The Church Musician, Level 2: Piano Book

Level 2 strikes a rare balance between structured skill-building and genuine musical engagement. The selection of well-known hymns and sacred pieces gives students immediate context for their technical work, and the variety across five major keys prevents the sense of repetition that can plague elementary method books.

The book unfolds as a series of musical moments rooted in American hymnic tradition. Each piece invites singing touch and expressive phrasing rather than mere technical display, with enough harmonic variety and textural change to keep the experience fresh across its range of familiar and lesser-known titles.

This book serves pianists solidifying their command of late elementary technique and ready to explore multiple keys through repertoire that feels purposeful. It works equally well for young students in secular settings who want exposure to sacred music and for church piano programs where sacred material is the core curriculum.

• Work through the scale and chord exercises at the start of each practice session to anchor your understanding of the five keys before moving into the pieces themselves.
• Explore the pedal suggestions marked in the pieces; Glover uses coloristic pedal work as both a musicianship tool and a reward for consistent practice.
• When transposing material between keys, start by identifying the root of the chord, then find that same chord shape in the new key rather than counting intervals note-by-note.
• Pay attention to the inversions of I, IV, and V chords; recognizing their shapes across the staff strengthens both reading and harmonic understanding.

Integrate this into a church music program as the primary technical and repertorial resource for young pianists, with pieces suitable for volunteer accompaniment during services or special music settings. In secular settings, use it as a transition book where students encounter hymnody and its harmonic language while continuing to build fluency across multiple keys.

• Reading the complete Grand Staff with notes up to high A
• Fluency in the Keys of C Major, G Major, F Major, D Major, and A Major
• Root position, first inversion, and second inversion triads (I, IV, V chords)
• Performing eighth-note rhythmic patterns in various meters
• Transposing melodies and chord progressions between keys
• Pedal control for coloristic effects and harmonic resonance
• Dynamic shaping and expressive interpretation of hymnic material