As far as piano methods, I have done my research and I prefer Keith Snell Piano Town. He has a series beginning with the Primer, which is for brand new beginners, progressing to level 4, which is about the 4th year, depending on the student.
I prefer Keith Snell over most of the other methods because he provides a solid foundation in music without resorting to cheesy arrangements which in my personal opinion do not honor the composers. Also, Diane Hidy, the illustrator is extremely gifted. Part of the fun with this series is looking at the pictures as we progress through the book. Often, they tell a continuing story!
I have my own twist on supplementing with games, stories, activities, and extra performance pieces.
And as my students progress and are ready for more classical piano literature, I recommend Keith Snell's Piano Repetoire series. I can discuss this in another post. This post is for my brand new beginners!
You can usually pick these books up at Portland Music Company, but I have been finding it more convenient lately to order online. If you choose the online route, here are the links:
For my brand new beginners, I use Keith Snell's Piano Town. The Primer Lesson Book is what we start with:
Once we've started lessons, some students want more options for performance pieces or just for musical enjoyment. I would recommend the Piano Town Primer Performance Book:
I teach theory along with technic and performance. But some students benefit from a theory book, which is essentially a workbook to solidify what they are learning in lessons. For the beginner, I would recommend Piano Town Primer Theory Book:
Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I'd include the Piano Town Halloween Primer. The pieces are just spooky enough to be lots of fun!
Ok, as painful as it is, I am just going to come out and say this. Christmas is less than 3 months awa! Aacck! Just kidding, I love Christmas. And for those of you that celebrate Christmas, here is a Piano Town Primer Christmas Book!:
And here is a lovely Hanukkah Primer book. Not Keith Snell, but a good book:
P.S. Students in group classes at the Community Music Center: We use Faber Piano Adventures as the method book. All books can be purchase at the CMC office. It is a fine method, but I prefer Piano Town for my private students. However, to supplement Piano Adventures, feel free to purchase a performance book or one of the holiday themed books!
Happy Practicing!
Teacher Zita :)
