If you’ve been following along with our WunderKeys Level 1 preview posts, then you’ve probably guessed that the launch is near! In fact, this year, when Christmas has come and gone, you can kiss those Post-Christmas Blues goodbye as you prepare to get your hands on the next method book in our growing WunderKeys series. WunderKeys Level 1A will be released on January 3rd!
WunderKeys Level 1A is for any piano student who has completed WunderKeys Primer Piano Books One, Two, and Three or who has completed the primer books from another method book series.
In our past two posts we have answered your most pressing WunderKeys Level 1 questions and shared a visual preview of the music-based exercises, games, and activities that pack this piano book. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the piano repertoire your students will be playing.
Why Your Students Will Fall In Love With WunderKeys Repertoire
Too many students quit piano lessons. The reason they quit is because they get frustrated, and the reason they get frustrated is because their music is not developmentally appropriate, not logically sequenced, or not perfectly paced.
With WunderKeys Level 1 (and all of our Wunderkeys method books) we have solved these serious stumbling blocks.
When you use WunderKeys Level 1A you will notice immediately that:
1. Your students will not be frustrated by unwelcome surprises in repertoire.
My biggest pedagogical pet peeve is when method books throw concepts into piano pieces that have yet to be introduced. This happens a lot and is like jamming a stick into the spokes of a moving bicycle. It halts all progress and sends piano students into “fight or flight” mode where they either shut down or begin to rely on “crutches” or coping techniques.
In WunderKeys Level 1 you don’t have to worry about unwelcome surprises. The music in each unit is perfectly paired with accompanying exercises, games, and activities. Everything builds upon previously-learned concepts to create a smooth lesson experience.
2. You will not have to write note names or finger numbers above every note.
Adding the odd finger number here or note name there can be helpful when a student is playing a challenging piano piece. But when music in a method book becomes littered with handwritten finger numbers and note names, the method book just isn’t doing its job.
With WunderKeys Level 1A, our goal is to create independent little musicians; kids who can practice and explore repertoire with their teachers during lessons and then have the skills and confidence to continue their learning when they get home. Too often students cannot play piano pieces from method books without direct adult intervention… and so practice just doesn’t happen.
This is not the case with WunderKeys. The pacing, sequencing and brick-upon-brick nature of our pedagogical design means piano students have the tools to play independently.
3. Your students will not get stuck “in position”.
Some methods believe that position-based play is the only way. Other books believe that everything should be “out of position”. We believe a reasonable balance between these two methodologies achieves the best result.
In WunderKeys Level 1A, this balanced approach means your students will experience the comfort that occurs naturally when their hands are in familiar positions with the freedom that comes with being able to “move and groove”.
While your students will not be locked into position they also won’t look at every piano piece as a panic-inducing guessing game.
4. Your students will not want to skip a tune!
It is common to skip over songs in method books. But with WunderKeys Level 1A we want to make it a lot less common. We have integrated a number of musical styles to create a varied book of repertoire that will keep kids interested.
From pop to blues to teacher duets to laugh-out-loud lyrics and goofy takes on popular tunes, the music in this book is a wonderful surprise with every turn of the page.
5. Your students will not forget to practice.
There are a lot of things we love about our WunderKeys Level 1A method book, but its ability to inspire practice might just be our favorite.
WunderKeys Level 1A will be absolutely adored by your students. It will never be forgotten at the bottom of a music bag. In fact, it probably won’t even be put in a music bag. Your students will want to read it on the way home from lessons, at dinner time and before they go to bed. A method book that gets that much attention will get practiced.
Interested In Hearing Some Sound Samples?
If you want to give your ears a little sneak peak at what’s to come in WunderKeys Level 1A have a listen to a few samples below. In addition to the sound samples we had to include a few home videos of our first Wunderkeys Level 1A student (our daughter, Halle).
Elaine says
This sounds as great as the visual tasters looked! I am already seeing such a difference between my kids that started in Wunderkeys and those that started in other methods (before Wunderkeys was available) – the most prominent being that what kids learn in your books is REALLY learnt and then stays with them. Your careful scaffolding approach combined with the different ways to explore a concept is just revolutionary, and it really works. Fabulous.
Ps. And I can’t wait for all the new characters!
Andrea says
Hi Eliane – this is wonderful – and exactly the sort of response from teachers we were working towards when we created the books! Glad you’re excited about the new books! Enjoy!
Andi says
I cannot wait!
Dana McCabe says
Well, now I’m even more excited for Level 1A to come out! These examples are fabulous (as expected) and going to be so well-loved by my students. Thanks, Andrea & Trevor, for your gifts to piano teaching!
Andrea says
Thanks so much for your support, Dana! 🙂
Audrey Weislogel says
We cannot wait over here!! I have a student who started in another method before the primers were released and has watched 3 of her friends start lessons in the Wunderkeys primers. She is at the end of her other method primer books and asks if the level 1 Wunderkeys books are out yet at every lesson.
Wunderkeys is such a joyful way to learn to play the piano for both the student and teacher.❤
Andrea says
Hi Audrey – I’m so happy to hear she’s excited about it! Thrilled to hear you’re loving WunderKeys!