Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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There are several reasons why I rarely review children’s method books. An important one is that I have found my views about a new method resource can change considerably after spending a year or two using it.
Time and again, though, I have found myself returning to Pauline Hall’s Piano Time, a series which has remained popular with my students and delivered positive results for nearly three decades. Children using this series with me have enjoyed learning and practising, developed confident reading skills, healthy playing technique, nascent creativity, and imaginative engagement.
There are shortcomings with any method book, of course, and it’s important for all teachers to recognise the weaknesses in their chosen series. Only then can we deliver effective teaching and identify necessary supplementary materials. For more advice, read my article The Problem with Method Books, which explores the issue in depth.
In the meantime, Oxford University Press have just published fully updated Third Editions of the three core books in the Piano Time series, along with an unexpectedly useful book of accompaniments. With brand new illustrations throughout, a host of fresh new pieces, freely downloadable audio, and gentle tweaks to further facilitate smooth progression, this is a very significant update, so there’s never been a better time to rediscover Piano Time.
Having used the series for so long, I feel appropriately qualified to unpack the revision for existing users, and encourage potential newcomers to have a look at this landmark best-seller afresh.
The Piano Time legacy
Piano Time is, like all method books, flawed. Particular drawbacks that I have long been alert to include its limited emphasis on improvisation, paucity of pulse and rhythm activities, and the occasional ‘roadblock’ piece that proves too challenging for most learners. Additionally, quite a few notation concepts are (or to be accurate, were) introduced before needed in a musical context.
In the new Third Edition, many of these kinks have been ironed out, as we shall see. But before that, you may now be wondering why I have found myself repeatedly drawn back to using Piano Time.
Here, then, are some of my positive likes:
- The method is musically rewarding, offering a variety of pieces which I have found appeal to the 7-12 age-group.
- The method has good pacing, matched to the general learning speed of primary school children.
- The method supports the development of good technique and fingering patterns.
- The method encourages attention to musical detail, fostering musical engagement.
- The method introduces notation by blending a variety of approaches to suit different learners.
- The books consistently use both UK and (in brackets) US terminology, offering flexibility, effectively the best of both worlds.
- The supplementary books offer an outstanding range of music for those wanting (or needing) more.
- The presentation is great, with appealing colour illustrations that don’t crowd the page, plenty of space for writing and to help focus, and superbly engraved music.
Historically, most students with whom I used Piano Time 1 achieved ABRSM Grade 1 Distinction within a year or so of starting lessons, although we perhaps shouldn’t read too much into that, and I wouldn’t recommend graded exams as an entirely accurate or useful guide to progress anyway.
Two further aspects of the method seem to prove controversial for some.
Firstly, the method begins by introducing notation for a limited range of notes in the ‘Middle C position’. Classic methods including John Thompson’s and the Waterman/Harewood series, and newer ones such as Piano Adventures and the Get Set! Piano books, follow a similar approach.
Introducing notation for just this confined range facilitates the early development of pitch recognition, but has notable drawbacks in terms of technique, hand position, and freedom of movement. To counter this, I strongly advocate using the whole piano in activities away from the page, and trying pieces in different octaves.
A strength of Piano Time is that it moves beyond the Middle C position more quickly than some others, while also avoiding the mistake of including too many finger numbers. By the middle of the first book, G major, F major, and C minor positions have been introduced, and the LH has moved away from Middle C altogether. By the end of Book 1, three full octaves are in play.
Secondly, towards the end of Piano Time 1, the book includes Mnemonics (such as ‘All Cows Eat Grass’). These are not here to introduce new notes or concepts, but rather to consolidate memory of those already learnt using the various earlier strategies in the book, which include recalling landmark notes, reinforcing pitch recognition through position playing, and recognising intervals by ear and in the notation.
I happily skip the mnemonics page with those learners who don’t need them, but some do. And indeed, as a strategy for supporting neurodiverse students, such as those with ADHD, the use of mnemonics is widely recommended across the clinical and education profession.
Similarly, the British Dyslexia Association and Department of Education have jointly published advice recommending the use of mnemonics in learning and memory development.
Mnemonics have been much maligned in some piano teacher quarters, which is a bit odd. I don’t believe that teachers should ignore a research-backed memory strategy that offers valuable support and promotes inclusion, and as a teacher who regularly works with neurodiverse learners, I am pleased to see their continuing presence in the Third Edition of Piano Time 1.
The Third Edition
Happily accepting that the established pedagogy of Piano Time remains largely unchanged, how does the Third Edition improve on earlier versions?
Firstly, the fresh presentation adds contemporary appeal, and will more closely speak to the interests and experiences of today’s children.
Illustrator Rosie Brooks has skilfully channelled the mood of the previous books and kept core visual elements (the clock face, happy children gathered around the piano, pet cats and other animals) while revitalising the overall look. The books are absolutely joyful.
