Alfred's Basic Piano Prep Course Lesson Book, Book D

For the Young Beginner

By Willard A. Palmer

Writing from the perspective of a piano teacher, I'm always pleasantly surprised at how well this series works for K through primary. At any given time, I use several different piano method series in my studio, especially if I have multiple siblings in the same family and want to...

make sure the younger kids have a book that is special and is their own," and sometimes, from an adult perspective, I think, "Oh, I don't know. This series seems a little easy." That is my initial impression. But what always seems to happen with it is that the students make really good, steady progress, and they do seem to like the pieces! They move along as fast as they would in many other methods, partly because the pieces are short, the students like them well enough that they keep playing them for fun, even when they have new assigned pieces to work on as well. And this repetition taking place over several weeks/months really stabilizes each gain they make.

Good selection of pieces keeps students excited about learning

This book is working out nicely for my young beginners. They are progressing through the series and are enjoying the pieces and the lessons associated with them. The pacing of the introduced theory is appropriate for the skill level.

This book has some great pieces. Right now, I have a 8-year-old student working on Boogie Woogie Goose, a G position arrangement of Go, Tell Aunt Rhodie. (Instead of being dead, the goose is doing the boogie---much more cheerful!!) He is loving that piece! I would highly...

recommend this book for any student who has completed Prep Course Levels A, B, and C. it's probably best for ages 7 to 9.