Method Books Selection Collaborative, Ped 1 Fall 2021
Introduction
In the 1950s, the work of Frances Clark and Robert Pace opened the door to teaching piano in new and innovative ways. Pedagogical features of modern method books such as intervallic reading, pre-staff notation, movable starting pitches, multi-key approaches for beginners, and learning by patterns were all novel ideas in the teaching world. Faber Piano Adventures, Alfred’s Prep Course, Hal Leonard, and Bastien currently represent some of the most popular and reliable method books of our day. They share commonality in a horizontal format first book with pre-staff notation, followed by a vertical format book where short songs take students through early concepts of rhythm and notation. The methods all move through various levels to teach students basic beginning concepts until they have the skill to play full pieces of music. However, different approaches to pacing of concepts, feel and style of illustrations, quality of the student music, and quality of teacher duets make each unique. By knowing the differences in approaches, piano teachers can better choose the most appropriate method book for their new beginners.
Rhythmic Approach
The Faber Piano Adventures Primer Level covers the quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes, along with the quarter rest, and the time signatures of ¾ and 4/4 before beginning Level 1. The only new rhythmic ideas introduced in Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 are ties, half and whole rests, and upbeats. The Primer focuses on tapping and counting, first counting for the duration of each note (1,2) for a half note, regardless of where it fits in the meter. It also uses syllabic counting rather than numerical counting. Once a student moves into Level !, any reinforcement of rhythmic concepts and counting is found only in the theory book.
Alfred’s Prep Course Level A covers the quarter note, half note, whole note, and 4/4 time. New concepts are introduced around every three songs. It contains exercises to reinforce rhythm, such as counting, clapping, and tapping the durations of the notes. Level B introduces tied notes, quarter rests, whole rests, half rests, and playing staccato. Level B is more advanced and does not have as many rhythmic exercises.
The first lesson of Hal Leonard encourages identification of the beat, where the teacher plays a line of music at three different tempi while the student claps along. The quarter note, half note, whole note, quarter rest, half rest, and whole rest are all introduced early in Book 1. At the end of Book 1, the dotted quarter note and the tie are taught.
Bastien Piano Basics Primer Level introduces quarter, two eighths, half, dotted half, and whole notes and their equivalent rests. These concepts along with measure and bar lines are introduced in the Bastien Primer Level and reinforced all throughout Bastien Piano Basics Level One. Rhythm is reviewed and established in the first few pieces by only focusing quarter, half, and dotted half notes as well as quarter and whole rests. The counting system is up to the preference of the teacher since there are no rhythmical devices such as syllabic counting presented. Rhythms are logically introduced, for example, when eighth notes are introduced, they are the focus of the piece without any unnecessary information. Because concepts are introduced with increasing complexity, students are equipped to handle each step of the learning process with ease. The Bastien offers ample reinforcement of rhythmic concepts, since are introduced every five to seven pieces. Rhythm reading is enforced only through playing pieces, as there are no extra drills, activities, or ensemble playing that are presented. There was only one practice direction that suggested clapping and counting aloud as well as playing while counting aloud and other activities of that nature. Time signatures are introduced so that the number of beats per measure is clearly understood, and upbeats are eventually introduced to differ slightly from the norm and present new challenges. All meters in order of introduction are: 4/4 time, 3 / 4, and lastly 2/4. Rests are used creatively to express the character of the piece and enforce clear articulation and sustaining of notes.
Pitch Reading Approach
Faber Piano Adventures Primer level covers lines and spaces, note names on the staff, and treble and bass clef. Piano Adventures Level 1’s reading method is eclectic, focusing on landmarks and intervallic reading initially, and then moving into developing awareness of key, key signatures, and common harmonic entities. The book focuses on the concept of steps and skips to teach intervals. The beginning of Faber focuses on the guide notes, progressively adding notes to the songs in the book. The book covers Bass C, Middle C, and treble C before C Position as a whole. After Faber introduces C position, it goes on to cover intervals, half steps, sharps, and flats. Only then does it introduce tonic and Dominant in C. Finally, the book covers the same material in the key of G.
