Piano Party Book A

By Jane Smisor Bastien

I have been teaching piano for 50 years. I just started using this "Party" series. I like the material, but locating the teachers/parent instructions in the last pages of the books makes coordinating the lesson smoothly difficult. It would help if the teachers' pages could be included as a...

removable insert.

I've been using Piano Party with my 4-5 year old students and they love it! It's easy for them to understand, plus I love that it eases their small hands from using fists to individual fingers. The notes are large enough to read, and the book is...

colorful, which helps keep interest!

This book is very colourful and 4 and 5 year olds enjoy using it.

For teachers (like myself) who believe in an agressive approach to multikey work, this course offers a quality, full-color introduction for students in the 4-7 age range. By the end of the four-book series, the student will play in all twelve keys in five-finger positions. He...

will also be ready to enter level 1 of Bastien Piano Basics. Thus, all keys are covered in the primer level! My only concern is that three note chords are presented in book B. I've read articles that suggest that this early presentation may cause tension in the hand and some muscle strain with some young students. If the teacher encounters this, I would recommend switching to a different curriculum with that child.

I have used Piano Party with my 4-year-old son. He loves it! It starts the child playing with fists instead of individual fingers, which was necessary for a while. Now he is a little older and is able to use his individual fingers. The book is very colorful...

and is perfect for semi-formal training.