Abstract:
This document investigates three important contemporary methods for beginning piano students, comparing their similarities and differences and commenting on their strengths and weaknesses for students with different natural abilities. The study will allow the reader to determine which method might work most successfully for individual students. Three outstanding methods chosen for this study are The Music Tree (2000) by Frances Clark, Louise Goss, and Sam Holland, Hal Leonard Student Library series (1996) by Barbara Kreader, Fred Kern, Phillip Keveren and Mona Rejino, and Piano Adventures (2003) by Nancy and Randall Faber. Piano methods present organized plans for learning that can facilitate the progress of students through the beginning stages of piano instruction. They concentrate on dividing the elements of performance into individual skill sets, introducing and developing them, and then combining them. This document will show the progression of material in these methods in the most fundamental areas: note learning, technique, and rhythm.
