Let's Celebrate Summer!, Book 2: Piano Book

These paired solo-and-activity sets strike the right balance between musical engagement and reinforcement. Rather than treating summer practice as a separate task, McArthur and Matz embed skill-building into the repertoire itself, so students stay invested in playing while consolidating technique and theory concepts from the year.

Bright and accessible, with pieces designed to feel achievable while still offering musical substance. The activity pages give structure without feeling like busywork, creating a sense of progress and completion as students move through the book.

Late elementary pianists who need purposeful summer material that combines performance and learning. These pages work equally well for students maintaining skills over break or those catching up before moving to the next level.

• Bring out the character suggested by each piece's title and context; these solos reward expressive playing even at late elementary level.
• Use the activity pages as teaching moments during lessons; connecting the written work to what students just played deepens their understanding of harmony, rhythm, and form.
• Encourage students to record themselves playing both solos and listen back, which builds ear training alongside their technical progress.

Assign one solo-and-activity pairing per month over the summer, or send the full set home for students aiming to stay connected to their playing during a long break. Teachers can also use individual activities as review worksheets during regular lessons when introducing new concepts.

• Reading rhythmic patterns in familiar keys
• Identifying harmonic progressions and chord functions
• Understanding form and phrasing through written analysis
• Applying technique to short, character-driven solos
• Connecting ear training to notation and keyboard geography