Materials & Recommended Reading
Basic Materials
There are certain materials every student learning piano will need. They include the following:
A staff paper notebook: We will use this for writing down homework assignments. I prefer staff paper as opposed to regular composition books because once we start reading from the staff, then I can write assignments in musical notation (and also later, for the writing of original compositions). I usually recommend the smaller 6-stave notebooks, but for older, more advanced students, the larger 12-stave notebooks make more sense.
A metronome, preferrably mechanical: For very young students, this is not as crucial, so does not have to be an immediate buy, but for students age 8 and older, we will inevitably need a metronome at home to help the student practice playing in time.
Music flashcards: Once we start reading music on the staff, flashcards will be a valuable tool for promoting fast recognition.
For youngest children, I also recommend purchasing a “sticker album” where they can proudly display the stickers that are material representations of their hard work at the piano!
Method Books
Method books help structure our lessons, as well as provide repertoire, technique and theory exercises. Which books we use will depend on many factors, including age, prior musical knowledge, learning style and developmental readiness. There are many methods out there, each with its advantages and disadvantages. I have tried many of them, and these are the ones I have found to align most aptly with my teaching style:
Faber and Faber Piano Adventures
Primer Level: Lesson Book & Theory Book (This is one of the first books I utilize with my youngest students who are just starting piano for the first time. Ages 5-6.)
Bastien Piano Basics
Primer Level: Lesson Book & Theory Book (another option for students just starting piano, but it moves much more quickly than the Faber and has more emphasis on the staff)
Level 1: Lesson Book & Theory Book
Suzuki Piano School:
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library
Later Beginner Level 1: Lesson & Theory Book
Later Beginner Levels 2&3: Lesson, Theory Book, Repertoire Book
Scale & Technical Books
It won’t be long before we are embarking on a journey of playing scales. For younger students, I recommend:
For younger students: Scales, Chords, and Arpeggios by James Bastien.
For older students: Alfred’s The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences
Repertoire Books
Burgmuller 25 Progressive Pieces
Burgmuller
Recommended Reading
Practicing the Piano: How Students, Parents and Teachers Can Make Practicing More Effective by Nancy Breth
Nurtured by Love by Shinichi Suzuki
Capturing Music: The Story of Notation by Thomas Forrest Kelly — As a piano teacher, I spend a lot of time teaching children how to read music. Understanding where this system came from should be required for every teacher of music. Why exactly did we end up with the system we use today? You’ll find the answer in this book, which reveals the gradual progression towards the linear charted system of music notation formalized in the medieval era, with all of its many strengths, as well as its many weaknesses. It’s not a perfect system, which is part of why it can be so infuriatingly difficult to learn for some, and understanding the history helps us see, and actually appreciate, its oddities.
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body by Stephen Mithen
The Roadmap to Literacy by Janet Langley and Jennifer Militzer-Kopperl
The Recovery of Man in Childhood: A Study in the Educational Work of Rudolf Steiner by A.C. Harwood
How Musical Is Man? by John Blacking