Elementary Piano Masterworks

Teachers return consistently to Masterwork Classics, Level 1 & 2 by Kim O'Reilly, which combines method instruction with audio support for self-guided practice. Czerny's Practical Method for Beginners remains a workhorse for technique building, while Allan Small's 42 Famous Classics Arranged for Easy Piano pulls students into recognizable masterworks without overwhelming them technically. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite in the late elementary arrangement also sustains steady classroom adoption, especially around the holiday season.

Allan Small directed his own ten-piece band on Broadway and spent decades arranging for major musical figures like André Kostelanetz and Morton Gould. His 42 Famous Classics Arranged for Easy Piano draws on that professional experience to make canonical works singable and playable for young pianists without sacrificing musical integrity.

Margaret Goldston (1932–2003) taught students across all ages in her North Carolina studio and earned her degree in piano performance from Louisiana State University. She studied composition privately with Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Ward and was commissioned by Clavier Magazine, bringing both pedagogical experience and serious compositional credentials to the Simply Classic series.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Ludwig van Beethoven anchor this collection through their canonical status. The Nutcracker Suite and Für Elise appear here in multiple arrangements and keys, adapted specifically for elementary and early intermediate pianists who might never encounter the original versions in their first few years of study.