Dennis Alexander's Favorite Solos, Book 1: 10 of His Original Piano Solos: Piano

Alexander curated this collection himself, which means you're getting pieces he knows work in real teaching situations. The variety across 10 pieces gives you stylistic range (march, sonatina, character pieces) at a consistent elementary-to-late elementary level, making it genuinely useful as a supplement rather than another single-style book. Recognition as a Federation Festivals selection for two consecutive quadrenniums validates what teachers already knew: these solos engage students while building genuine musicianship.

This book moves across landscapes: marches that stride with purpose, sonatas that ask for shape and phrasing, character pieces that hint at storytelling without demanding virtuosity. Each solo sits comfortably under the hand while inviting students to think about how to color a melody, where to breathe, and what personality a piece can have.

Elementary to late elementary pianists seeking a curated selection of accessible solos that bridge foundational technique and early musical expression. Piano teachers working with students ready for Festival competition or those needing supplementary repertoire that covers multiple musical styles and moods without stepping too far outside their technical range.

• Establish a steady pulse in the march pieces (March King) before adding any rubato; let the rhythmic clarity anchor the character
• Experiment with tone color in the descriptive pieces like Old Daddy Longlegs and The Lost Troubadour by varying pedal placement and release to shape the mood
• Balance the hands independently in Springboard and Entrada in G Major so neither part overwhelms; think orchestration rather than foreground-background
• Use the variety of tempos and styles across the collection to develop interpretive flexibility; none of these should sound interchangeable

Pull solos from this collection for student recitals when you want variety without the overhead of managing ten different book adoptions. Use pairs of contrasting pieces (a march alongside a lyrical character piece) to demonstrate interpretive range in studio performance days. The Federation selection status makes it ideal for building a competition-ready repertoire across multiple students at the same level.

• Shaping phrases with pedal (especially in slower, lyrical pieces)
• Independent hand coordination in pieces with contrasting right and left hand patterns
• Musical interpretation and expressive choices within an elementary technical framework
• Reading and executing varying time signatures and tempo markings across different musical styles
• Building confidence with program variety (marches, sonatinas, character pieces, descriptive solos)