Be a Star! Hymns, Book 2: Late Elementary Piano Book

This book moves beyond note-by-note crawling by training students to recognize intervallic shapes and recurring patterns, which accelerates independence at the keyboard. The optional teacher duets on seven selections give you flexibility: use them for motivation and musicality early on, or remove them as students gain confidence. These spirituals carry genuine emotional weight while remaining genuinely playable at late elementary level.

Warm and familiar, like returning to music your students may already know from church or family settings. These spirituals carry a quiet dignity that young pianists feel even while reading at their level. There's a sense of accomplishment when a hymn comes together, because these melodies are real enough to care about.

Late elementary pianists ready to move beyond step-reading and begin thinking in intervals and shapes. Teachers looking to deepen pattern recognition skills while maintaining engagement through beloved repertoire. Students who benefit from understanding why intervals matter, not just how to identify them.

• Spend time at the beginning of each piece isolating the interval patterns that repeat. Have students trace these with their fingers before playing any notes.
• Use the teacher duet as a listening experience first. Play it while your student follows the score silently to internalize phrasing and harmonic movement.
• When introducing a new hymn, sing or play the melody aloud before assigning it on the page. Students who know the tune learn the intervallic contour faster.
• Balance hands unevenly during early weeks. Emphasize melody work in the right hand while keeping left-hand accompaniment simple and predictable.

Integrate these throughout your year as supplementary pieces in lesson books, or program a short hymn arrangement on a student recital to showcase musicality without requiring advanced technique. They also work well as ensemble material when you play the duet part, turning a solo practice tool into a collaborative moment.

• Recognizing interval patterns across different melodic contexts
• Reading hymn melodies with consistent phrasing and musical shape
• Understanding harmonic progressions through teacher duet listening
• Building speed and accuracy in left-hand accompaniment patterns
• Developing independence from note-by-note reliance through pattern prediction