More! What Else Can I Play? Grade 1: Piano Book

Opening this book, you encounter a genuine musical world beyond the usual Grade 1 fare. Jazz grooves sit alongside classical miniatures; familiar showtune melodies appear in idiomatically arranged forms. Each piece feels playable yet rewarding, with enough personality to make students eager to practice.

Grade 1 pianists ready to move beyond traditional beginner books and explore different musical styles. Teachers looking for fresh, well-arranged alternatives to standard exam repertoire that still build fundamental technique and musical literacy.

• Study the performance notes before you begin learning the piece; they often highlight the character or style you're aiming for, which makes practice more purposeful.
• Use the suggested tempo as a starting point, not a ceiling. Lock in a comfortable speed where you can manage the fingering cleanly, then gradually build tempo as confidence grows.
• Pay attention to the dynamic markings even in Grade 1 pieces. Small changes in volume are what separate a competent performance from an engaging one.
• Apply the technical tips to similar passages elsewhere in your repertoire; they're teaching tools, not one-off tricks.

Use individual pieces as studio recital selections when you want your Grade 1 students to program something beyond traditional exam pieces. Select pieces strategically to introduce specific styles or techniques throughout the year, and pair them with exam repertoire to give students a fuller musical education.

• Reading fingering suggestions and applying them to optimize hand position and technique
• Interpreting dynamic markings and performance notes to shape musical phrases
• Playing across multiple musical styles (classical, jazz, showtunes, popular) within the Grade 1 range
• Sustaining technical consistency across different compositional approaches