Making The List

Contents: Feeding Kitty • Raking Leaves Under the Trees • My Birthday Party • Making a Snow Man • At Dancing School • Sliding Down Hill on my New Sled • Ghosts at a Hallowe'en Party • Fun with Tom, John, and Bill • Singing a Pretty Song • Indians at the Fair • Riding a Pony in the Park • Trigger, My Favorite Horse • A Lullaby • An Indian Story • A Ride on my Bike • A Lonesome Puppy • We Plan a Christmas Party • Watching the Seals in the Park • Toy Soldiers on Parade • Happy Christmas Holidays.

This collection features some of the most famous and intriguing classical themes from the worlds of orchestral music and opera. The piano duet format is an excellent way to explore this music without convening an entire orchestra! It would be very helpful to study an orchestral recording prior to learning one of these arrangements. That listening experience will be priceless as you interpret these settings at the piano.
I have fond memories of duet playing from my student days. I loved getting together with a friend and making music. So much can be learned from this collaborative experience... and it's a lot of fun!
Phillip Keveren, a multi-talented keyboard artist and composer, has composed original works in a variety of genres from piano solo to symphonic orchestra. Mr. Keveren gives frequent concerts and workshops for teachers and their students in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Keveren holds a B.M. in composition from California State University Northridge and a M.M. in composition from the University of Southern California.

From the very first lessons in Book 1, students are making music as they explore the piano keyboard through fun improvisation pieces called My Own Song. The beginning of the book introduces finger numbers, the black-key and white-key groups, and basic rhythm patterns. Directional reading is taught first by finger number, then by note name, and then by interval (stop, skip, and repeat). Once the students are introduced to the staff, they learn reading guides Bass F and Treble G and read by interval in several different hand positions.