Step Skip & Repeat, Book 2: Elementary Piano Book

Covello's insistence on pattern recognition over isolated note-naming accelerates reading fluency in ways that generic method books simply don't achieve. Book 2's expansion into hands-together playing happens at exactly the right moment, when students have internalized the single-line logic from Book 1 and are ready to coordinate both hands with genuine musical purpose.

Methodical and purposeful. The repetition builds confidence rather than boredom because each pattern earns its place in the progression. When familiar melodies arrive, students experience the satisfaction of recognizing something they know, now enriched with harmonic color.

Students in their second year of piano study who are ready to move beyond single-line reading and begin thinking about harmony and texture. Teachers who recognize that reading fluency comes from understanding musical architecture, not memorizing note names.

• Start with the parallel motion etudes slowly, focusing on matching tone quality between hands rather than speed; once the physical coordination solidifies, the piece plays itself.
• Use the familiar songs strategically; these offer a confidence boost after drilling patterns, and students recognize the melodies even when the hand positions shift.
• Isolate the interval patterns (thirds and sixths) before combining them with melody; five minutes of hands-separate work on just the harmonic intervals saves frustration later.

Assign this as your primary supplemental material during the second half of first-year piano study or the beginning of second-year work. The etudes pair well alongside standard method book repertoire, offering concentrated practice in the specific skills students need most at this stage.

• Reading notes fluently in both treble and bass clefs without counting
• Playing parallel motion at the octave, third, and sixth between hands
• Recognizing interval patterns and applying them to new contexts
• Coordinating hand independence while maintaining consistent rhythm
• Sight-reading simple arrangements of familiar melodies