Alfred's Basic Piano Library: GM Disk -- Top Hits! Solo Book, Level 3: Piano General MIDI Disk

Playing along with these accompaniments transforms solo practice into something closer to a real performance. Students hear themselves as part of a complete arrangement rather than plunking through a melody alone.

Elementary pianists who have progressed through basic technique and are ready to tackle real songs from contemporary pop and film. This works equally well in private lessons and group classes where students benefit from hearing themselves in a full musical context.

• Adjust tempo in your sequencer to match your student's current speed; there's no need to rush to the recorded tempo right away.
• Have students practice hands separately with the disk playing to internalize the accompaniment before bringing hands together.
• Experiment with different MIDI sounds to keep rehearsals engaging and let students explore how arrangement choices affect the overall sound.
• Use the disk as a practice tool at home so students can play along outside of lesson time without requiring a live accompanist.

Integrate these arrangements into recitals and studio classes to give young pianists the experience of performing with accompaniment before they're ready for live collaborators. This also works as a bridge between method books and the broader repertoire students encounter as their reading skills develop.

• Maintaining steady tempo while playing with a recorded accompaniment
• Listening to and balancing against a full arrangement
• Reading Level 3 melodic and harmonic content
• Building confidence with contemporary musical material
• Developing independence from teacher guidance during practice