Phillip Keveren

1. Come, Thou Fount
2. This is My Father's World
3. Softly and Tenderly
4. The Old Rugged Cross
5. I Surrender All
6. Sweet Hour of Prayer
7. Breathe on Me, Breath of God
8. Were You There?
9. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
10. Amazing Grace
11. Peace Like a River/It is Well with My Soul
12. Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
13. Blessed Assurance
14. Fairest Lord Jesus
15. Come Thou Almighty King/Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
16. 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
17. God Be With You… (más)

I have yet to find a method that I'm 100% happy with, but this one has served me well with a number of beginners this year. The approach to reading is based on landmarks - bass F and treble G. Students are required to play the same notes with different fingers from piece to piece, and I've had NO trouble this year with students telling me that middle D is called "2," or asking "What position am I supposed to be in?" At the end of a year, all of my students can name the lines and spaces we've used so far. The pieces are interesting to listen to, unlike so many early level pieces, and we have particularly enjoyed the improvisation pages. My students ask to do them over and over, and I have even used them as jumping-off places to do composition projects. My negatives are not about this book at this level per se, but the entire series. I have taught through level 4. First, I think it moves a bit slowly. I often find that I'm skipping pages. Secondly, this method, like so many others, does not offer students enough experience with simple contrapuntal reading for my taste. Thirdly, I wish that it explored other key signatures earlier and more frequently. In general, I like this approach better than many others that I have used.… (más)

Arrangers include some good names: Bill Boyd, Phillip Keveren, Mona Rejino, and Robert Vandall. The arrangements are good, but my problem with this book is that many of the pieces are not at all recognizable to my piano students who are at this level. The Munsters? C'mon! That was a TV show from the 60's! Even the spinoff Adamms Family movie is too old for my 3rd and 4th graders - they weren't born when it came out in 1991! Other titles include Chim-Chim Cheree, At The Hop, and Yellow Submarine. Honestly, I just don't have many 10-year-olds clamoring for these. The one useful piece for me is "Beauty and the Beast." Otherwise, I use this book for adults who want some pop pieces.… (más)