One of my favorite ways to teach toddlers the groups of two and three black keys on the piano is with foam sheets. I take two different colored foam sheets and cut rectangular shapes that fit perfectly on the group of two and three black keys. I make seven identical cutouts for each group; a total of 14 cutouts. I like to use one color for the two black keys and another color foam sheet for the three black keys.

Have you ever been to a music store or searched online for the best piano book to buy for you or your student? It can be overwhelming to know which books to get and I am here to help! There are so many piano methods and books out there. Here are a list of piano series that I highly recommend and use everyday for my students.

Happy Saturday!

This week’s performers are Averie, Ruthy and Joshua. They will be performing the following pieces:

1. The Sleeping Beauty Waltz - P. Tchaikovsky

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: