Q for Faber Piano Adventure Book Users

[watertribe]

I want to get some piano books for both my ds's - After reading some threads, I like the looks of the Faber books- but there are so many of them that I'm not sure what the sequence is for using them; there's lessons books, theory books, and performance books - where do you start?

They have both used the Bastien Primer A, but what's next?

[Dmmetler]

Look at both primer and book 1 and see which is the better fit. Different series draw the cutoff between primer and book 1 in different places.

 

I would suggest the lesson book, theory, technique, and an additional book picked by the child of songs that are motivating to them. A good music store has a wide variety even at primer and level 1.

 

I like the Gold Star performance book by Faber as far as skills go, but I think that the chance to play something that the child really WANTS to play has a higher motivational effect than playing a neat piece that no one who isn't a piano teacher or parent who has worked through that exact book will ever recognize.

[Momling]

I like the Lesson book and the Theory book best and then one book that my kids choose (like Christmas songs). The technique book and performance book get done, but not as willingly... and I feel we have too many books to flip through. I probably won't buy them again.

 

For your 11 yr old, you might consider the accelerated version.

[Julie Smith]

I have had the same confusion when looking at books to use when my son finishes the Pianimal series.

 

I liked it so much, you just started at the beginning of one book and went to the end of it. When that book was done you started the next one.

 

Now WOOZERS each series has tons of books. It all looks so confusing. I have decided to not think about it. ... But with only one more pianimal book to go I will soon have to dig my head out of the sand.

[Dassah]

We love Faber Piano series here. I have used/am using the series with 2 children. When starting a young elementary child (or Ker), we use the Primer set to introduce the piano and after a year, we are working out of the entire Level 1 Faber set (Theory, Technique, Lesson, Performance). We add the associated Christmas book in October to prepare for "performances" for family/nursing homes, etc. By late book 1 or early book 2, we add classical pieces from the Master's Program (I believe that's also Faber). I feel like it is a very easy curriculum to teach from assigning 1-2 new pieces out of each book per week.

[watertribe]

OK, thanks for the input. I guess the only other question is do you finish one book before going to the next (i.e. the whole theory book, then the whole lesson book, etc.)? Or do you weave them all together and alternate between them?

Will all three of these books (theory, technique & lesson) be enough for a whole year? I have to get enough to last us that long as I won't be able to have things sent to us (I wish everything was available on pdf!).

[Dassah]

They are intended to be interwoven. In the seam of the book on each page gives a bit of a guide (for example: on page 12 of the theory book might have written "Lesson Book pg. 14"). This gives me a good idea of where I ought to be to have all the skills lined up. When the child is playing fourths in the base clef, for example (in book 2B), the Theory book is teaching what a 4th or 5th is. I assign at least one new page of each book during our weekly lesson (while continuing to review/memorize previous songs and thus making a sort of repetoire). I hope I am making sense.

[mcconnellboys]

My son's teacher uses a lesson, performance, and theory book of the same level all at the same time with him. When he finishes one level, she moves him up to the next (in all three books)....