Stipes Publishing Keyboard Musicianship: Piano for Adults, Book One

Author: James Lyke/Tony Caramia/Geoffrey Haydon/Ronald Chioldi
Format: Book
Instrumentation: Piano/Keyboard

This first-year text is designed for the college instrumental and vocal major who needs to satisfy the normal keyboard requirement. The text is widely used in group piano classes and piano labs. It contains practical materials for a life-long career in music.

Keyboard Musicianship Book One emphasizes skills in sight reading, harmonization of folk and popular tunes, simple score reading, playing simple accompaniments, understanding keyboard harmony, and realizing chord symbols in lead sheets. Playing solos and ensemble music with the proper technique rounds out piano study.

This widely adopted text covers a full year of study in its eight chapters and appendices. Students generally complete four chapters per semester. Activities and Technique sections along with suggestions for evaluations are included at the end of each chapter. Another important feature in this text is the inclusion of songs by important American composers such as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and others. Students learn solo arrangements of these masters as well as accompaniments to their tunes.

Make sure you give yourself the opportunity to evaluate this book. You owe it to your students as well as yourself to understand why so many adoptions and honors have come its way.