Solo Flight (for Time to Begin, Part 1): Piano Book

These pieces marry genuine musicality with appropriate technical demands for students making their first steps at the keyboard. The use of ghosted staves removes the cognitive load of note reading while allowing early learners to focus entirely on touch, phrasing, and the physical experience of music-making. Pearce's command of dynamic range and pedal work means even the easiest pieces sound and feel professional when performed.

Accessible and satisfying. The music breathes with genuine character, wide dynamics and full keyboard usage create a sense of discovery and breadth that keeps early learners engaged. Despite their simplicity, these pieces never sound thin or patronizing.

Teachers introducing young students to solo piano literature alongside or just after Time to Begin, Part 1. These pieces work for students who have basic keyboard orientation but are not yet confident with traditional staff notation.

• Map out the hand positions before introducing the rote learning element; even ghosted staves benefit from understanding where the body sits at the instrument.
• Encourage students to listen to how the pedal sustains and blends tones, experimenting with half-pedal and full pedal changes to hear the difference.
• Shape phrases with the dynamic markings as written; resist the urge to play everything evenly just because the piece is beginner-level.

Assign these as supplementary solos within the Time to Begin curriculum, or feature individual pieces on recitals where young students deserve performance vehicles that sound polished without requiring years of technique. They also work well as rewards when students complete a particular unit of study.

• Rote learning from ghosted staves (reading without staff notation)
• Dynamic shaping across a wide range (pp to ff)
• Basic pedal technique and listening for sustain
• Hand position and keyboard geography across the full range
• Phrasing and musical line in short-form compositions