Everybody's Perfect Masterpieces, Volume 2: Piano Book

This collection strips away filler and gets straight to repertoire that matters. Carole Bigler and Valery Lloyd-Watts have curated masterworks across eras with a real eye toward what engages elementary and intermediate pianists, not what fills pages.

Opening this book feels like discovering a curated gallery rather than a generic anthology. Each page reflects thoughtful editorial choices, offering students the chance to perform music written by composers they'll encounter for a lifetime.

Piano teachers building recital programs for early elementary through early intermediate students need accessible but genuine repertoire. This collection serves pianists ready to step beyond method-book exercises into real masterworks.

• Listen to professional recordings of each piece before assigning it. Hearing the work in its mature form shapes how students understand phrasing and tempo, even at simplified levels.
• Sequence pieces by recital theme rather than difficulty alone. Pairing contrasting works (lyrical next to rhythmic, major next to minor) creates recital cohesion and sustains audience interest.
• Encourage students to research the composers and eras represented. Context deepens musical understanding and gives students ownership over their learning.

Use Volume 2 as your primary recital resource for students at levels 2-4, rotating pieces across spring and fall recitals to maximize variety. The graded structure lets you pair works efficiently, moving quickly past the search for appropriate repertoire and into actual teaching.

• Reading key signatures up to three sharps and flats
• Playing in major and minor tonalities
• Executing basic articulation markings (staccato, legato, accents)
• Recognizing and interpreting period-style conventions across baroque, classical, and romantic literature
• Memorizing substantive single-page works
• Sustaining longer phrases without fatigue