Secondly, some sections introducing new notation have helpfully been moved further back in the book, so that fresh knowledge and understanding can more effectively be learnt sound before symbol and then immediately applied and consolidated through playing. Examples of this in Piano Time 1 include the introduction of RH low B, LH high D, and key signatures.
It is the thoughtfulness of these minor changes, undoubtedly prompted by many years of using the material, that surely make the Third Edition the best yet in terms of pedagogy. And alongside the improvements mentioned, a few additional exercises and activities have been quietly added to consolidate learning. This is a method which, more than ever, encourages and fits with a musically joined-up, ‘simultaneous’ learning approach.
Thirdly, the few ‘roadblock’ pieces (including Chiapenecas, The Little Brook and She’ll be coming round the mountain) have thankfully disappeared. Other pieces have also been replaced, whether as part of the general refresh, or because they no longer chime with today’s more inclusive educational goals and social diversity. Some will be missed more than others.
In their place, the books include a wealth of new compositions rubbing shoulders with remaining favourites by Pauline Hall, Alan Bullard and David Blackwell. These are composed by Kristina Arakelyan (whose contributions particularly impress), Reena Esmail, and William Chapman Nyaho.
These new pieces perhaps fall under the caveat of “ask me two years from now”, but overall I like their range and character, and it is yet another strength of Piano Time that the books introduce such diverse and varied musical personalities and styles. Many methods don’t.
Fourthly, the new series is also accompanied by a full set of audio recordings, which are freely available to download from the OUP companion website and to enjoy on popular streaming services. These prove to be simple performances of each pupil piece.
It would have been good to find teacher duet parts included for home playalong and practise, or even backing tracks for selected songs, but for learners (and parents) wanting to check how a piece should sound, they will no doubt prove welcome, encouraging, and useful.
These four changes have clearly been well-considered by the publishers, each offering incremental improvement. Taken together they are more than the sum of their parts, very significantly elevating the Piano Time method. The series now offers better pacing and a wider, more vivid world of music, audio, colour, and imagination, than ever before.
The Accompaniment Book
When using Piano Time 1, I have always improvised duet parts in lessons, and the need for published accompaniments hadn’t occurred to me. Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for vamping though, and perhaps the Piano Time: Accompaniments book may be for you!
Across 24 black-and-white pages, the book offers 40 piano parts to accompany pieces from Piano Time 1. All are for one piano, four hands, and it’s worth noting that some may struggle with the logistics of displaying both music books side by side.
Among the accompaniments most are new, but we find a few which already appear in the main book, while the two final duets from Piano Time 1 are presented in full score, which is useful for teachers trying to follow their own and their student’s parts simultaneously.
The accompaniments are all well conceived and musically enjoyable, adding character to the musical content of Piano Time 1. Similar material to accompany the second and third books would be very welcome.
Piano Times 2 and 3
If I have largely focused on the first volume in the series thus far, it is because I have rarely ventured beyond it, and some explanation of that is required.
Piano Time 1 (and its superb supplement Piano Time Pieces 1) take the learner towards UK Grade 1 piano, by which point a number of competing repertoire books and resources beckon, often with more obvious allure.
However, for those who have enjoyed the pace of Piano Time 1 and remain committed to the method series, Piano Time 2 and 3 provide useful material for developing technique, notation reading, and musical understanding. These books can of course be used alongside the appealing repertoire found in my newly published Joy of Graded Piano books and other popular collections.
With superb new illustrations, audio recordings, and another injection of fresh music by Arakelyan, Esmail, and Nyaho, I must assume that Piano Time 2 and 3 have been updated with the same care, committed enthusiasm, and attention to detail as Piano Time 1. Certainly they make a far more favourable impression on me than their earlier incarnations.
Closing Thoughts
The Third Edition of Piano Time delivers a confident revision to a popular series, with improved pacing, progression, superb musical, visual and audio content, and all brought vividly to life with a colourful, clear presentation. With minimal fuss, the series offers a thorough but straightforward route to a solid foundation in literate piano playing.
Again, there is no perfect method series, but here, at the very least, is a near-perfect update to a good and understandably popular one. Previous editions of Piano Time have been a returning friend in my beginner teaching for three decades; these new versions seem set to be a mainstay in my teaching room for many years to come.
There will of course be many who, for good reasons, prefer other childrens’ methods. I absolutely respect that, and welcome the wide and wonderful range of choices available, a testament to the care and enthusiasm for piano pedagogy that exists around the world. Nor do I anticipate that I will be using Piano Time to the exclusion of the other methods that I like.
But as I wrote at the start, and must repeat in conclusion, there’s never been a better time to rediscover Piano Time.
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