Dinosaurs!: Piano Book

These pieces do something harder than it sounds: they make accidentals feel natural rather than awkward. Leaf's humor and character work mean kids actually want to play these, and the variety of keys keeps the collection fresh across an entire unit of study.

A colorful, humorous journey where each dinosaur has a distinct personality. The music captures both the awkward charm of extinct creatures and the delight of discovery; it never talks down to young players.

Late-elementary pianists ready to move beyond single-key collections but still developing comfort with accidentals. Students who light up at thematic material and narrative will find genuine joy in these pieces.

• Encourage students to find and circle every accidental before they begin practicing. This hunt turns a potential stumbling block into a game.
• Use the dinosaur identifications as a memory device; once a student knows which dinosaur they're playing, the character takes over and phrasing becomes easier.
• Experiment with tempo based on the dinosaur's personality. A thundering Brachiosaurus needs different weight than a darting Compsognathus.

Perfect for a spring or winter recital with a theme, or as a unit within a semester-long curriculum on teaching accidentals across keys. Individual pieces also work beautifully as performance openers on studio recitals.

• Reading accidentals in multiple key signatures
• Identifying and interpreting character in program music
• Maintaining rhythmic accuracy across 2-3 page forms
• Sustaining musical interest across varied tonal centers