introducing one note at a time. I find this to be great for beginners. Starting with books that introduce several new notes at a time can be very overwhelming for a beginner and discourage them in learning piano.
It reinforces good hand position which is very important in my teaching.
NUMBER 3:
Another book I may begin with is John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course - Level 1. I really like how this book begins but for a very young beginner it may move a little quickly in my opinion. Reasons I like this book:
This book begins with teaching how to read notes on a staff but does it in an easy way. It begins teaching middle C with the right hand and then with the left hand. It slowly introduces one note at a time until you’ve learned how to read five notes in each clef.
It simultaneously is teaching the note values. It begins with the whole note, half note, quarter note and then introduces the dotted half note.
This book is also clear to read like the Piano Adventure book by Faber. It has big enough font and the page is not crowded with pictures or lots of writing.
It has great worksheets that help reinforce knowing the letter names for each note as well as how many beats each note receives.
NUMBER 4:
Another book I like to use is the Accelerated Piano Adventures for the Older Beginner: Lesson Book 1 - Faber. I like to use this book for children that are around 8 or older. It really depends on the student. If I find that a younger student finds the other books easy, than I would most likely introduce this book. Reasons I like this book:
It starts off the same as Piano Adventures Lesson Book - Primer Level by Faber. It begins with teaching the finger numbers and the groups of two and three black keys.
This book moves much quicker but still introduces new notes and note values one at a time.
You will learn eighth notes, different hand positions, sharps and flats and playing songs that are hands together.
I actually like to use this book for beginner adults as an introduction.
So there you have it! These are my top four go-to’s for a first lesson. Hope this list helps you in finding the best books for your new beginner student!
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