This week I sat down with Jennifer Eklund’s self-published method book series, Piano Pronto. I’ll explain a few of the unique features of the series here, but the only way to really know how it works is to try it with students. There will be a follow-up post at a later date once I’ve had the opportunity to use it with students.
Here are a few features of the series:
- No pre-reading. Students start reading on the staff immediately from C-position in the right hand.
- Familiar tunes. Almost all of the pieces in the series are arrangements of familiar tunes from classical, jazz, folk, and pop genres. The use of arrangements in this series can create quite a discussion. Check out Jennifer’s article about arrangments here: https://www.pianopronto.com/piano-teacher-tips-classical-arrangements/.
- Pace. The series introduces rhythm values like eighth notes and dotted quarters very early. It also does not take long to introduce compound meter and key signatures.
- Clean design. “Pronto Prep” sections allow the student to practice a new concept before it is applied in a piece.
- Teacher duets. The first three levels of the series have a corresponding book of teacher duets. Jennifer is a great arranger and the duets are really nice.
- Discussion forum. Jennifer manages an active Facebook forum for teachers to ask questions about the series. She responds to the forum and emails almost immediately.
More information about the series can be found at www.pianopronto.com.
Lauren teaches piano to students of all ages. She enjoys creating resources for her students and teachers. She is the author of Ready for Theory®. For personalized help, check out the consultations page for teachers.
