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We are excited to highlight one of the top piano curriculums: Alfred's Basic Piano Library. Since 1922, Alfred Music has helped many individuals learn, teach, and play music through their pedagogically sound products. They offer courses for beginners of all ages with four different and complete beginning piano courses that use the same interval-based approach and theory sequences. Because the courses are all paced differently, however, the teacher is able to design a personalized curriculum for each student, moving between curriculum books as needed:  You can view the curriculum books on Amazon here and reach out to us if you have any additional questions: [email protected]
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There are many great curriculums and resources for learning the piano! One of our favorites is the Faber curriculum because they have books for young beginners through adults plus supplemental material from a variety of genres. Many of the books include student solos with optional teacher duet parts.
Additionally, their app (currently available for iPhones and iPads) offers "the convenience of a full MIDI player on your iPhone or iPad. The app provides easy access to interactive play-along accompaniments for the Piano Adventures method books—bringing an orchestra, jazz ensemble and rock band right to your mobile device." Check with your instructor to determine which series is the right one for you: 1) My First Piano Adventures 2) Piano Adventures 3) Accelerated Piano 4) Adult Piano Adventures And you can click here to purchase your books in the Faber Amazon Store. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us: [email protected] In addition to piano curriculums, sometimes pianists need an extra boost to improve their rhythm, sight-reading, and overall technique. Below we have shared some of our instructor's recommendations! To note, this post contains affiliate links for items that we recommend and use. We may earn a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you. If your device is not showing the links to purchase, ensure your pop-up blocker is turned off.  Wright-Way Note FinderThis resource is perfect for learning note position! This clever training aid is found to be indispensable by many teachers. Moving the note up and down the grand staff is interactive and encourages attention as it demonstrates the basic note reading concepts of direction and distance. Random note position (31 notes at your finger tip) teaches rapid note recognition. Best results are obtained when parents quiz their student each day as outlined in the included instruction book "Five Minutes A Day." FlashcardsThese comprehensive flashcards include all notes, symbols, and terms needed for the first two years of study on any musical instrument. Cards are color-coded by category and are numbered on the back. We feel these are a great option for independent learners! Dozen a DayThe Dozen a Day books are universally recognized as one of the most remarkable technique series on the market for all ages! Each book in this series contains short warm-up exercises to be played at the beginning of each practice session, providing excellent day-to-day training for piano students. HanonThe most widely used piano technique book ever written, The Virtuoso Pianist was designed to develop agility and strength in all the fingers as well as flexibility of the wrists. Exercises are sequenced so that in each successive exercise, the fingers are rested from the fatigue caused by the previous one. Translated from the original French, this Masterwork edition includes the complete Exercises 1-60 and is clearly engraved for easy reading. Hanon's original introduction is included. Hanon recommends that a student have at least one year of experience before starting this book. Basic Timing for the PianistThis is one of our favorite "go to" books to help students master rhythms! There are 105 short exercises, leading to thorough and complete mastery of basic timing problems. NOTEBUSTERS and Note Reading Tests!These resources came recommended from one of our SC Music Lessons' parents, Ashley. She has incorporated these books into her homeschool curriculum and has been seeing a big improvement in her daughters' note reading abilities! Keeping checking back as we are always adding new resources!
 Any student wanting to learn an instrument will need to invest in having their own instrument for practice during the week. Without applying the information learned at the lesson during the week, progress will be stunted. Students who practice progress more quickly! When searching for pianos, we know the options can become overwhelming! We recognize that the quality of the instrument needed may change as a student progresses; therefore, we hope the pros and cons we have shared will help you make the right decision for your needs! For purchasing a piano, we highly recommend visiting Fox Music House Inc. in North Charleston. They have acoustic, digital, and electronic keyboards available for purchase and rent! Types of PianosThere are three basic types of pianos: 1. Acoustic Pianos are the largest and most expensive but also the best when it comes to developing piano skills. Acoustic pianos include upright and grand designs.
2. Digital Pianos are smaller, more portable, less expensive, and many are able to closely mirror the sound and touch of acoustic pianos. Digital pianos can be purchased with a cabinet-style console, enhancing the aesthetics and mimicking an acoustic instrument. 3. Electronic Keyboards are the most cost-effective option, however, sometimes they include less keys (which limits repertoire) and they may not have resistance (weighted-keys). These differences make transferring skills to a digital or acoustic piano more difficult. For each type of piano, we have shared pros and cons to consider when choosing the right instrument for your student and your family! |
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