Flights of Fancy: Elementary Piano Book

Playful and imaginative, grounded in the natural world. The music breathes with personality—sometimes quirky, sometimes tender—and invites pianists to inhabit the world each poem creates rather than simply execute notes on a page.

Beginning pianists in the first two years of study who respond well to programmatic music and benefit from narrative context. Teachers seeking repertoire that bridges technique and imagination without talking down to their students.

• Read the poem aloud before playing each piece. This primes the student's musical imagination and provides a natural interpretive framework for tempo, articulation, and phrasing choices.
• Use the imagery to guide dynamics and tone. A hippo with a toothache suggests different character than a hummingbird; let the poem steer the emotional landscape.
• Practice the pieces in the order written when possible. The collection builds logically in technical demand while maintaining variety in mood and subject matter.

Ideal for student recitals where pieces can be introduced with their poems read aloud, or woven throughout the year as technique-building assignments that students actually want to practice. The thematic variety also makes it easy to program 2-3 pieces together while maintaining musical interest.

• Elementary hand position and finger independence across multiple five-finger patterns
• Legato and staccato articulation in single-hand passages
• Steady rhythm in the right hand with simple left-hand accompaniment patterns
• Dynamic control and interpretive decision-making through programmatic context
• Confidence in learning across multiple keys at an accessible level