The Best of Kevin Costley, Book 1: Piano Book

This collection proves that elementary repertoire doesn't have to choose between engagement and substance. Costley's titles and musical character spark immediate interest from students, while the graduated difficulty structure lets you place pieces exactly where they fit your students' current abilities. You get genuinely useful teaching material across multiple styles without recycling the same harmonic or rhythmic patterns.

This book reads as a musical sketchbook with personality. You'll encounter whimsy alongside sincerity, rhythmic playfulness mixed with genuine lyricism. Each piece occupies just enough space to make its musical point without overstaying its welcome.

Elementary and late elementary piano students who benefit from variety and musical identity in their repertoire. Teachers seeking a single collection that covers multiple styles and difficulty levels, allowing for differentiated assignment within a studio or group lesson setting.

• Let each piece's title guide the interpretive choices. "The Graceful Swan" invites legato and phrase singing; "Goin' to the Rodeo" rewards rhythmic confidence and character. The descriptive titles aren't decoration, they're compositional intentions.
• Build hand independence early by isolating right and left hand parts separately before combining them, especially in pieces with contrasting rhythmic figures between the hands.
• Pay attention to the one to two page format as a structural advantage. These pieces have clear beginnings, middles, and endings; resist the urge to rush through them as though brevity means speed.
• Encourage students to notice style shifts across the collection. Moving from a lyrical piece to a rhythmically driving one within the same practice session builds interpretive flexibility.

Use this collection as your go-to source for recital solos across a single season, selecting from different pieces to match each student's technical level and personality. The graduated difficulty also makes it ideal for a piano method book supplement, filling gaps between your primary series and more advanced repertoire.

• Hand position consistency across different stylistic contexts
• Phrasing in both legato and rhythmically driven passages
• Basic dynamic control and articulation contrast
• Reading across varied time signatures and rhythmic patterns
• Pedal technique introduction (if applicable to specific pieces)
• Tempo steadiness through repetitive accompaniment figures