Current Hits for Teens, Book 1: Piano Book

These arrangements strike an uncommon balance: they sound genuinely like the hit recordings students hear constantly, yet the writing respects early-intermediate players by avoiding rhythmic complexity and keeping harmonic language straightforward. Your students will experience the satisfaction of playing recognizable, current music without the frustration that comes from oversimplified transcriptions that don't capture the original flavor.

Playing these arrangements feels like stepping into the world of the recordings themselves. The keyboard writing captures the energy and melodic hooks that made these songs memorable, whether you're playing the driving beat of "Glad You Came," the anthemic chorus of "Firework," or the fantastical atmosphere of "Misty Mountains."

Early-intermediate pianists aged 13 and up who play music they actually listen to and care about. Students in this stage want repertoire that feels contemporary and relevant to their lives, and these arrangements deliver hit songs without requiring technical skills they haven't yet developed.

• Honor the rhythmic pocket in the left hand even when note values are sparse; these songs breathe, and premature tempo adjustments kill that feel.
• Listen to the original recordings in advance and note production details like synth textures or register shifts; your arrangement hints at these, so letting them guide your interpretation brings the music to life.
• Pay attention to the balance between melody and accompaniment patterns; Coates often keeps right-hand lines singable and left-hand patterns rhythmically consistent, so resist the urge to overshadow either one.
• Practice with the tempo and style the arrangement indicates rather than the tempo you assume a pop song should have; early-intermediate arrangements often set a tempo that accommodates comfortable reading while staying true to the song's character.

Build a student recital or in-studio performance around one or two of these titles as anchor pieces, pairing them with classical or traditional repertoire to show your students' range. Alternatively, assign different arrangements from this collection to different students in a group lesson setting so they can perform together while maintaining individual practice focus.

• Recognizing and playing straightforward rhythmic patterns within pop song contexts
• Reading melodies with limited harmonic complexity (key signatures of no more than two sharps or flats)
• Maintaining consistent accompaniment patterns in the left hand while managing melody in the right
• Interpreting contemporary popular music idioms and phrasing
• Building confidence through the satisfaction of playing recognizable, current songs