I have been teaching private lessons since 1995, and have used a very wide variety of materials
        in my instruction.  Much depends on the age of the student, whether they are starting from
        scratch, or if they have some previous musical training. 

        Here is a sampling of the materials I have used the most over the years.


Method Books (Elementary)

        Piano Adventures (Faber & Faber) - I feel these are the best, most thorough, method books on the
                                                market today.  The music is of very high quality, and the course
                                                develops technical and artistic skills not found in many other books.
        Accelerated Piano Adventures (Faber & Faber) excellent for older (or precocious) beginners, starts a
                                                little slow but is very thorough, and music is excellent quality.
        Hal Leonard Piano Course - Very good method in terms of quality of music.  Great teacher duets.
        Bastien Piano Method - Quality of music is not very good, but fairly thorough treatment of musical
                                                concepts.  Sometimes good for an older beginner if other methods
                                                move too slowly.
        Mikrokosmos (Bartok) - great for helping older beginners with sightreading, coordinating the hands,
                                                learning to phrase, use in conjunction with other method books
        Alfred's Premier Piano Course (Alexander, Kowalchyk, Lancaster, McArthur, Mier) very slow paced,
                                                good for young beginners, quality of music is much better than all other
                                                Alfred books.
        Alfred's Prep Piano Course (Palmer, Manus, Lethco) - good for young beginners, moves rather slowly,
                                                and with the addition of technic and solo books, the pace can be
                                                slowed further if need be.
        Alfred's Basic Piano Course (Palmer, Manus, Lethco) - Thoroughly covers musical fundamentals, but
                                                lacking in technical and artistic merit.  Quality of music is often poor.
        Alfred's Complete Course (Palmer, Manus, Lethco) - Good for older beginners, overall musical quality is
                                                improved if supplemental Repertoire Book is added.
        Alfred's Adult Basic Piano Course (Palmer, Manus, Lethco) good treatment of musical concepts,
                                                music is adequate, though the use of three "primary chords" in various
                                                keys gets rather tiresome.

Supplemental Books (Elementary)

        Pageants for Piano (Waxman) good introduction to more modern sounds
        Kaleidoscope Solos (George)
        Alfred Solo, Recital, Classic Themes Books
        Faber Supplements "Pretime" to "Advancetime" - good Jazz, Blues, popular supplements


Classical Collections (Elementary)

        Very Easy Classics to Moderns (Agay)
        Faber Developing Artist Series
        Bastien Piano Literature
        Alfred Complete Repertoire books


Technique (Elementary)

        Dozen A Day (Burnhan) - I believe these date back to the 1950's and kids still love them
        Piano Adventures Technique & Artistry books (Faber)
        Alfred's Piano Course Technic books
        Hal Leonard Piano Course Technique books


Theory (Elementary)

        Faber Piano Adventures Theory books - does a great job with theory fundamentals, as well as sight
        reading, ear-training
        Alfred's Basic Theory book
        Hal Leonard Piano Course Theory books
        Theory Time series - series of books from "Primer" through "Grade 12" - highly recommended
        


As students begin to grow into the intermediate level, I generally move away from method books, into classical collections and other supplemental books.

Classical Collections (Intermediate)

        Classics to Moderns (Agay) - some editorial markings (eg., articulations, ornaments in Baroque works)
        are not good, but nice collection of pieces
        Bastien Piano Literature
        Faber Developing Artist Series - excellent, accurate modern editions
        Four Centuries of Keyboard Music (McGraw)
        Sonatina Album (Schirmer)
        Bach - Anna Magdalena Notebook
        Burgmüller Op. 100


Jazz (Intermediate)

        Bigtime Jazz & Blues (Faber)
        Joy of Jazz, Joy of Jazz 2 (Agay)


Technique (Intermediate)

        Hanon exercises
        Czerny exercises
        Scale, Arpeggio, Chord studies based on ABRSM guidelines


Theory (Intermediate)

        Theory Time - middle levels



Examples of repertoire taught to more advanced students:

        Bach Preludes and Fugues (WTC I & II), Italian Concerto, Suites
        Haydn Sonatas
        Mozart Sonatas, Variations, Sonatas for 4 hands
        Beethoven Sonatas, Sonata for 4 hands
        Chopin Preludes, Waltzes, Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Etudes
        Brahms Rhapsodies, character pieces, Hungarian Dances (4 hands)
        Schubert Impromptus, 4-hand works
        Schumann character pieces, 4-hand works
        Khachaturian Toccata
        Debussy Preludes, Petite Suite (4 hands)
        Bartok Roumanian Folk Dances
        Copland Passacaglia
        Gershwin Preludes
        Joplin Rags
        Milhaud Scaramouche (2 pianos)
        Lutoslawski Paganini Variations (2 pianos)



All of the music listed above is available at www.burtnco.com - I order all my music from them!

books and materials