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Selah, is that the name of the Method "Celebration Series"? Who is the publisher? Thx.

I love the music tree for children under the age of 8. Some of my other beginners are using piano adventures. One is using Bastien.
I agree ugh>>>> but good for a very slow learner that need a lot of reinforcement. I have 2 students in the fourth book of the alfred series. Next year I plan to introduce the the celebrate series. I doubt any of this helps....::)

I loveeee Piano Adventures. Can't stand Bastien. I'm very curious about Piano Town but haven't ever seen it in Australia. I'm thinking I might order myself a copy from the states so I can check it out.

There are two series that are quite different from each other.

One is Celebrate Piano, a piano course that takes the student from the very beginning to early intermediate level.

The other is Celebration Series: Perspectives. This is a graded piano literature series, not a "method" as such. It has 11 levels, Preparatory through Level 10. Each level (except the Preparatory Level) has a repertoire book, an etude book, and a student workbook. There are also CDs available for each level and there is a fabulous Teacher's Handbook. The series is associated with the Canadian version of RCM.

They are both published by Frederick Harris.

I haven't ever used the Celebration Series but would be interested in looking at it. It doesn't seem to be available at my local music store, so I am looking at online options. When you transition from PA to Celebration, how do the levels match up? Do you move from PA 2B to Primer Celebration? Or to level 1? Or do the grades match up pretty well?

I have a student working in PA2B transitioning to Celebration Series Preparatory Level. There is no primer as it is not a method series. If you haven't used it before, I would strongly recommend you purchase the teacher's handbook (make sure you get the one for the current series: Perspectives). It's a bit pricey, but it's worth every penny and you will learn tons from it.

I've used it for about a month with two students. It was an especially great fit for one of the boys, I think, and so far I'm quite pleased. I especially appreciate the fact that they get out of C position in a hurry. The technique sections do a great job of explaining beginning piano technique in an easy-to-grasp way, too.

I like to use Piano Adventures. I like the speed they move at and the emphasis on interval reading. I also like that they don't stick in "Middle C" position and move around some. One of the negatives I've found with the method is that it takes until level 2A to introduce eighth notes. I always wind up introducing eighth notes a lot sooner. I also tend to use a lot of material from other methods as supplement, mainly Alfred's. Another negative (to me) is that the theory books aren't long enough so I end up supplementing with worksheets and such. I've also used the Accelerated Piano Adventures and find that this works well for exceptional students and older students as the books progress faster.

I've been taking a good long look at the Celebration Series. Are there any more people that have used it in the last 10 mos. or so? It definitely seems like something to start AFTER 2B/3 or so of, for example, Piano Adventures (which I love).

Took a look through the Teacher's Handbook, though, and don't quite like the hand-holding. Of course, I don't HAVE to use it.

Looking for opinions...

Carol, sorry, I missed your question. Rhythms are introduced gradually as you progress through the series. By Level 2, students are routinely playing dotted rhythms. The biggest problem with methods like Jane's is that it requires huge amounts of parental involvement in the earliest stages, something which many parents simply cannot give. I have found that Piano Town motivates the students through the adventures of the kids living in Piano Town, and is structured so that the parents don't need to hover. Of course, progress is much slower when younger students are providing the primary motivation without mom & dad.

I, too, am a fan of The Music Tree.

What I do is start with the pink Dozen a Day book, then transition to Music Tree Part 1.

This sequence seems to work with most every one of my students. As stated above, The Music Tree gives me fantastic results with reading and technique, along with expression and creativity.

YES! It is so good. The more I use it, the more I like it.

To motivate uninterested students, Piano Adventures Gold Star Adventures is the way to go.

It's nice to revisit an old thread like this, to see how much (or little) I have evolved as a piano teacher.

I LOVE the Kieth Snell books - solid classical repertoire. I usually move beginners to that series after about a year of lessons (starting with primary or level 1 depending on the student).

The downside is that it is strictly repertoire, so all technical instruction needs to be instigated by the teacher. The scale books and theory books that accompany this series are EXCELLENT. I find the higher level theory books to be excellent college preparation. Many students would be able to test out of theory 1 if they're really paying attention to the theory assignments.

As I progress to the harder levels, I sometimes stick to the 1 highlights book instead of using the separate baroque/classical romantic/20thc. books so that I can supplement with other pieces.

I like to use either Alfred's Basic Piano Library or Alfred's Premier Piano Course, although I tend to prefer the latter. I've used Bastien and Piano Adventures, although I tend to prefer the Alfred books. I also like to supplement them with A Dozen A Day and the Keith Snell Classical Repertoire series.

Main method book: "Music Tree: Time to Begin" and "Level 1."

Young ones get "My First Piano Adventures" or "Music for Little Mozarts" instead.

If needed, we'll continue to "Premier Piano Course" or "Piano Adventures" or "Hal Leonard," depending, for a very graded and slow pace. However, considering changing this to: "Music Tree: Time to Begin" to "Celebrate Piano" for pretty much anyone under the age of 10-12 as a standard.

If not needed, for classical repertoire (which I tend to move into immediately), Keith Snell all the way I use the standard 3-book route because it has pretty much every piece needed, and supplement the Contemporary portion generously.

All have:
Theory books: Keith Snell Fundamentals of Piano Theory
Sight-reading books: Line a Day for the method book kids, Four Star for those in repertoire

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Pianoeagle, how do you deal with the Alfred Basic Library kids who get stuck in position playing?

I have not had an overall issue with students getting stuck in position playing. During the first year, some students do have trouble starting the pieces in the right position (i.e. they get so used to having pieces in G Position that they don't realize that one song is in C Position). This is usually an easy obstacle to overcome when the student reads the note names out loud prior to playing.

Also, I introduce Keith Snell and supplemental repertoire early into the curriculum, along with scales (earlier than when Alfred introduces them). The supplemental repertoire fills in the gaps and allows students pieces of similar difficulty to their method books, but with perhaps some added concepts, i.e. 6ths, 7ths, minor key signature.

I have always enjoyed teaching with 'Teaching Little Fingers To Play', by John Thompson. After my students finish that first book, I move onto Nancy and Randall Fabers 'Piano Adventures'. I start with level 1, and move on at their pace. I have always had performing students, so I teach using the performance levels. Also, I would say that if there is something in the book that you don't agree with, don't worry about it, just skip that page or that song. You are the teacher, teach what you believe is best for your students!

I love the Piano Adventures series (and the My First Piano Adventures books) but only up until the 3A level. However, by that time they're usually ready to be out of method books anyway.