Christmas Treats & Treasures, Book 3: Piano Book

Rollin understands what works for students at this level: arrangements that honor the original melodies while remaining playable without oversimplification. These nine pieces give students repertoire they recognize and love, which builds confidence and keeps practice sessions motivated through the winter months. The collection balances sacred and secular selections, making it genuinely useful for both recitals and holiday programs.

Warm, celebratory, and accessible. These arrangements invite students into music they already love while offering small moments of musical discovery through smart harmonies and contemporary piano writing. Playing these pieces feels both familiar and special.

Late elementary and early intermediate piano students who are ready to tackle recognizable repertoire with some musical depth. This book works especially well for students preparing for holiday recitals or those whose teachers want to build repertoire confidence before moving into intermediate-level collections.

• Encourage students to listen to multiple recordings of these familiar melodies first. Hearing different interpretations helps them find their own musical voice rather than defaulting to the "obvious" version.
• Balance the decorative figuration with the underlying melody so the arrangement enhances rather than obscures what students already know about these songs.
• Use the variety of moods across the nine pieces to create interesting programming. The Nutcracker march provides rhythmic energy, while "O Little Town of Bethlehem" offers space for lyrical playing.
• Take time on the Ukrainian Bell Carol's rhythmic patterns if your student hasn't encountered that style before. It's worth the preparation but pays off quickly.

Program individual selections throughout a December recital to create thematic bookends and give variety to student performance order. You might also use two or three pieces as a group performance number for a holiday concert, with different students taking the lead on different arrangements. The collection works well as the backbone of a piano studio's winter repertoire, allowing students at various levels to contribute meaningfully to school or community holiday events.

• Legato and staccato articulation in the same piece
• Managing tempo rubato in familiar melodies
• Hand independence with decorative figuration over sustained harmonies
• Pedal control in arrangements that shift between resonant and transparent textures
• Sight-reading confidence through recognizable harmonic progressions