Easiest Piano Course Part One
and
Teaching Little Fingers to Play
Please enjoy these free resources. These video lessons and play-alongs should be used in tandem with each respective method book (not included). I suggest you also sign up for private piano lessons via Zoom. Our First Zoom Meeting is free.
Cool Songs for Cool Kids
As of 2/28/2021, I am now a proud owner of a studio license for the Cool Songs for Cool Kids series. That means if you are a student of mine, you will have access to this music. This includes PDF downloads and MP3 backing tracks. You need to be a MaestroRyan.org site member to access these pages.
Piano Adventures
Play-along videos will be coming soon for the Piano Adventures Series.
Where to Start: Easiest Piano Course v. Teaching Little Fingers
I use two introductory methods: John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course Part One, and Teaching Little Fingers to Play. Both courses focus on note reading. Upon completion of these two books, a student will have a solid foundation to build musical knowledge upon. Following Teaching Little Fingers to Play, I suggest students move to the Faber Piano Adventures series.
John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course Part One is for the younger learner, and a slower approach. It remains in Middle C Position for the entire book. I recommend students ages 5 to 8 start in this book. It is a good stepping-stone into Teaching Little Fingers to Play.
Teaching Little Fingers to Play also begins in Middle C Position, but soon diverges into more interesting hand positions. We will tackle sharps and flats, and learn about scales and arpeggios. Students 8 to 16 will start in this book. Younger students with some piano experience may feel comfortable starting here.
While giving lessons, I often overlap these two books, as well as overlap Teaching Little Fingers to Play with the Piano Adventures Level One book.