Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Praise Hits, Level 2: Piano

These pieces capture the contemporary worship aesthetic at an intimate, accessible scale. You'll encounter open, repetitive chord progressions that feel modern and encouraging, with singable melodies that sit comfortably on the piano and invite expression even at this early stage.

Early elementary piano students (typically ages 6-9) who are working through Level 2 of Alfred's Basic Piano Library and need fresh, motivating repertoire that sits squarely within their technical ability. Students in church music programs or those with interest in contemporary Christian music will find these arrangements especially rewarding.

• Map out hand position shifts before playing through; mark them lightly in pencil so transitions feel planned rather than fumbled.
• Listen to the original recordings of these worship songs first. Knowing the melody and harmonic movement helps students hear the arrangement as complete, not just a simplified version.
• Balance melody and accompaniment by working the hands separately until the left hand patterns feel automatic; this frees your student to phrase the melody naturally.
• Take tempo markings as starting suggestions, not fixed rules. A slower tempo that lets students play confidently and connect the phrases musically will always sound better than racing.

Assign these pieces alongside the correlating pages in Level 2 of the Lesson Book to reinforce what students are learning in their technical studies. They work equally well as recital repertoire, church bulletin music, or pieces to share with family and friends who may not typically listen to classical piano.

• Reading and executing hand position shifts within a five-finger pattern
• Playing simple chord progressions (I, IV, V) in the left hand
• Balancing melody and accompaniment between the hands
• Recognizing and playing repeated harmonic patterns
• Sustaining phrasing and expression within a limited technical range
• Sight-reading contemporary melodies using treble clef