Alfred's Basic All-in-One Course, Book 1: Piano Book
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Alfred's Basic All-in-One Course, Book 1: Piano Book
Lesson * Theory * Solo
By Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco
Level: 1
Item: 00-5740
$8.99
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Description
The "All-in-One Course for Children" takes all of the pages from "Alfred's Basic Piano Library," Lesson Books 1A and 1B, plus selected pages from Theory, Recital, and Fun Solo Books and combines them into part of a sequential five-book series. At the completion of Book 5, the student will be ready to continue into Level 3 of "Alfred's Basic Piano Library" or "Alfred's Premier Piano Course." This course is most effective when used under the direction of a piano teacher or experienced musician.
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About the Authors
Dr. Willard Palmer stands as an internationally celebrated musician, educator, and scholar whose prolific career spanned multiple instruments and genres. A child prodigy who performed piano on radio at age 13, he built his musical foundation under the tutelage of Mae Vardeman, who cultivated his improvisational talents through rigorous technique training. His early years saw him performing accordion and piano across radio broadcasts and campus ensembles while studying at Whitworth College and Millsaps College in Mississippi.
Palmer's compositional output proved remarkably vast, with 789 published works encompassing piano methods, guitar instruction, accordion methodology, Hammond Chord Organ guides, solo pieces, and choral compositions. Many of these works reached global audiences through translations into German, Japanese, French, Dutch, and Spanish. His scholarly pursuits earned him particular distinction as a world-recognized expert on Baroque music ornamentation, foundational research that shaped the acclaimed Alfred Masterworks series. The academic community acknowledged his contributions with a Doctor of Humanities degree in 1971 and a Doctor of Music degree in 1983.
Beyond composition and research, Palmer devoted significant energy to music education. He taught at the University of Houston for 18 years, pioneering the institution's first successful college-level accordion courses. He also served as choir director of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston for an extended period. Throughout his career, he maintained active membership in the American Federation of Musicians Local #65, the American Accordionists' Association, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, while directing the Riemenschneider Bach Institute.
Palmer's compositional output proved remarkably vast, with 789 published works encompassing piano methods, guitar instruction, accordion methodology, Hammond Chord Organ guides, solo pieces, and choral compositions. Many of these works reached global audiences through translations into German, Japanese, French, Dutch, and Spanish. His scholarly pursuits earned him particular distinction as a world-recognized expert on Baroque music ornamentation, foundational research that shaped the acclaimed Alfred Masterworks series. The academic community acknowledged his contributions with a Doctor of Humanities degree in 1971 and a Doctor of Music degree in 1983.
Beyond composition and research, Palmer devoted significant energy to music education. He taught at the University of Houston for 18 years, pioneering the institution's first successful college-level accordion courses. He also served as choir director of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston for an extended period. Throughout his career, he maintained active membership in the American Federation of Musicians Local #65, the American Accordionists' Association, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, while directing the Riemenschneider Bach Institute.
Morton Manus served as president of Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc. throughout his tenure from 1952 to 2016. His father, Sam Manus, established the company's foundation in 1922 as Manus Music on New York's Tin Pan Alley, initially publishing popular sheet music. In 1930, Sam merged his operation with Alfred & Company, founded by Alfred Haase, creating the combined entity known today as Alfred Music. Morton joined the company in the late 1940s with a business degree from City College of New York and eventually took over leadership when his father retired.
Under Morton's direction, Alfred Music transformed during the 1950s from a traditional sheet music publisher into an educational music company. A clarinetist and pianist himself, he championed the creation of instructional materials, launching an accordion series followed by comprehensive methods for guitar, piano, and recorder. This strategic shift positioned Alfred Music as a leader in music education rather than merely a publisher of performance pieces.
The company's expansion accelerated dramatically over the following decades. A 1975 relocation moved the main office to Los Angeles with a distribution center established in upstate New York to accommodate growth. Morton's sons, Ron and Steve, joined the business in 1988 and 1992 respectively and helped drive international expansion into Australia, Germany, Singapore, and the UK. In 2005, Alfred Music acquired Warner Bros. Publications, securing rights to the EMI Catalogue Partnership and forging a significant relationship with Warner/Chappell Music.
Under Morton's direction, Alfred Music transformed during the 1950s from a traditional sheet music publisher into an educational music company. A clarinetist and pianist himself, he championed the creation of instructional materials, launching an accordion series followed by comprehensive methods for guitar, piano, and recorder. This strategic shift positioned Alfred Music as a leader in music education rather than merely a publisher of performance pieces.
The company's expansion accelerated dramatically over the following decades. A 1975 relocation moved the main office to Los Angeles with a distribution center established in upstate New York to accommodate growth. Morton's sons, Ron and Steve, joined the business in 1988 and 1992 respectively and helped drive international expansion into Australia, Germany, Singapore, and the UK. In 2005, Alfred Music acquired Warner Bros. Publications, securing rights to the EMI Catalogue Partnership and forging a significant relationship with Warner/Chappell Music.
Dr. Amanda Vick Lethco, Professor Emeritus of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Texas at Austin, is best known as co-author of Alfred's Basic Piano Library, one of the world's most widely used piano methods. Developed alongside Dr. Willard Palmer and Morton Manus, this comprehensive approach has shaped piano education for generations of students.
Her training came from some of classical music's finest pedagogues, including James Friskin at Juilliard, Rudolph Ganz at Chicago Musical College, and Douglas Moore at Columbia University. Dr. Lethco holds multiple degrees from Northwestern University (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, and Master of Music in Piano Performance) and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
Beyond her publishing work, Dr. Lethco maintained an active career as a performing artist and educator. She presented recitals throughout the United States and conducted extensive teaching in private studios across New York City, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. Her influence extended internationally through workshops and clinician presentations at conventions in Europe, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, and Indonesia. She also co-authored Creating Music at the Piano with Dr. Palmer. Her contributions to music education are recognized in the International Who's Who of Musicians and the World Who's Who of Women.
Her training came from some of classical music's finest pedagogues, including James Friskin at Juilliard, Rudolph Ganz at Chicago Musical College, and Douglas Moore at Columbia University. Dr. Lethco holds multiple degrees from Northwestern University (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, and Master of Music in Piano Performance) and received an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Whitworth College in Brookhaven, Mississippi.
Beyond her publishing work, Dr. Lethco maintained an active career as a performing artist and educator. She presented recitals throughout the United States and conducted extensive teaching in private studios across New York City, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. Her influence extended internationally through workshops and clinician presentations at conventions in Europe, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, and Indonesia. She also co-authored Creating Music at the Piano with Dr. Palmer. Her contributions to music education are recognized in the International Who's Who of Musicians and the World Who's Who of Women.