Pauline Hall – Pianodao

Christmas for Ten Fingers

Selected and reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Over the last two years, OUP Music have done a stellar job of refreshing and updating their enduringly popular Piano Time method series (reviewed here) and Tunes for Ten Fingers (reviewed here) children’s primer books, with a fresh new look, audio files, updated pedagogy, and brand new music.

They haven’t forgotten their evergreen Piano Time Carols book, the long-standing studio essential also now benefiting from a contemporary redesign and downloadable audio, which I will consider below.

Best of all, they have published a brand new Christmas for Ten Fingers, which proves to be a superbly engaging easy collection for younger players, with duet parts, and rich with creative teaching potential.

In the review which follows, I will initially focus on the latter (which is written by Michael Higgins) and then check out the new-look Piano Time Carols.

Tunes for Ten Fingers

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Last summer I brought news and an in-depth review of OUP Music’s updated Third Editions of Pauline Hall’s classic Piano Time series. Having long used the series, I was impressed by the refreshed editions, with superb new illustrations by Rosie Brooks, online audio demo tracks, and welcome tweaks to the progression.

I also welcomed the fantastic new pieces by Kristina Arakelyan, Reena Esmail, and William Chapman Nyaho, joining established favourites by Hall, Alan Bullard and David Blackwell from previous editions.

OUP Music have now launched matching new versions of their primer series for young children: Tunes For Ten Fingers, More Tunes For Ten Fingers, and Fun For Ten Fingers.

I am pleased to see that the changes here broadly follow those of Piano Time, giving the books a more diverse, contemporary relevance and appeal. Once again, new Rosie Brooks illustrations are a delight, and the audio tracks can be streamed or downloaded. Pedagogy and progression are streamlined, with Janet Bullard and Jeanette Gallant on board as consultants.

In this review, written for the benefit of others using this series, I will outline the changes in more detail.

Rediscovering Piano Time

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

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.