If you’re a piano teacher seeking quality Christmas sheet music for beginners, you’ve landed in the right place!
Our piano students’ time is precious, especially at this busy time of year. I find these days it’s best to hone in on one magical song rather than trying to complete a whole book of songs during the holiday season.
These 17 titles should offer something in every style, every level, for every one of your students!
I also have three titles for your beginners for free, as well as discounted bundles.
Let’s start with those very beginning students who haven’t even learned how to read a single note on the staff yet!
Pre-Reading Level Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Your little beginners deserve a fun holiday song, too!
Here are some very beginning sheet music selections using colorful off-staff notation so your beginners can even figure out a festive song at the first or second lesson!
These titles work great for a student who just started, or a young beginner (age 3-5).
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Sheet Music for Beginners (Pre-Reading Level) – FREE!
Built on a pentatonic scale, this holiday classic makes a perfect first Christmas song for young beginners! Even if your piano student has only had a couple of lessons, they’ll be able to read this visual representation of the black keys needed to play this familiar favorite. A teacher duet is included.
Level: (Very) Early Elementary (Level A) Beginner Piano
Notation: Pre-Reading (Off-Staff) on the black keys
Key Signature: G-flat major for teacher duet (Written with finger numbers for student)
Length: 1 page (with separate teacher duet page)
Performance Time: <1 minute
Download Jolly Old St. Nicholas Free Pre-reading Sheet Music Here!
Holiday Bells Sheet Music for Beginners (Pre-Reading Level) + Activity Page
Original composition by Phoenix Vera.
For younger children, the holiday season is nothing less than magical. And those first few weeks of piano lessons are no different for a young beginner! If you need a festive holiday tune to learn for a Christmas recital or in lessons, but your student is not yet reading notes on the staff, this is the piece!
An ethereal, easy-to-read pre-reading off-staff song all on the black keys. Even students who have only had a lesson or two could learn this piece. Beautiful teacher duet to round out the sound and add the damper pedal.
Level: (Very) Early Elementary (Level A) Beginner Piano
Notation: Pre-Reading (Off-Staff) on the black keys
Key Signature: G-flat major for the teacher duet (Written with finger numbers for student)
Length: 2 pages (with separate teacher duet page, and separate activity page)
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy Holiday Bells Pre-reading Sheet Music + Activity Here!
Or if you’d like to listen first…
Early Elementary (Primer Level to Level 1A) Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Now we’re getting to notes on the staff. But these simple tunes are perfect for students who are still in their first few months to years of lessons. They are listed in order from easiest to most difficult at the Elementary level.
Whether you have an older beginner who is ready to read notes on the staff right away, or a younger student who is just getting acclimated to Middle C Position or the C Pentascale, you’ll find these first couple of titles easy wins this holiday season!
And skip to the end of this section for some more challenging pieces for your students entering Level 1 (Level 1A in some method books). These pieces do stick mainly to 5-finger positions such as the C Pentascale, but ask students to reach or move more often (with moves clearly marked, of course).
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Early Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners – FREE!
Yes, it’s Jolly Old St. Nicholas again! But this time, on the staff (but still super simple in Middle C Position).
This simple classic tune makes a great First Christmas Recital piece! Set in the Middle C Position, this familiar tune is easy for early readers to read on the staff, using only 5 notes!
Teacher duet included.
Level: Early Elementary (Primer Level) Beginner Piano
Notation: On the Staff – Middle C Position
Key Signature: C major (no sharps/flats)
Length: 1 page
Performance Time: <1 minute
Download Jolly Old Saint Nick Beginner Sheet Music for Free Here!
All the Lights Early Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners – FREE PDF!
I’ve created a little Early Elementary Christmas song + worksheet for your Primer Level students. It’s a one-pager in Middle C Position with lots of finger number hints so your little beginners can play a great sounding holiday season tune even if they’ve just started lessons!
Along with this one-page song, you’ll find a worksheet to review the notes of the Middle C Position, bass and treble clef.
