3. What Materials Should I Use?
3.1 Materials to Use There are many series of piano method books on the market. The bare essentials for a good lesson include a lesson book, a theory book (some lesson books include theory), and some additional repertoire. In the beginning, it is best to use a repertoire book that is correlated with the lesson book you are using. As the student progresses, you may wish to expand to other repertoire. It is helpful if the theory book correlates to the lesson book as well. Look for materials that explain everything the student needs to know. These will be helpful reminders to the teacher during the lesson and will also serve as a review for the students as they practice at home during the week.
Some books included in the teaching series' are optional and should be used at the teacher's discretion. Technique books include technical exercises that are helpful for finger development and are useful as warm-up material. Ear Training books offer students a skill that has often been overlooked in traditional piano instruction. Sight-Reading books could be helpful for the student who struggles in this area. Composition books are available to develop a student's creativity. A student assignment book is helpful for recording each week's assignments and for logging practice time. Flashcards are useful for beginners to learn note names.
It is advisable for the piano teacher to purchase the music. Many methods have titles that are very similar, such as Piano Adventures and Accelerated Piano Adventures. Some methods have original and revised versions. This can be very confusing to students and parents who do not shop for music very often and some music stores are reluctant to make exchanges because of copyright laws. Organized teachers plan their shopping so that they make one large purchase per month. (See Section 4.1.)
3.2 Popular Methods
As previously stated, there are many piano methods available on the market today. One of the most popular methods currently is Piano Adventures by Faber & Faber. This method can be supplemented by the PreTime to BigTime Piano Supplementary Library, also by Faber & Faber. The Supplementary Library includes favorite music from all time that students will enjoy playing. Piano Adventures combines sound teaching principles with innovative music that is fun to play. This series also include Accelerated Piano Adventures for older beginners and Adult All-In-One for adult students.
Additional popular piano methods include Bastien Basics and the Alfred series. Other methods are currently available by custom order through MJ Sheet Music. Look for more commentaries here as we list these items in our store.
3.3 Select the Correct Level
Beginning piano students obviously start with beginning piano books - usually called the primer level. "Transfer" students - those who've had previous lessons - are sometimes more difficult to place, especially if it's been a while since they last played or took lessons. Go to "Which Level Do I Use?" for a list of highlights from selected piano methods.
4. What policies should I establish for my studio?
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