In Hal Leonard, the student begins reading pre-staff notation playing on groups of black keys. In the piece, “Merrily We’re Off To School,” the student is to play a “cluster.” This looks like a long, skinny block. Here, they would play all three black keys at once. Hal Leonard stays in pre-staff notation until just over halfway through. A hand position chart is presented at the top the page to accompany every piece. When the staff is introduced, the F line is highlighted in the bass clef and the G line in the treble clef. Bass F, G, and A are all taught at once, with an emphasis on the F to find the other notes. It is the same idea for treble E, F, and G, with an emphasis on G. Visual learners benefit from this approach; if they were still having trouble with those notes, the teacher could then highlight those lines. Hal Leonard is close to a middle C approach, although slightly adjusted to avoid two thumbs on the same key. Occasionally, there will be a piece in a true middle C position. Students begin to relate notes to fingers when they are only in one position. Even though Hal Leonard is only one note away, students will have to be aware of their hand position depending on the piece.
Alfred starts out on the black keys before moving to a Middle C approach. Most pieces in Level A are in a Middle C position after the first third of the book, and then builds off Middle C to other notes quickly as the book progresses. In Level B, students will begin to learn about different intervals. After the first third of the book, melodic seconds and thirds are introduced and reinforced by pointing them out in the next few pieces. Then fourths are introduced towards the middle of the book, and fifths following soon after. Each time an interval is introduced, the music in the book reinforces it. There are a few exercises that come with each introduction to help students learn. After introducing intervals, the G-position is introduced and the pieces that follow tend to be in that position until the end of the book, apart from a few at the end which are labelled as C-position review. Alfred heavily relies on the Middle C approach and does not deviate from it much in either book until a new position is introduced.
The Bastien Primer covers the grand staff and sharps and flats, and Bastien Level One develops a framework with these concepts starting in C major position. Intervals of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th are also reviewed from the primer. Bastien starts with intervals of 2nds in the first piece, and then continues with 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths in the following two pieces. Notes stay within the keys they are introduced in throughout the method book to ensure simple reading and 5 note patterns. The grand staff is used throughout the entire method book and there is truly little pre-staff notation. Contour is introduced and enforced through the multi key approach and the group one keys (C, F, and G) are emphasized throughout the entire method book. Pieces use fundamentals used at the beginning of the book and build upon them in a logical manner. For example, intervals are introduced first, and then sharps and flats are introduced one at a time, building upon existing concepts. Once accompaniment chords of the I and V7 are introduced in that key, the process starts over in the next key of Group 1. Essential fingering is introduced, and then omitted in recurring themes and patterns, allowing the student to remember what they have learned.
Music and Teacher Duets
Faber duets are easily sight readable but not incredibly musically satisfying. The duets are spaced out sporadically; at some points in Level 1 many pieces in a row don’t have duets. The Primer of Faber does have a duet for every piece.
The music has a variety of styles of pieces. Each piece has a creative title that goes with the mood the piece evokes, for example a staccato piece called “Mexican Jumping Beans”. Pieces are usually short and periodic. There is quite a bit of text painting, like a song about a paper airplane, and a later song about a kite that describes going higher while the melodic line goes higher. A couple pieces allude to classical music, The “Classic Dance” in ¾ and a Russian folk song, “Scarf Dance” extracted from music by a 19th century Italian composer. Boogie on Broadway and Jazzy Joe both have a clear jazz influence.
Bastien's musical selection is appropriate for exposing a slightly older beginner to a compilation of many styles of music. Folk songs from different countries are adapted to learning pieces as well as original compositions that are character pieces of activities that a child would enjoy, such as soccer or animals. Classical music is also a recurring item of study, slightly modified to the abilities of a beginner, and more modern rock and blues patterns and melodies are interspersed throughout. Many of these are not musically satisfying, especially for the slightly older age group it is intended for, due to the repetitive nature and limited creativity as well as containing melodies that are quite run-of-the-mill. Duets are also scarce, and when they do appear they are a little lackluster in terms of creativity and flow that could potentially arise between teacher and student.
Alfred’s music almost always reinforces whatever was recently taught to the student and is appropriate for the age they commonly are taught. Almost every single student piece has a teacher duet to go with it. The duets themselves are very sight-readable and simple, not over-complicating the piece. The music itself is mostly composed for the book but does occasionally feature recognizable songs such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, although they are few and far between. While the music composed for the book is generally good and sometimes fun to play, it should include more recognizable songs, especially if it is geared towards younger students. Including songs that a child will recognize can be very pivotal in helping them learn proper rhythm, notes, and dynamics.
The Hal Leonard method incorporates fun teacher duets that make the student part sound harder than it is. Most of the songs have lyrics, enabling the student to sing along and get in the right mood of the piece. As mentioned in the reading approach, several songs have “clusters.” In “Knock-Knock Joke,” students are to knock on the piano. These motions make the music much interactive. There are quite a few folk songs in this method book. Along with a simplified version of Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony,” a spiritual, and contemporary songs composed for the method book.
