Few things inspire us as much as the moment the sun first appears over the horizon, casting a new day with a glorious light. Daybreak depicts that moment in a wonderfully simple, yet powerful way. Early-intermediate students will enjoy their experience crafting a beautiful melody with the use of creative dynamics, pedaling, and appealing accidentals. Enjoy basking in the warmth of this lovely piece.

Beautifully presented and intelligently paced, the Lesson Book combines unusually attractive music and lyrics. The book features note reading, rhythm reading, sight-reading and technical workouts. While most teachers find CD recordings very useful at the lesson and for home practice, others prefer not to use the CDs. To accommodate all teachers, this version of Alfred's Premier Piano Course Lesson Book 2A does not have a CD included.

A Christmas Fantasy contains a wide range of favorite Christmas selections for late intermediate to early advanced pianists. Arranged in the "Alexander style," this collection features a multitude of attractive selections, from romantic to upbeat, each with solid pedagogical value. Both teachers and students will find this the perfect book to have on the piano for the holiday season.

All the fun of a circus is recreated in this humorous solo that features a melody that is tossed back and forth between the hands. The introduction begins with the sounds of the Big Top ? a trill-like figure is divided between the hands and heralds the entrance of the show. Legato and staccato are used throughout the piece, making it an excellent study in articulation. The key of G major and the 4/4 meter compliment the mood of the piece.

A zapateado is a Spanish dance for one person accompanied by the guitar. It is always in triple meter, and the feet of the dancer make a considerable amount of noise. Dennis Alexander captures the characteristics of this dance in this intermediate solo. Written in A minor and 3/4 time, students will enjoy the alternating rhythm between the hands and a lyrical, left-hand melody. This piece will make an exciting recital or contest solo.

The unique At-Home Book contributes greatly to a student's success. When used by parents during practice time, it can make a dramatic difference in the student's musical learning. All parents-with or without musical knowledge-will be able to participate. It's like having a second teacher at home. Each At-Home Book includes Assignment Pages, Parent Pages, and an engaging story for students and parents.

Rhythm and touch are essential elements in this energetic march for the elementary level pianist. It is written in C Major, uses a blend of staccato and legato, wide and varied dynamics, and a generous use of the keyboard.

The appealing repertoire with charming lyrics further reinforces and enhances the learning of new musical concepts introduced in the Lesson Book. Includes attractive music created by internationally acclaimed composers in a variety of styles, plus tips on how to perform more musically. Each piece on the CD was recorded at a performance tempo and a slower practice tempo.

Correlated page-for-page with the Lesson Book, each new musical concept is reinforced through fun-filled writing, listening and playing exercises. With games and puzzles added to compositional and creative activities, students retain concepts more easily and learn more thoroughly.

The key of D minor sets the stage for the mysterious sounds of this late elementary solo. The opening rhythm of the right hand melody even seems to say "Old Daddy Longlegs," and students will have no problem getting the rhythm correct just by chanting the title. An excellent vehicle for moving around the keyboard, the various hand crossings will make this piece as much fun to play as it will be to watch! Turn your student into "spider boy" or "spider girl" with this clever solo.

Alfredas Premier Piano Course, Level 4 students explore the full range of the keyboard, playing motivating, fun pieces that use triplets and sixteenth notes. Styles range from jazz and ragtime to original pieces by master composers. New concepts including natural and harmonic minor scales, one octave arpeggios and chord inversions are skillfully woven into intriguing pieces. Each piece on the CD was recorded at a performance tempo and a slower practice tempo. 48 pages.

The unique At-Home Book contributes greatly to a student's success. When used by parents during practice time, it can make a dramatic difference in the student's musical learning. All parents-with or without musical knowledge-will be able to participate. It's like having a second teacher at home. Contents include: Assignment Pages, Parent Pages, and an engaging musical adventure story that started in Level 1A and comes to a fun conclusion in Level 2B.

The unique At-Home Book contributes greatly to a student's success. When used by parents during practice time, it can make a dramatic difference in the student's musical learning. All parents-with or without musical knowledge-will be able to participate. It's like having a second teacher at home. Each At-Home Book includes Assignment Pages, Parent Pages, and an engaging story for students and parents.

This expressive solo by Dennis Alexander is perfect for late-elementary students of all ages. Written in G major, it is an excellent study of the interval of a fifth. Melodic and rhythmic patterns are found throughout and will make this solo easy to learn and memorize. Students who love using the damper pedal will be delighted with the lyrical sounds created by the pedal as they move freely across the keyboard.

Beautifully presented and intelligently paced, the Lesson Book combines unusually attractive music and lyrics. The book features note reading, rhythm reading, sight-reading and technical workouts. While most teachers find CD recordings very useful at the lesson and for home practice, others prefer not to use the CDs. To accommodate all teachers, this version of Alfred's Premier Piano Course Lesson Book 1A does not have a CD included.

Beautifully presented and intelligently paced, the Lesson Book combines unusually attractive music and lyrics. The book features note reading, rhythm reading, sight-reading and technical workouts. While most teachers find CD recordings very useful at the lesson and for home practice, others prefer not to use the CDs. To accommodate all teachers, this version of Alfred's Premier Piano Course Lesson Book 1B does not have a CD included.

The appealing repertoire with charming lyrics further reinforces and enhances the learning of new musical concepts introduced in the Lesson Book. Includes attractive music created by internationally acclaimed composers in a variety of styles, plus tips on how to perform more musically. Each piece on the CD was recorded at a performance tempo and a slower practice tempo.

There is a peaceful, lyrical charm to this G major rainbow song, which features left hand broken seventh chords that move slowly but constantly under the legato phrasing of the right hand melodic line.

Students are finding the Theory Books in Alfred's Premier Piano Course not only fun to do but very helpful in reinforcing new materials introduced in the Lesson Book. The Learning Links included in the Theory Book relate to learning more about important subjects found in the music and lyrics in the Lesson Book making for a more rounded education. Continued from previous Theory Books are Fun Zones, Now Hear This (ear training), and Now Play This (sight reading exercises) which add additional reinforcement to written theory.

Technique 2A continues and expands on the technical and artistic tools learned in Technique books 1A and 1B. The seven new Technique Tools introduced are: dynamic shaping, crossing over the thumb, solid-sounding chords, two-note slurs, seamless melodies, balance between melody and accompaniment, and damper pedal footwork. Artistic Etudes showcase a student's technique in an expressive musical setting, and Hands-Together Workshops focus on developing the skills necessary for coordinating hands-together playing. Each page in the Technique Book correlates with a specific page in the Lesson Book.

The music is fresh! The lyrics are current and in-tune with today's students! The subject matter is appealing! These accolades have been used to describe the all-new music in Alfred's Premier Piano Course The music in Performance Book 2B includes a variety of styles including boogie, ragtime, jazz, flamenco, contemporary and more--sure to bring smiles to the faces of all students. The attractive music, complete with performance tips, carefully supports the new concepts contained in the corresponding Lesson Book 2B. Each piece on the CD was recorded at a performance tempo and a slower practice tempo.

For an elementary level pianist who likes a ghostly Halloween mood, this mysterious sounding A-minor song comes complete with owls hooting! The hands have minimal movement, but there are moments of sharp accents played higher, and a final chord that spreads the hands out for an accented final "Boo!"

Each duet is arranged for student-teacher (parent or older student) performance. These charming Duet Books increase motivation and add fun to practice time and lessons.