Choosing The Right Book For Teen Piano Students

If you teach teen piano students, there is no room for error when it comes to book selection.

Your 13 to 18-year-old piano students are so busy, and emotions often run so high, that piano lessons will be dropped like a hot potato if they aren’t enjoyable.

So, if you want to keep your teen students around, you have to be using the right materials. And Trevor and I can confidently say that our WunderKeys Teen Method books ARE the right materials.

If you don’t already use them, right now is the time to make the switch.

In today’s post, we’ll give you a detailed guide for transferring students into the WunderKeys Teen Method books, including what teens learn in each book and in which books teens should begin, depending on their playing abilities.

A Brief Introduction To The WunderKeys Teen Method Books

Teens demand motivating music, but motivating music is not enough.

Any experienced teacher will tell you that, without a focused, developmentally-appropriate program, motivating music by itself will not keep teens in lessons. While teens may demand music they love, they also need a program that develops their skills in a structured and predictable style.

Enter, the WunderKeys Teen Method books: music they’ll find motivating with a structure you’ll love.

Each level in our teen program includes a WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano method book and an Intermediate Performance Companion book.

In the pop studies method books, your students will explore playing in key signatures around the circle of fifths with pop-infused scale studies, lead sheet triad training, sight reading, lap tap clap rhythm chording duets, lead sheet triad training, and left-hand pattern improv.

In the performance companion books, students put their skills into practice with repertoire that includes classical pop piano pieces inspired by Mozart, Beethoven, and more, thundering Celtic solos, and cool original pop repertoire.

Let’s Take A Look At Each Level

To help you dig deeper, let’s break down the WunderKeys Teen Method books into their different levels.

WunderKeys Teen Method Books, Intermediate Level 1

This level includes:

WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 1 (available to purchase here)
An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 1 (available to purchase here)

What Students Learn:

Keys: C, G, and F Major and A, E, and D minor
Scales: Two-octave major and harmonic minor scales in parallel and contrary motion, hands separate and hands together
Triads: Two-octave triads in solid and broken form, hands separate and hands together
Primary Chords: Played in root position
Note Reading: All grand staff plus ledger lines, including high A, B, C, middle G, A, B (treble) and D, E, F, G (bass), low C, D, E
Rhythm: Eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes and their rest value equivalents
Time Signatures: 3/4, 4/4, 6/8
Consideration For Small Hands: No harmonic octaves
Accompaniment Patterns: Broken fifths (eighth notes), polka pattern (within a pentascale), waltz pattern (within a pentascale), broken chords (within a pentascale), Alberti Bass, broken chords (within an octave)

A Transfer Guide:

Students are ready for WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 1 and An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 1 after completing WunderKeys Elementary Piano Level 2, Piano Adventures 2B, Alfred Premier 2B, Bastien Book 2, RCM Prep B, or ABRSM Grade 1.

WunderKeys Teen Method Books, Intermediate Level 2

This level includes:

WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 2 (available to purchase here)
An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 2 (available to purchase here)

What Students Learn:

Keys: D, Bb, and E Major and Bb, G, and F# minor
Scales: Two-octave major and harmonic minor scales in parallel and contrary motion, hands separate and hands together
Triads: Two-octave triads in solid and broken form, hands separate and hands together
Primary Chords: Played in root position
Note Reading: All notes from low C to high D
Rhythm: Limited sixteenth notes in 4/4 time, eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes and their rest value equivalents, syncopated rhythms, triplets
Time Signatures: 3/4, 4/4, 6/8
Consideration For Small Hands: No harmonic octaves
Accompaniment Patterns: Expanded broken chords (within a pentascale), expanded broken chords (within an octave), broken fifths in syncopated pattern, waltz pattern (within an octave), arpeggio pattern with crossovers, Alberti Bass

A Transfer Guide:

Students are ready for WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 2 and An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 2 after completing WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 1, Piano Adventures 3A, Alfred Premier Book 3, Bastien Book 3, RCM Grade 1, or ABRSM Grade 2.

WunderKeys Teen Method Books, Intermediate Level 3

This level includes:

WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 3 (available to purchase here)
An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 3 (available to purchase here)

What Students Learn:

Keys: Eb, E, and Ab Major and C, C#, and F Minor
Scales: Two-octave major and harmonic minor scales in parallel and contrary motion, hands separate and hands together
Triads: Two-octave triads in solid and broken form, hands separate and hands together
Primary Chords: Played in root position
Note Reading: All notes from low A to high D
Rhythm: Sixteenth notes in 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8 time, eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes, dotted eighth notes, half notes, whole notes, rests, syncopated rhythms, triplets
Time Signatures: 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, (12/8 in the Performance Companion book only)
Consideration For Small Hands: Harmonic octaves are now included.
Accompaniment Patterns: Octave leaps, a hand-over-hand pattern, expanded broken chords (within an octave), syncopated polka pattern, arpeggio pattern with expanded crossovers, Alberti Bass

A Transfer Guide:

Students are ready for WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 3 and An Intermediate Performance Companion For Pop Studies 3 after completing WunderKeys Intermediate Pop Studies For Piano 2, Piano Adventures 3B, Alfred Premier Book 3, Bastien Book 3, RCM Grade 2, or ABRSM Grade 3.