Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora Volume 1
Early Intermediate
By Various

This book is exactly what I was looking for. I was asked to find music by People of Color, and this was perfect. It is easy enough that I can learn a piece in a week or two, but they don't sound like beginner recital pieces. Each piece is...

unique, and many have rhythms and note combinations that are not familiar or expected (to my midwestern US ears). I have perfected two of the pieces and performed them a couple weeks ago, and received several positive comments. If you want something that isn't the same old stuff, but isn't too hard to play, this is your book!

There are so many different styles and genres in this collection, it's fantastic. I feel as though it covers some of the basic techniques that piano method/repertoire books cover except that it's much more interesting and in tune with the kind of music that students really want...

to play. Some pieces are jazzy with syncopation and others are just beautiful (like #4, "Dusk"). As a piano teacher of middle school and high school students, I highly recommend this series. And it's Oxford, so you don't have to worry about quality.