My Kind of Music, Book 2: Elementary to Late Elementary Piano Book

These nine pieces trust students to interpret music based on a simple guiding thought rather than exhaustive markings. That approach builds ownership and musicianship faster than any amount of detailed notation, and it keeps practice sessions from feeling like following instructions.

Each piece has its own personality and mood, inviting you into a specific musical world rather than presenting abstract technical exercises. You're not just playing notes; you're telling a small story or capturing a feeling.

Elementary and late elementary pianists ready to move beyond mechanical note-reading into expressive interpretation. These pieces work equally well for students taking private lessons or participating in group piano classes.

• Read the interpretive thought under each title before you start. Let that idea shape your tempo and touch choices, then revisit it after playing through.
• Experiment with dynamics even where they aren't written. These descriptive pieces invite you to make choices about what loud or soft means in context.
• Record yourself playing a piece, then listen back to see if your interpretation actually matched the guiding thought you chose. Adjust and try again.

Use Book 2 to fill student recitals with varied, engaging solos that showcase individual voices without requiring extensive preparation time. The descriptive framework makes these accessible for students at different practice schedules while remaining musically substantial enough to matter.

• Interpreting music based on expressive guidance rather than detailed markings
• Building a personal musical voice through creative decision-making
• Understanding how tempo, dynamics, and tone color serve a piece's character
• Reading and responding to written interpretive cues