Kowalchyk and Lancaster's Favorite Solos, Book 2: Piano Book

This collection draws on what Kowalchyk and Lancaster know works in studios and classrooms across the country. The pieces use accessible technical patterns without sacrificing genuine musicality, and each title suggests a small narrative or scene that keeps young pianists engaged beyond the mechanics of the page.

These pieces swing between playful scenes (Sombrero Sam, Topsy-Turvy) and moments of genuine reflection (Dream Echoes, Drifting Flight). The writing is transparent enough that students hear themselves making actual music rather than just executing finger patterns, yet structured enough that technical growth happens naturally.

Late elementary and early intermediate pianists ready to move beyond method book exercises into repertoire that feels like real music. This book works for students in group classes, independent studios, or school music programs who need engaging solos that don't demand virtuosity but reward musical thinking.

• Listen for the different character each piece creates. Caribbean Holiday needs brightness and forward energy; Midnight Dance demands a much slower, almost suspended quality. Let the title guide your interpretive choices.
• Pay attention to the pattern work embedded in these pieces. Once you recognize the repeated figures in pieces like Master Mind or Toccatina Twister, practice those patterns separately to build confidence and speed.
• Use dynamics to add dimension. Even in shorter early intermediate pieces, subtle shifts in volume can transform a passage from mechanical to musical.
• Work hands separately first when sight-reading, especially in pieces with independent rhythmic lines, then layer in the coordination gradually.

Use individual pieces as recital selections throughout the year, or program several back-to-back for a well-rounded student showcase that balances humor, lyricism, and technical display. The variety of moods and tempos makes this book ideal for mixed-level group classes or studio student recitals where you want each performer to shine with something suited to their personality.

• Reading and executing repeated harmonic and melodic patterns
• Sustaining musical phrasing across short forms
• Tempo flexibility and appropriate dynamics for character pieces
• Hand independence with different rhythmic motives in left and right hands
• Sight-reading confidence with accessible but genuine late elementary to early intermediate repertoire