Piano Resources – Level Prep
A comprehensive resource to building foundational piano skills, this resource helps students develop technique, note recognition, sight-reading, and musical understanding at a steady pace.
Resources
IMPORTANT NOTE TO TEACHERS: This is possibly the most difficult assessment to pass. It can easily take 2 years to cover the material on this page. Older, more musically experienced students could pass the preparatory level in less time. Please take your time and reward every victory along the way. Thank you!!
The materials on this page will help your student to be able to:
- Play piano with good posture and technique
- Identify and play all notes on the keyboard
- Identify most notes on the grand staff
- Sight read easy melodies on the grand staff
- Identify understand a wide variety of musical signs and symbols
- Play in some common 5-Finger positions
- Improvise in various keys
- Choose and play repertoire that reinforces your learning
End Goal: To pass the preparatory level of piano proficiency. Review and download the Requirements Here.
Students should have the following available:
- Piano or electric keyboard with full size keys
- Flash cards and a note learning app (if allowed by parents)
- Julie McIntosh Johnson’s Basics of Keyboard Theory – Level Prep
Feel free to follow this syllabus if you find it helpful. The timing on this is for an credited class, so the pace might be too fast for a once-a-week lesson, unless the student practices a lot!
Prep A Ch 1: Getting to Know the Instrument
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 1
Audio Track: Improvise on CDE
Audio Track: Improvise on FGAB
Prep A Ch 2: Getting to Know the Treble Staff
Elements of the Staff Labeled
Quiz: Staff Elements
Sheet Music: Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Reading on CDEFG
Worksheet: Note Identification
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDEFG
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 2
Prep A Ch 3: Reading on the Bass Clef Staff
Additional Reinforcing Activities
Audio Track: Improvise on ABC
Sheet Music: Reading on ABC (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Reading on FGABC (Bass Clef)
Audio Track: Improvise on GABCD
Sheet Music: Reading on GABCD (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Open Reading on FGABCD (Bass Clef)
Prep A/B Ch 4: Combining Staves
Sheet Music: Alternating Treble and Bass Clef Staves
Sheet Music: Grand Staff in Middle C Position, C 5-Finger Postion and High C Position
Sheet Music: Note Durations (with beats written in)
Sheet Music: Note Durations (no beats written in)
Prep B Ch 5: Hands Together on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C and G 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Reading on Grand Staff in C and G 5-Finger Positions
Worksheet: Note Identification on Grand Staff
Work Sheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 1
Worksheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 2
Prep B Ch 6: Scales, Chords and Fluency on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C, G and F 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Open Reading on Grand Staff
Prep B Ch 7 Preparing for Your First Assessment
NOTE TO TEACHERS: Students will have 30 seconds to mentally read through the rhythmic examples before they perform the example:
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Rhythmic Reading Text Examples
NOTE TO TEACHERS: Students will have 45 seconds to mentally read through the melodic examples before they perform the example. Finger positions will not change at this level, so please ask your students to prepare each by observing the following:
- Key and 5 finger position fingers will remain in for the the entire example.
- The starting hand(s) and finger(s) and when
- Melodic shape: stepping up/down, repeating, tricky parts, etc.
The student may quietly tap fingers to think through the example, but they may not play on keys until they begin. Once they start, they must continue forward and may not go back to make corrections. The student chooses the tempo, and we recommend a slow, steady pace. The student does not get extra credit for a faster pace.
*Note: The first page is the open reading in middle C position. The student will perform 8-12 bars, hands separate without stopping to demonstrate the fluency in passing from staff to staff (hand to hand). The 2nd page contains 4-measure melodic examples in various keys, so students should focus on identifying the key/starting hand position first.
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Melodic Reading Text Examples
Extra Credit
Sheet Music: Introductory 5-Finger Major and Minor Scales
Sheet Music: Harmonizing with Chord Symbols
Resources
IMPORTANT NOTE TO TEACHERS: This is possibly the most difficult assessment to pass. It can easily take 2 years to cover the material on this page. Older, more musically experienced students could pass the preparatory level in less time. Please take your time and reward every victory along the way. Thank you!!
The materials on this page will help your student to be able to:
- Play piano with good posture and technique
- Identify and play all notes on the keyboard
- Identify most notes on the grand staff
- Sight read easy melodies on the grand staff
- Identify understand a wide variety of musical signs and symbols
- Play in some common 5-Finger positions
- Improvise in various keys
- Choose and play repertoire that reinforces your learning
End Goal: To pass the preparatory level of piano proficiency. Review and download the Requirements Here.
Students should have the following available:
- Piano or electric keyboard with full size keys
- Flash cards and a note learning app (if allowed by parents)
- Julie McIntosh Johnson’s Basics of Keyboard Theory – Level Prep
Feel free to follow this syllabus if you find it helpful. The timing on this is for an credited class, so the pace might be too fast for a once-a-week lesson, unless the student practices a lot!
