Premier Piano Course, Performance 4: Piano

The variety packed into these 32 pages keeps students genuinely engaged, ragtime sits next to jazz ballads, which lead into original classics, all while the rhythmic vocabulary naturally expands. Alexander and his co-composers have resisted the temptation to make this a workbook in disguise; instead, they've crafted pieces that students actually want to practice because the music itself is worth playing.

Fresh and accessible without sacrificing musical substance. You'll move between the reflective space of a lyrical ballad, the swagger of a ragtime piece, and the groove of a jazz number, each one written to feel complete and satisfying at Level 4.

Students progressing through Level 4 of the Premier Piano Course who are ready to expand their stylistic range and deepen their technical vocabulary. This book pairs directly with the corresponding Lesson Book 4, making it ideal for students in private lessons or group class settings who need repertoire that reinforces new concepts without feeling like technical exercises.

• Listen to both the performance and practice tempo recordings before sitting down to learn a piece. The practice tempo helps you isolate technical details; the performance tempo shows you where the music is headed rhythmically and expressively.
• When working with triplets and sixteenth notes, tap or count silently through the rhythmic patterns first without the keyboard. Once the rhythm lives in your body, add the melodic and harmonic content.
• For pieces in minor keys, spend time playing the A and E minor scales and arpeggios separately so the tonality feels familiar before tackling full harmonic contexts.
• In jazz and boogie pieces, let the rhythmic energy breathe—don't rush the accompaniment patterns just because they feel energetic. The pulse should feel relaxed and behind the beat slightly.

Use this as your primary repertoire collection for the second half of the school year, pairing pieces with the corresponding lesson book concepts. Select individual pieces for studio recitals, student showcases, or informal playing sessions, the variety means every student finds something that matches their musical personality.

• Reading and performing triplets and sixteenth note rhythms
• Playing natural and harmonic minor scales in A and E minor
• Building one-octave arpeggios and chord inversions
• Recognizing and interpreting stylistic differences (lyrical, jazz, boogie, ragtime, classical)
• Correlating new concepts from the Lesson Book with real musical contexts