The Best of Martha Mier, Book 2: Piano Book

Mier understands exactly what keeps late-elementary and early-intermediate students engaged: pieces with personality, rhythmic interest, and genuine musical substance. This collection balances playfulness (Taco Rock, Appaloosa Pony) with lyrical content (Lady Brittany's Ballad), so students encounter real variety within a single book rather than feeling locked into one stylistic lane. Seven solos at this precise level means students can find something that matches their current technical reach while building confidence across different genres.

Opening this book, you encounter music that spans from cowboy rhythms and pony trots to ballad tenderness. The writing feels idiomatic to the piano without being overly technical; there's room for personality and interpretation without requiring virtuosity. Each solo leaves a clear impression, sticking with students long after they've finished learning it.

Late-elementary and early-intermediate piano students benefit most from this collection. These pieces work equally well for students preparing for recitals, festival performances, or simply wanting repertoire that excels at this developmental moment without feeling either beneath or beyond their level.

• Approach the rhythmic pieces with clear articulation and steady tempo. Mier's rhythmic writing is designed to help students feel forward momentum, so avoid dragging through syncopated patterns.
• Let rubato shape the ballad passages naturally. Listen carefully to where the phrase breathes and allow the tempo to ease slightly at cadential moments without losing the song's underlying pulse.
• Balance hand independence by practicing melody and accompaniment separately before combining them. Mier frequently gives each hand distinct rhythmic or textural roles that students need to feel independently first.
• Pay attention to dynamic markings as structural signposts. Mier uses dynamics to clarify form and emotional arc, so honoring these markings reveals the piece's architecture.

Build a student recital entirely from this book and you'll have a cohesive program that showcases stylistic range and keeps an audience engaged. Alternatively, select individual pieces to pair with other repertoire at similar levels, using Mier's works as the anchors in a mixed program of solos, chamber music, or teacher-student duets.

• Reading and executing rhythmic patterns including syncopation
• Playing melodically balanced with accompaniment patterns
• Managing tempo steadiness in rhythmic contexts and rubato in lyrical passages
• Understanding basic formal structures through the organization of contrasting sections
• Building independence between hands through varied textural roles
• Interpreting dynamic markings as expressive rather than mechanical elements