Prep A Ch 1: Getting to Know the Instrument
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 1
Audio Track: Improvise on CDE
Audio Track: Improvise on FGAB
Prep A Ch 2: Getting to Know the Treble Staff
Elements of the Staff Labeled
Quiz: Staff Elements
Sheet Music: Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Reading on CDEFG
Worksheet: Note Identification
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDEFG
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 2
Prep A Ch 3: Reading on the Bass Clef Staff
Additional Reinforcing Activities
Audio Track: Improvise on ABC
Sheet Music: Reading on ABC (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Reading on FGABC (Bass Clef)
Audio Track: Improvise on GABCD
Sheet Music: Reading on GABCD (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Open Reading on FGABCD (Bass Clef)
Prep A/B Ch 4: Combining Staves
Sheet Music: Alternating Treble and Bass Clef Staves
Sheet Music: Grand Staff in Middle C Position, C 5-Finger Postion and High C Position
Sheet Music: Note Durations (with beats written in)
Sheet Music: Note Durations (no beats written in)
Prep B Ch 5: Hands Together on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C and G 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Reading on Grand Staff in C and G 5-Finger Positions
Worksheet: Note Identification on Grand Staff
Work Sheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 1
Worksheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 2
Prep B Ch 6: Scales, Chords and Fluency on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C, G and F 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Open Reading on Grand Staff
Prep B Ch 7 Preparing for Your First Assessment
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Rhythmic Reading Text Examples
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Melodic Reading Text Examples
Extra Credit
Sheet Music: Introductory 5-Finger Major and Minor Scales
Sheet Music: Harmonizing with Chord Symbols
Resources
IMPORTANT NOTE TO TEACHERS: This is possibly the most difficult assessment to pass. It can easily take 2 years to cover the material on this page. Older, more musically experienced students could pass the preparatory level in less time. Please take your time and reward every victory along the way. Thank you!!
The materials on this page will help your student to be able to:
- Play piano with good posture and technique
- Identify and play all notes on the keyboard
- Identify most notes on the grand staff
- Sight read easy melodies on the grand staff
- Identify understand a wide variety of musical signs and symbols
- Play in some common 5-Finger positions
- Improvise in various keys
- Choose and play repertoire that reinforces your learning
End Goal: To pass the preparatory level of piano proficiency. Review and download the Requirements Here.
Students should have the following available:
- Piano or electric keyboard with full size keys
- Flash cards and a note learning app (if allowed by parents)
- Julie McIntosh Johnson’s Basics of Keyboard Theory – Level Prep
Feel free to follow this syllabus if you find it helpful. The timing on this is for an credited class, so the pace might be too fast for a once-a-week lesson, unless the student practices a lot!
Prep A Ch 1: Getting to Know the Instrument
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 1
Audio Track: Improvise on CDE
Audio Track: Improvise on FGAB
Prep A Ch 2: Getting to Know the Treble Staff
Elements of the Staff Labeled
Quiz: Staff Elements
Sheet Music: Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDE
Sheet Music: Reading on CDEFG
Worksheet: Note Identification
Sheet Music: Open Reading on CDEFG
Sheet Music: Intro to Rhythmic Reading 2
Prep A Ch 3: Reading on the Bass Clef Staff
Additional Reinforcing Activities
Audio Track: Improvise on ABC
Sheet Music: Reading on ABC (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Reading on FGABC (Bass Clef)
Audio Track: Improvise on GABCD
Sheet Music: Reading on GABCD (Bass Clef)
Sheet Music: Open Reading on FGABCD (Bass Clef)
Prep A/B Ch 4: Combining Staves
Sheet Music: Alternating Treble and Bass Clef Staves
Sheet Music: Grand Staff in Middle C Position, C 5-Finger Postion and High C Position
Sheet Music: Note Durations (with beats written in)
Sheet Music: Note Durations (no beats written in)
Prep B Ch 5: Hands Together on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C and G 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Reading on Grand Staff in C and G 5-Finger Positions
Worksheet: Note Identification on Grand Staff
Work Sheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 1
Worksheet: Write in Beats and Read Rhythms 2
Prep B Ch 6: Scales, Chords and Fluency on the Grand Staff
Sheet Music: C, G and F 5-Finger Scales
Sheet Music: Open Reading on Grand Staff
Prep B Ch 7 Preparing for Your First Assessment
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Rhythmic Reading Text Examples
Sheet Music: Piano Prep Melodic Reading Text Examples
Extra Credit
Sheet Music: Introductory 5-Finger Major and Minor Scales
Sheet Music: Harmonizing with Chord Symbols
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