Here are a few of my favorites! These pieces work well for anyone...meaning girl or boy, child or adult, or even teenager. They sound good, are easy to learn, play and memorize. All sound harder than they actually are.
- Bells in Milan, sheet music, by Lisa Bastien, Level 2. Syncopated pedal is used throughout this ABA piece. Patterns and lots of repetition throughout.
- Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center, from Collage of Solos, Book 2, by Lori Bastien. Level 1.This is a broken chord piece with hands crossing over throughout. Also uses pedal, but not syncopated, so can be easily taught to a level 1 student.
- Blue Mood, sheet music, by Jane Smisor Bastien, Level 2. Beautiful melody line, uses syncopated pedal throughout. This is a good piece to use when teaching syncopated pedal for the first time. Left hand is all block chords, so it is easy to teach pedaling here.
- Sea Mist, sheet music, by James W. Bastien, Level 3. Syncopated pedal, with left hand playing a broken chord bass. Uses the highest note on the piano at the end, which all students love playing!
~Lori

My goodness. "Sea Mist" was my recital piece when I was fourteen years old. That was twenty-seven years ago.
Posted by: Amy | May 27, 2011 at 02:32 PM