Accelerando, Book 2: Early Elementary (all ages) Piano Book

The Accelerando series strikes a genuine balance between systematic skill-building and genuine music-making. Each study has a clear technical target without feeling like a chore, and the progression from hands-alone work into hands-together combinations respects how beginners actually learn. You'll find your students staying focused longer because the pieces feel like music first, exercises second.

Clear-headed and steady. These studies have a purposeful, almost methodical quality, yet they never sound dry or detached. There's forward momentum built into the phrasing, and the variety between different exercise types keeps the mind engaged rather than lulled into autopilot.

Early elementary students of all ages who are solidifying their foundation on the keyboard. This book works for five-year-olds just beginning lessons and for adult learners starting their piano journey, since the technical goals and musical content don't condescend to either group.

• Start "travel" studies slowly enough that students can listen to finger weight and tone quality as they move away from the familiar C position. Speed comes naturally once the motion feels coordinated.
• Use the transposition chart strategically. Rather than assigning all transpositions at once, introduce them after students have mastered a piece in the original key, turning it into a confidence builder rather than an obstacle.
• Shape 2-note slurs with intention. These are small but essential gestures that teach legato thinking; model the breath and release you want to hear before students play.
• Work through "hold" studies with one hand at a time first if finger independence feels shaky. The isolation prevents frustration and lets students feel the independence develop before combining both hands.

Assign studies from this book as homework reinforcement throughout the early elementary year, selecting specific pieces that target technique you've addressed in the lesson. The metronome section and transposition chart serve as reference tools students can return to independently, building self-directed practice habits.

• Hands-together coordination with clear hierarchies between hands
• Finger combinations and hand positions in C Major
• Transposition to multiple keys (major and minor)
• 2-note slurs and basic legato phrasing
• Parallel and contrary motion between hands
• Finger independence and sustained notes alongside moving fingers
• Interval and triad recognition and execution
• Metronome discipline and steady tempo maintenance