Current Hits for Students, Book 2: Piano Book

Matz has an instinct for which pop songs translate beautifully to the early-intermediate piano experience without losing their energy or charm. She introduces new rhythmic concepts (6/8 time and swing feel) within a framework students can actually execute, making the learning organic rather than intimidating.

Energetic and fun. These are stripped-down arrangements that keep the recognizable hooks and emotional arc of each song while staying within the hand size and technical reach of young pianists. You hear the melody clearly, the harmony supports it, and nothing feels dumbed-down or simplified in a way that loses the original's appeal.

Early-intermediate pianists ready to play recognizable, contemporary music with accurate voicing and rhythmic clarity. This book suits students who thrive on repertoire that connects to popular culture and benefit from learning notation concepts (swing feel, 6/8 meter) embedded in music they actually want to play.

• Isolate the rhythm in 6/8 by tapping the beat while counting subdivisions aloud (1-and-a-2-and-a for eighth notes). This anchors the feel before adding melody.
• When swing rhythms appear, listen to the original recording to internalize the style; written eighth notes won't capture the lilt without that reference.
• Work hands separately at a slow tempo, then layer them gradually. These arrangements sit comfortably for early-intermediate technique, but ensemble and comfort matter more than speed.

Use individual titles as independent recital pieces throughout the year, or work through the collection sequentially if you're teaching a group class in piano fundamentals. The variety of artists and styles means you can meet different students' interests; a student drawn to Lady Gaga might work on Born This Way while a classmate tackles a Michael Bublé standard.

• Reading and performing 6/8 meter
• Executing swing rhythms (dotted eighth/sixteenth figures with the appropriate lilt)
• Identifying and playing with awareness of major and minor tonalities within one-flat and two-sharp key signatures
• Balancing melody and accompaniment texture on one instrument
• Sight-reading contemporary popular music notation