Lessons 1–20

Piano Unit 1

Lesson 1 First Song

What You’ll Learn

  • How to find high and low notes on your piano
  • Pattern of 2 and 3 black keys
  • How to play your first song on the piano

Lesson 2 Improvisation with Hot Cross Buns

What You’ll Learn

  • Tips for your first improvisation on the piano with a jazz-style backing track

Lesson 3 Musical Alphabet

What You’ll Learn

  • Basics of the Musical Alphabet

Lesson 4 Finding C, D, & E on the Piano

What You’ll Learn

  • How to identify the keys C, D, and E on the piano

Lesson 5 Piano Posture & D Journey

What You’ll Learn

  • A 4-step Checklist for excellent piano posture to complete at the start of each practice session
  • Counting a steady beat
  • How to play "D Journey" while applying principles of great piano posture

Lesson 6 C Boogie

What You’ll Learn

  • Review how to find C on the piano
  • Review Piano Posture Checklist and apply to playing "C Boogie"

Lesson 7 Finding F & G on the Piano

What You’ll Learn

  • How to locate and identify the keys F and G on the piano

Lesson 8 Five Woodpeckers

What You’ll Learn

  • How to play ‘Five Woodpeckers’ using either the right hand, left hand, or both

Lesson 9 Rhythm Dictation: Hot Cross Buns

What You’ll Learn

  • The meaning of beat and rhythm
  • The sound and symbol for quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes
  • How to dictate the rhythm of a familiar song: ‘Hot Cross Buns’

Lesson 10 Frog in the Middle

What You’ll Learn

  • How to play ‘Frog in the Middle’ on the piano
  • How to sing and play the pattern do-mi-so

Lesson 11 Finding A & B on the Piano

What You’ll Learn

  • How to find A and B on the piano
  • The end of the Piano Street story

Lesson 12 Rhythm Composition

What You’ll Learn

  • How to compose your own rhythm and melody using quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests

Lesson 13 Chocolate

What You’ll Learn

  • How to play ‘Chocolate’ in the C major pentascale
  • Learn the first five notes of the solfege scale: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So

Lesson 14 D Major Pentascale

What You’ll Learn

  • How to transpose to the D major pentascale
  • Half step and whole step

Lesson 15 Rhythm Dictation: Frog in the Middle

What You’ll Learn

  • How to dictate the rhythm of ‘Frog in the Middle’
  • Review quarter notes, quarter rests and eighth notes

Lesson 16 Finger Numbers

What You’ll Learn

  • Finger number system for pianists
  • Finger number mystery challenge

Lesson 17 Listen for Bells

What You’ll Learn

  • Learn how to play the song ‘Listen for Bells’ in the D major pentascale

Lesson 18 Half Notes

What You’ll Learn

  • New rhythm: Half Note - what it means and how it works
  • Dictate the rhythm of the song "Chocolate."
  • Review all rhythms learned so far: Quarter Note, Quarter Rest, Eighth Notes

Lesson 19 Improvisation with Listen for Bells

What You’ll Learn

  • How to improvise your own music using the D major pentascale with a musical accompaniment played by Mr. Hoffman

Lesson 20 Frog in the Middle: Adding Chords

What You’ll Learn

  • Definition of a chord and how to play 2-note chords properly
  • Play ‘Frog in the Middle’ with your right hand while the left hand plays 2-note chords