On Stage!, Book 1 Cover Image

On Stage!, Book 1: Early Elementary/Elementary Piano Book

$8.95 USD
$8.95 USD
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On Stage!, Book 1 Cover Image
On Stage!, Book 1: Early Elementary/Elementary Piano Book

On Stage!, Book 1: Early Elementary/Elementary Piano Book

By Christopher Goldston / ed. Helen Marlais

Item: 98-FJH1629
$8.95
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Description
This book is part of the Intervallic Reading Series that focuses on reading intervals and patterns rather than note by note. Along with playing on the white keys, students will also play pieces on black keys utilizing a giant flat sign. This giant flat sign indicates that all notes on the staff are to be played as flats (on the black keys). A pencil icon at the top of each page highlights a beginning practice strategy such as blocking, identifying, and circling intervals. At the end of the book, there is an interval review where the student identifies which piece the interval examples are found in.

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Additional Details
Series: Intervallic Reading Series
Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.
ISBN10: 1-56939-558-6
ISBN13: 978-1-56939-558-5
UPC: 674398219797
SKU: 98-FJH1629

More about this title

About the Composer: Christopher Goldston

Christopher Goldston

Christopher Goldston earned his Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University and his Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He has held faculty positions at Columbia College Chicago, Roosevelt University, and Sherwood Conservatory of Music, and continues to teach both in-person and online from his Chicago studio.

Goldston's contributions to music education extend well beyond the studio. He received the National Federation of Music Clubs Lynn Freeman Olson Composition Award in 1991 for his work Night Train and has coordinated the MTNA Composition Competition nationally since 2010. He served as president of both the Illinois State Music Teachers Association and the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association, and in 2021-2023 held the position of MTNA National Secretary-Treasurer. The Music Teachers National Association named him a Foundation Fellow in 2020 and commissioned his work Four Virtues for oboe, violin, and piano, which premiered at the 2022 MTNA National Conference.

Why we love this

The Intervallic Reading Series flips the script on how elementary students learn to read. Instead of plodding through note-by-note identification, students immediately recognize patterns and shapes on the staff, building real fluency fast. The visual scaffolding, blocking strategies, circled intervals, the clever giant flat sign for black-key exploration, transforms what could be tedious drill into engaged pattern recognition that sticks with students long term.

What to expect

Accessible and immediately musical. Students feel the satisfaction of playing real pieces from day one, supported by clear visual cues and strategic practice habits that make reading less mysterious and more intuitive.

Who it's for

Early elementary and elementary piano students who need a systematic way to break free from note-by-note dependence. Teachers looking for a method that builds interval literacy while keeping young students engaged and confident.

How to get the most out of it

  • Start each practice session by completing the pencil-icon strategy at the top of the page before playing. These aren't busywork; they're the key to internalizing the interval vocabulary in the piece.
  • Block intervals first in isolation, then trace the same intervals as they appear within the actual piece. This bridges pattern recognition and real musical reading.
  • When introducing pieces with the giant flat sign, spend a moment exploring the black-key geography on the instrument. Let students feel the spatial difference before they read it on the page.

How to use it

Use Book 1 as your primary method for students in their first year of study. The interval-focused approach pairs beautifully with technique work and aural training, setting a strong foundation for faster sight-reading as students progress through Books 2 and beyond.

Skills your students will build

  • Recognizing and reading major and minor intervals on the staff
  • Playing patterns and intervallic shapes rather than isolated notes
  • Understanding and reading the flat symbol, including the giant flat sign for full-staff flat pieces
  • Identifying intervals in context within complete musical pieces
  • Strategic practice habits through guided warm-up exercises

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