Tales of a Musical Journey

Written in a form of a chapter book, "Tales of a Musical Journey" uses fairy tale setting and characters to introduce and expand musical concepts. In the series, the young minds are set on a journey through fictitious musical land, where they become friends with the inhabitants of the land. Entertaining and logically interconnected stories develop a young student's understanding and appreciation of music and piano playing. Comprehensive analogies with the Fairy Tale characters and their adventures make complicated techniques easy and fun. Ear training exercises and theory activities further train and develop young musical ears. A CD with musical examples is included to accompany the student through his practice at home and lessons. The primary focus of the first year of studying the piano is learning necessary technical skills through freedom and flexibility of all upper body parts: shoulders, arms, wrists, and fingers. Devoted exclusively to non-legato playing, the first book teaches the correct touch and tone production starting with a single note. Once the basic skills are acquired, new aspects of piano playing are added. The rhythm is introduced and developed through clapping, marching, and counting out loud. Once the rhythmic pulse is grasped, the student with ease learns the time values of the notes. The series present theoretical materials in an attractive easily understood form. First, the students learn the geography of the keyboard and location of keys. Then, the students are introduced to musical notation one note at a time through songs and hands-on exercises and activities. Musicality is an essential component in teaching music. Starting at the first lesson, the students begin to recognize the nuances in music. Throughout the series, the music comes alive with expression and artistry as the student learns the music in the context of the fairytale stories. To develop the right technical habits, students need to learn the touch, reading notation, listening, and finally combining all of the aforementioned skills together. This series provides the path for a steady progress and fail-proof achievement of those skills. The series is primarily targeted towards 4-7 year beginning piano students. However, older beginners will benefit from it as well. Books 1 and 2 cover the span of the first year of study and will sufficiently prepare the students for classical repertoire. This series should not be used for self-taught purposes. The success may only be achieved under a guidance of a trained instructor and a watchful eye of an involved parent. - Publisher.