Piano Adventures - Gold Star Performance Book - Primer Level Book/Online Audio (Faber Piano Adventures)

I use this book as a graduation book or bridge between Primer and Level 1. It is a little more challenging than the books in the Supplementary Library series from Faber, but not too much. The CD that comes with it is great. Each song is recorded twice; once as a full arrangement with lots of instruments and singers, the second time as a piano part only. My students love the singers and the fun effects of the full arrangement. This is great to practice with after playing through the song a few times. It helps keep a steady beat and reveals any incorrect rhythms to the student. Plus, it's fun!

Great supplement to the regular Faber series.

After having taught thousands of students at our conservatory of music, we can say that this book has singlehandedly saved more students at the primer level than any other book. We call it our “student saver” book.We did find that the book is not in order of difficulty, which poses problems in teaching with it unless you pay a lot of attention to what notes, exactly, are used in each song. There are also some songs that are easier than others to teach because of patterns in the melodies.We recommend this order:1) Zoom zoom Witch’s Broom2) Pterodactyls3) Theme and Variations4) Hello to the Drums5) Banappeal (We rewrite the lyrics to be Banana Peel)6) Pony Express7) Chugging Choo Choo8) Eternally MusicThe rest of the songs/pieces aren’t as popular so we usually skip them. We always write words for kids that are more creative or who sing.Kids who finish this book, along with primer theory and technique/artistry, are allowed to move into the level 1 books when they finish. This provides for a fun and smooth transition to the next level.

The variety of primer level pieces is great! Love this assortment, we like to use them for auditions, competitions and festivals. Highly teacher recommended for all Youngers students! It even includes an awesome duet, Bluebird on My Shoulder!

Good info

This is a great product and my daughter loved the app that allows you to play along with accompaniment tracks. So great for new pianists.

Our piano teacher recommended we get this book. So far, my son likes it and the book came in brand new condition.

My books did not come with CDs, but with a reference to online audio support. Although the picture on Amazon shows "with CD", my books show "audio included" and there are no CDs. The web address given in the book does not work for the Primer level book. I understand if the Fabers want to change from the CD format, but it must be easy for parents and students to access, and perhaps the price for books without CDs should be reduced.