We all use method books. And for good reason! They are the backbone of piano lessons.
But method books can’t do it alone.
The most overlooked piano teaching tool is the supplementary piano book.
It can, quite literally, save a student.
So, why then are there so few supplementary piano books?
Why, after hundreds of years of piano lessons, has someone not yet created a library of imaginative supplementary books that get kids really excited about practicing and making music?!
There are thousands of storybooks for kids who love dinosaurs. There are a thousand more for kids who love unicorns.
And yet the worldwide library of supplementary, story-based piano books could probably fit in a backpack!
For years, Andrea and I wanted to change this.
So, we created Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library and filled it with hilarious and educational piano repertoire like, “I Dig Piano”.
Introducing Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library
We are excited to present to you:
I Dig Piano: Supplementary Songs And Activities For Mid-Primer Piano Students.
I Dig Piano was the very first publication (not the first level!) in our book series, Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library.
We’re sharing a preview of this book below… but wait!
Before you jump ahead, let’s talk about Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library…
Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library is a book series and publishing adventure.
It is a 17-level (A to Q) early piano collection to be used alongside your primer and level 1 method books for young piano students.
Each book in this series is leveled from A to Q and is created to correspond with concepts learned in early-primer, mid-primer, late primer, level 1A, and level 1B method books. Yes, that’s right… 17 levels of books for you to choose from within a Primer – Level 1B setting! No more struggling to find just the right level of music.
At the end of each book in this collection, you will find our Very Useful Book Level Chart. I Dig Piano is Level G and corresponds with mid-primer piano method books.
Click on the image below to preview the Very Useful Piano Library’s Book Level Chart:
Remember, Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library is not meant to replace your method books. Instead, it should be used for:
- Students who need a little pick-me-up
- Students who need extra practice on specific concepts
- Students who deserve a musical reward
- Students who get excited about holidays, like Halloween or Christmas
- Students who need recital pieces that they’ll be really proud to perform
- Students who just really like unicorns, or diggers, or pirates, or a host of other themes kids go crazy for
Now, Let’s Look Inside I Dig Piano!
Designed for students who are comfortable playing in middle C position, I Dig Piano is a V. U. Level G book (see the chart at the top of the post).
Like all books in Andrea And Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library, I Dig Piano contains music… but there’s so much more!
Let’s take a look…
1. Piano Pieces
I Dig Piano contains eight pieces for mid-primer piano students (seven solos and a celebratory, end-of-book teacher/student duet).
The construction-themed pieces contain imaginative illustrations and loveable lyrics. View sample pages below:
2. Activity Pages
Interspersed throughout the book are activity pages to supplement the music. These activity pages include sight-reading exercises, rhythm drum drills, note reading games, a timed test, and a Color-It Note Reading Mystery Picture. Here’s a glimpse of some of just some of what is inside.
3. Warm-up Exercises
I Dig Piano begins with two pages of getting ready, warm-up exercises that students should perform at the beginning of every practice session to boost note-reading skills, coordination, and finger strength.
4. A Practice Tracker
Kids practice more often when they take ownership of their learning. At the end of I Dig Piano, students will find a practice tracker page where they can keep track of their hard work in a kid-friendly way.
5. Certificate Of Achievement
Upon completion of I Dig Piano, students receive a Certificate of Achievement to reward their efforts. Simply cut out the certificate, fill in the relevant details, and present it to the deserving student.
Buy I Dig Piano Today!
If you have a primer piano student who is obsessed with diggers and dump trucks you will definitely want to hop on over to Amazon right now and pick up I Dig Piano.
And don’t forget to check in with WunderKeys and Teach Piano Today regularly as we build Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library.
This is great!! Love the concept and the book looks amazing so far. My question is: when will you be releasing Kindle or other digital formats of your method books and supplemental books like these? There’s no way to find them unless we are part of Piano Book Club and it gets released as the book of the month. With the need to revert to teaching online recently and given how many amazing digital resources you have, it just doesn’t make sense that your main books aren’t part of a digital library. Do you have any plans to change that anytime soon?
Hi Meeka! Our books are pretty interactive and that means they don’t lend themselves well to digital versions 🙂 We think the appeal of holding a “real” book in your hands is really important to connecting students to their materials and so we work hard to make these books special in that way. These ones especially include lots of “in-book” activities so they need to be in hardcopy.
I don’t know how you both find the time! These look amazing!! These will be perfect for so many of my younger students students. I can hardly wait to see the others!
We’re so glad you’re excited about it, Mary! We love what we do – and so we’re happy to spend all of our time doing it! 😉
I can already think of a student who is almost ready for this! I will definitely keep it in mind for when she is ready!
Great! We’re publishing the level before this one (Level F) next week too 🙂
Fabulous! Lots more to come in the earlier levels too 🙂