Christmas in the Air: Intermediate/Late Intermediate Piano Book

A collection that honors the carol tradition while offering genuine arrangement interest. These pieces invite legit musical choices without demanding virtuosity, creating performances that feel substantial rather than obligatory.

Intermediate and late intermediate pianists ready to work with familiar repertoire that has real musical substance. Students who benefit from knowing the melody already can focus on the coordination and musicianship challenges instead.

• Let the melodic line breathe in pieces like Silent Night and It Came Upon The Midnight Clear; resist the urge to rush the phrasing even when the accompaniment suggests momentum.
• Balance the hand independence demands in pieces with active left-hand figures. Deck the Hall particularly benefits from separate practice of each hand before bringing them together.
• Pay attention to the harmonic language in each arrangement. These aren't bare-bones versions, so coloring your tone to match shifts in the accompaniment will reveal the arranger's intent.
• Treat We Wish You A Merry Christmas with genuine joy rather than tiredness. It's the piece most at risk of sounding perfunctory if you don't commit to the arrangement's detail.

Perfect for holiday recitals or Christmas studio classes where you want quality over quantity. Mix and match from the collection to create a coherent program, or assign individual pieces throughout the season to students at varying levels.

• Hand independence with active accompaniment figures
• Phrasing and breath control within harmonic progressions
• Recognizing and executing arrangement-specific voice leading
• Balance between melody and accompaniment across different textures
• Interpretation of familiar material with stylistic awareness