Poco Piano for Young Children, Bk 1

Book excerpt: Book 1 introduces the child to the keyboard, staves, clefs, simple time signatures, note values, and rests. Reading encompasses notes to a 5th above and a 5th below Middle C. The notes A and E are introduced first, played by a braced 3rd finger of each hand. This encourages free movement of the whole arm from the shoulder, and develops a natural, balanced hand position, before the 5-finger position is gradually mastered. The first line of the treble staff and the fifth line of the bass staff are highlighted, and further lines are similarly treated as the child learns more notes. Staccato, slurs, ties, upbeats, and repeat signs are all experienced in Book 1. Tempo and dynamic markings encourage musical playing, and are in English, in order to avoid "knowledge overload."