Premier Piano Course, Jazz, Rags & Blues 4: Piano Book

Mier understands exactly what students need to solidify Level 4 technique because she wrote the corresponding lesson material. Each piece in this book reinforces a specific concept from Lesson Book 4 without feeling like a worksheet, making the progression from foundational skill to musical application seamless and engaging. The stylistic variety across ragtime, boogie, and jazz keeps students excited about what's coming next.

These pieces bring the joy of ensemble and popular styles within reach of intermediate students. The syncopation and swing feel of the jazz selections, the steady left-hand patterns of ragtime, and the relaxed groove of blues all click into place once the foundational technique is there, giving students the satisfaction of sounding genuinely like a musician playing real music rather than an exercise.

Piano students working through Alfred's Premier Piano Course at Level 4 will find each piece designed specifically to reinforce the technique and musicianship they are building in parallel lessons. Teachers seeking supplementary repertoire that matches a student's current abilities and introduces jazz, ragtime, and blues idioms without overwhelming technical demands will value the page-by-page correlation with the lesson sequence.

• Pay attention to the rhythmic figures in the ragtime pieces; Mier writes them to align with technical patterns already familiar from the lesson material, so the mechanics should feel natural even as the style is new.
• In the jazz and blues selections, maintain steady swing eighth notes and resist the urge to rush. Lock into the groove rather than rushing ahead.
• Use pedal sparingly in the ragtime pieces to keep the texture clear, then experiment with longer pedal in the blues numbers where the harmonic movement supports it.
• Record yourself playing through these pieces. Hearing back the rhythmic accuracy and phrasing will reinforce what works and reveal where tempo control needs attention.

Pair individual pieces from this book with repertoire from Lesson Book 4 in student recitals, allowing the blues or jazz selection to sit alongside a classical piece for contrast and scope. The Federation Festivals 2020-2024 selection status makes any of these pieces solid choices for festival preparation, particularly if your festival emphasizes American idioms or contemporary pedagogical music.

• Swing and syncopated rhythm patterns in jazz and ragtime contexts
• Blues harmony and 12-bar blues form
• Pedal control in different harmonic contexts
• Stylistic interpretation and groove awareness
• Steady tempo and rhythmic independence between hands
• Reading and performing in keys and meters aligned with Level 4 technique