Illustrations and Layout
Faber has simple, minimalistic illustrations that are not too juvenile and don’t take away from the music. However, the several instructions for the teacher on the page can cause the layout to appear cluttered at times. In some ways this is a positive, as the books make it easy to jump into a lesson without planning; everything the teacher should cover is already laid out. Bastien has vibrant, fun, more juvenile illustrations that are quite large on the pages. They seem a little less modern and slightly outdated compared to Faber. But the large size of notes, etc, makes music easy to read.
Alfred’s Prep Course has many illustrations that are colorful, cartoonish, and relate to the piece or title of the piece in some fashion. Some are large but never take up too much of the page or the whole page.
The entire Bastien level 1 book and its primer are in portrait layout. The notation for the Bastien is extremely clear and minimal, while also being similar enough to how more advanced pianist’s music may look, allowing for an easy transition between beginner and advanced reading. Pictures are colorful and appropriate for their corresponding character pieces and do not seem to take up too much space. Because of its minimal use of color and more traditional black and white scheme, yet still expressive in terms of visuals, this method book would suit a slightly older beginner (7-8 years of age)
The pages in Hal Leonard are not overly cluttered, and the little illustrations relate to the piece. However, the illustrations look a little outdated in comparison to some more contemporary method books. Aimed for the average aged beginner, the music is printed large on the page.
Recommendations
Faber’s Primer level best fits an eight year old beginner. Faber level 1 is great for an older beginner that already has some musical experience or has been through the Primer. The songs and illustrations are more appropriate for a student younger than 11. Students 12 and up might benefit from using the Faber Piano Adventures for the older beginner. Faber is slightly slower in comparison to methods like Bastien; the student is not going to read chords as quickly as a student learning with Bastien. Faber has some references to classical pieces and composers that may set up a child well to end up playing more classical repertoire but is still varied and interesting enough to not exclusively focus there. An older beginner interested in Classical repertoire would especially benefit from Faber for the Older Beginner because those pieces are more heavily classical in style. Faber is great for kids who enjoy a more interactive approach to music, with games, improv and composition activities in the Theory book. It also provides kids with many accompaniments.
Alfred’s Level A and Level B books appear to be designed to be used by a student between the ages of five and six. Students that are slightly older or learn faster may benefit from learning the Level 1A book, as it combines both Level A and B into one book. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and cartoonish, and the pieces tie in with them in the same way. Alfred seems to gravitate towards cultivating a general knowledge of the piano instead of focusing on a single interest such as classical, contemporary, worship, etc. It does not stand out in any way except for the fact that it seems to serve as a jumping block for any interest. However, as the series goes on, they seem to gravitate towards classical as they contain many classical reductions and some actual classical pieces.
Because Bastien offers little in its supplementary exercises for both rhythm and reading, I would use it for students who are slightly older beginners that are already comfortable with those fundamentals and do not need a lot of time drilling those common patterns. Bastien is also not for the typical age beginner because of its emphasis on chords straight out of the gate. Although, if parents were more disciplined in their approach to giving students a lot of supplementary activities outside of the lesson, average aged beginners may benefit from this method, since they can focus on learning pieces and bigger picture projects, not deconstructed skills.
Overall, the Hal Leonard method book is paced slow. However, the concepts taught are comparable to other method books on the market. Advantages to using Hal Leonard include the student not being “stuck” in a middle C position and engaging teacher duets.
In Bastien Level One, students learn the skills required to play music by allowing them to get through as many pieces as possible. Teachers may not find it appropriate for younger beginners because of its lack of rudimentary exercises and “training wheels” so to speak. While the number of pieces and their variety of style is numerous, the musical quality and attraction is lacking when compared to other method books, such as Hal Leonard. The frequent use of accompaniment chords throughout the method book is also optimal for students who are interested in improvisation and are prepared for the challenge.
Faber Piano Adventures offers a great deal of musical variety and fun interesting activities that make it appealing to students and teachers, especially more recently. The method’s greatest strength is the variety of approaches it employs, offering both multi-key and intervallic reading to help students approach music with a variety of strategies. Emphasizes on guide notes, steps and skips etc helps students read more than just note names.
When choosing a method book for a student, teachers should consider the pacing, approach to rhythm and note reading, illustrations, and quality of music to determine what is right for that student as well as what best fits their personal teaching philosophy.