Incorporating a tried-and-tested progression to guide beginners from their very first lesson through to Grade 1 level, Get Set! Piano’s note-learning is taught alongside aural, theory and composing skills providing a comprehensive approach to music. In this blog, you’ll learn what is included in each Get Set! Piano book, what skills are covered at each step of the method, and where to find free resources to support student learning and foster their creative flair.
To celebrate ten years of Get Set!, Musicroom is partnering with Collins Music and hosting an exclusive webinar on Friday 26th May 2023 at 12:00pm BST. All participants will then receive an amazing 15% off the books so make sure to sign up for the 10 years of Get Set! Piano webinar.
Get Set! Piano My First Piano Book is the foundation book in the Get Set! Piano Method. This beginner instruction book is suitable for children aged 5 years and over, and incorporates fun exercises, theory, and easy songs to facilitate a seamless transition from pre-stave reading onto stave reading, leading effortlessly into the highly acclaimed Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 1. This book introduces young children to the piano through fun activities, rhymes, songs, and pieces. Pieces have simple teacher duet parts to encourage ensemble playing from the start, and illustrations in the charming Get Set! style and music are made to inspire, entertain, and nurture a love of music that can last a lifetime.
Get Set! Piano – My First Piano Pieces, Puzzles & Activities follows and supplements the tried-and-tested progression of Get Set! Piano – My First Piano Book. It includes favourites like Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses, Peter Taps with One Hammer and The Wheels on the Bus, as well as playful new pieces, featuring dinosaurs, superheroes, aliens, scooters and more! Some pieces have straightforward teacher duet parts to encourage ensemble playing from the start, and there are lots of music theory puzzles and activities to consolidate learning and offer an extra layer of fun and exploration. The book is illustrated throughout in the charming Get Set! style, and students are encouraged to decorate and colour in the drawings to reflect their progress. Suitable for children aged 5+.
Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 1 follows the natural progression of the student after completing Get Set! Piano My First Piano Book. Packed with favourites such as Jelly on a plate, Animal fair, Jingle bells, engaging new tunes and teacher duet parts, Get Set! Piano Tutor inspires, entertains, and builds confidence from the start. Following and supplementing the progression of Tutor Book 1, Get Set! Piano Pieces Book 1 includes favourites like Alice the camel, Little bird, Hot Cross Buns, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. This book includes engaging new pieces from jigs to jazz, and illustrations feature wriggly caterpillars, scary pirates, and other imaginative characters. Pieces have straightforward teacher duet parts to encourage ensemble playing from the start. This book also comes with quizzes and crosswords to reinforce learning!
Key skills covered Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 1 and Piano Pieces Book 1 are:
- Note-learning
- Aural skills
- Music theory
- Composing
Tutor Book 2 and Pieces Book 2
Packed with favourites such as What shall we do with a drunken sailor?, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Amazing Grace, The Entertainer and engaging new tunes in contemporary styles, Get Set! Piano Tutor Book 2 is the perfect tutor for getting to Grade 1. Paired with Get Set! Piano Pieces Book 2, this second stage to the method guides the learner from Prep test to Grade 1, and includes tunes such as La Bamba, Frère Jacques, and This Old Man alongside engaging new solo and ensemble pieces in a variety of styles.
Get Set! Piano Christmas Crackers contains over 30 carols for the beginner pianist, featuring a range of techniques and quizzes to support musical development from the very first lessons to Grade 2. Full of festive favourites such as Jingle bells, Silent Night, and Deck the Halls, with a few lesser-known carols included for good measure, many of the pieces have simple but effective teacher duet parts to encourage ensemble playing from the start.
The book is illustrated throughout in the charming Get Set! style, and students are encouraged to decorate and colour in the drawings to reflect their progress. Packed with fantastic, tried-and-tested arrangements and a variety of fun activities to reinforce learning, this is the ultimate beginner piano Christmas book!
Free Get Set! Piano Resources
Each book in the Get Set! Piano series comes with free resources to support creativity, confidence, and musical knowledge. These resources are available on the Get Set! Piano Free Resources Page and include:
- Practice charts
- Safe Music Activities for KS1
- Sample Teacher Guide, with teaching notes
- Printable posters for teaching musical vocabulary
- Additional pieces and concert versions booklet
- Sample Quizzes to test your pupils’ knowledge
- Scales, arpeggios, and broken chord exercises
- A ‘Composing Time’ activity sheet
- Piano Keyboard Chart
- Free A4 posters for your classroom
- Printable Certificates
About the Authors
Karen Marshall is an award-winning educational author, speaker, teacher and workshop presenter with over 20 pedagogical piano books to her name. Based in York, she is a practising private, peripatetic, first access and classroom music teacher, with students from the ages of 4 to 60+. She is also a member of the British Dyslexia Association’s Music Committee. Devoted to music and children, Karen is happiest working as a music teacher in a range of settings, from primary school classroom music to one-to-one piano and theory lessons, and GCSE/A-Level music tutoring to running a choir. Karen has also been a regular contributor to Music Teacher Magazine for over a decade and is an experienced trainer, speaker, and workshop presenter. Her books are a manifestation of her extensive curriculum development and many years of teaching experience.
Heather Hammond is a prolific and immensely popular composer. Heather studied piano and clarinet at Leeds College of Music and also plays saxophone and flute. Most of her time nowadays is divided between teaching the piano and writing educational music. There are many books available of Heather’s popular music for young instrumentalists. These include collections for piano, clarinet, saxophone and flute at various grades.
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