Over the next few weeks many of us will be welcoming our piano students back to lessons after a summer break. This is one of the most exciting times of the year… but it is also one of the most challenging.
Why? Because after a break from lessons (even a short one) many of our students’ playing skills will have collected some cobwebs… and cobwebs can seriously hamper progress and enjoyment right off the bat.
So, as teachers, we are faced with the challenge of reviewing tired, old tunes and skills from the previous term, all the while attempting to pump up our students for an exciting new year.
And since “review” and “exciting” don’t generally go hand-in-hand, the challenge is very real!
Never ones to back down from a difficult task, Trevor and I were inspired to create an adrenaline-pumping piano resource for piano that would accomplish two goals:
- make students go wild with excitement when returning to lessons
- provide quick-to-learn repertoire to shake off the cobwebs
The result? August’s Book of the Month from PianoBookClub: Cob Webster: Launching Off With Lead Sheets!
Cob Webster: Launching Off With Lead Sheets
With Cob Webster: Launching Off With Lead Sheets, we’ve reached deep into our bag of creativity to bring your elementary and late-elementary students 18 (yes 18!) rockin’ lead sheets that are hyper-focused on refreshing technical skills, can be learned in less than 10 minutes, and are an absolute riot!
This book of repertoire is divided into three stellar sections: Intervals On The Ocean, Skate Park Beats, and Big Air Articulations. Each section contains an inspiring instructional page and six lead sheets designed to help your students shake the cobwebs off of their technical skills before launching into a new year of learning.
If you click on the image below you’ll be able to preview 13 pages from Teach Piano Today’s PianoBookClub Book of the Month for August.
This was August’s book of the month in 2016. To find out more about PianoBookClub and to get started with our new book of the month check out www.pianobookclub.com.
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Ready to use Cob Webster to get your students pumped up about refreshing their technical skills? Check out Teach Piano Today’s PianoBookClub to get your hands on the most exciting piano studio repertoire for just $8 a month.
Ruth Fry says
I signed up to receive your monthly “books” last month on the 18th. Do I assume that I’ll get it Cob Webster emailed to me on that day?
Andrea says
Hi Ruth – yes, your books arrive on the same day every month. If you’d like me to change your delivery date to earlier in the month I can certainly do that for you 🙂
Kelly Koch says
Yowza! My musical buffet just grows and grows as a member of the Piano Book Club. I have SO many students that can use this book. Thank you AGAIN!!
Andrea says
I love that… “musical buffet”! Exactly what we aim for. Glad you can get great use out of the book Kelly 🙂
Drema says
Fabulous resource to kick off the year and as you say “shake off the cob webs”!! =) Haha….oh I didn’t notice until now that that’s why the title said Cob Webster! =D Thanks again~
Andrea says
Lol Deema – you wouldn’t believe the conversations we had about whether or not people would “get” the title of the book Glad you’ll put it to good use!
Marilyn says
Can’t wait to get my book! We’ve been experimenting with improv and using “Summertime Blues,” and the students are really enjoying the control this gives them to choose their own notes and rhythms. They will really love the lead sheets! Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Marilyn! Yes isn’t it amazing how much freedom and the chance to be creative can really motivate students? This is why I love lead sheets so much – but they can be brutally hard to find at the right level. This is why we created this book! Hope you have fun with it ❤️
patsy says
I cannot wait to download this book! My students return next week and I was already planning to introduce the younger ones to lead sheets and simple chords. It would seem you have done all the work for me! Thank you!
Andrea says
Voila! Now you have extra time at the beach this summer Patty! Good for you for starting this with young students. Too often we wait and “save it” for when they are teens but I’m the meantime we lose all those fun years of being creative!
Beth says
I love the artwork in this book! And it is so clever how the titles of the songs match the rhythms of the chords! This will be helpful in several ways. Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Beth – we did crazy amounts of research into the proper “lingo” for each sport as we knew there would be students out there who knew what was right I use words to teach rhythm often and so we wanted to incorporate the coolness of the sports lingo with the LH rhythmic patterns. Yes, our artist for this book is fantastic yes?! We will be using him often in the future – visual appeal is so important to kids! Thanks for commenting!
Andria says
My questions are about the left hand patterns. When your students use “solid fifths” for the chords, do they jump their left hand from C position to G position (always in root position?)
Andrea says
Hi Andria – yes, you don’t need to worry about inversions or anything when starting chording with young children. Keep it all in root position and just leave out the 3rd of the chord when starting to teach this.
Andria says
(Oops, pressed enter too early) – Second question – with the “solid fifths” is there no difference between a G and Gm chord? What do you say if a child asks why there’s a difference in the Chord symbol but not in what they play?
Andrea says
Yes, there is no difference. We kept the chord symbols in there for students who then want to “take it one step further” and play full chords once they’ve mastered playing 5ths 🙂 You can explain this to your student even if they won’t be playing the third of the chord – it’s a great first intro to chord symbols 🙂
Roni Rothwell says
Thanks for these, Andrea, they look fantastic. I am still half-way through my summer holiday but will have these ready for September. 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Roni – awesome! Enjoy the rest of your holiday 🙂
Jan says
Your creations are so amazing and fun! While I am not ready to join the Club just yet, is there any way I can just order this CobWebster book? (Again, zany title!!)
Andrea says
Hi Jan – all of our music is only available through PianoBookClub.com. This is how we’re able to offer studio-licensed music for the cost of what one piece is typically 🙂
Crystal says
Is there a way to purchase the Cob Webster lead sheets being that it is September?
Andrea says
Hi Crystal – continuing members of PianoBookClub do get the chance to purchase re-released books for the same $8 with unlimited printing. Cob Webster will be a future re-release for sure! We hope to also have a “part 2” in that series this year as well as it was well-loved 🙂
Katrina Palsky says
Andrea, I am wanting to get a copy of CobWebster. If I join the PianoBookClub right now, do I have access to CobWebster or is it currently not-available?
Andrea says
Hi Katrina – Cob Webster is currently not available, but January’s book of the month is also a lead sheet book! 🙂 As a continuing member you do have access to re-released books each month to catch up on books you missed before you joined.