Level: Early Elementary (Primer Level) Beginner Piano
Notation: On the Staff – Middle C Position
Key Signature: C major (no sharps/flats)
Length: 1 page (plus a note naming theory worksheet)
Performance Time: <1 minute
Download All the Lights Beginner Sheet Music for Free Here!
Deck the Halls Early Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
For students who have mastered the C Pentascale (5-finger scale), this piece is a fantastic way to branch out a little bit. For the most part, this arrangement sticks to the C Position.
But the right hand will be challenged to crossover to B (below Middle C) and reach up to A. Both are clearly marked with note names and finger numbers. These hints combined with a student’s familiarity with the melody will make this arrangement a holiday recital success!
Level: Early Elementary (Late Primer Level or early Level 1A) Beginner Piano
Notation: On the Staff – C Position – crossovers/moves marked
Key Signature: C major (no sharps/flats) – F#s marked
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minute
Buy Deck the Halls Late Primer Level Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Or listen first…
Carol of the Bells Early Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Students who are rocking the Middle C Position notes and exhibit finger independence, may be ready for this challenge! This traditional Ukrainian carol is my most requested holiday recital song and my students fight over it every year.
While the repeating pattern in this piece is a challenge, adept Primer Level students will love bringing this Christmas favorite to life!
A teacher duet is included.
Level: Early Elementary (Late Primer Level to Level 1A) Beginner Piano
Notation: On the staff – Middle C Position & Neighbor Notes Position (moves marked)
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minute
Buy Carol of the Bells Late Primer Sheet Music Here!
Or listen to this lovely duet first…
Snowflakes Out My Window Early Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Original composition by Phoenix.
This late Primer Level (to Level 1A) piano solo captures the magic and beauty of wintertime–just as you notice a flurry of fresh snowflakes falling outside.
Set in the C Pentascale, this magical tone poem uses the damper pedal and different combinations of notes (staying within the C 5-finger scale!) to create a beautiful representation of the winter season.
One portion can be taught by rote as left hand plays C/D and right hand plays F/G with fingers 2-3. But I’ve included boxes for students to name the notes and spot the pattern themselves if they are able.
I hope you’ll enjoy this pretty, new age solo with your students this winter.
Level: Early Elementary (Late Primer Level to Level 1A) Beginner Piano
Notation: On the staff – C Pentascale (one section taught by rote or fill in the note names)
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minute
Buy Snowflakes Out My Window Early Elementary Sheet Music Here!
Or hear this piece here…
Elementary (Level 1B-2A) Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Let’s level up from Early Elementary solos to Elementary solos. The next two titles could fall into the common method book category of “Level 1” (late) or “Level 2.” (or Level 1B into 2A in some series).
These solos are for students who are comfortable reading notes on the staff in C Position (C Pentascale) with the occasional accidental or reach when clearly marked. They are discovering G Pentascale and basic triads.
They may not yet be fluent in all reaches, chord shapes, or positions yet, but they are well past the Middle C Position stage.
If this describes your student, check out the following sheet music titles.
Deck the Halls Elementary Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Arrangement by Phoenix Vera.
Try out this exciting arrangement of a classic holiday favorite. This version of Deck the Halls includes a bell-like intro and ending, pleasing harmonies, and a modal chord added for variety and interest.
This beautiful arrangement is easier than it sounds! Students need not read in the key signature of G major because all sharps are marked, along with tons of helpful finger numbers, pedal marks, and lyrics for two verses.
Level: Elementary (Level 1B-2A)
Position: G Pentascale with a slight move for the right hand (clearly marked)
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy Deck the Halls Elementary Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or listen to this arrangement…
Christmas Morning Elementary Piano Sheet Music for Beginners
You know that teary-eyed heart-warming feeling you get when you watch a beloved holiday film with the family? This song captures that feeling!
The sound of this solo is: a serious dose of Christmas magic + childhood memories + the Grinch’s heart growing three sizes.
No lyrics are needed in this elementary (method book Level 2A or easier pick for a Level 2B student) solo. The sounds and smells of Christmas are immediately felt in the first measure. Perfect for a holiday recital.
Students will be challenged to move from position to position, but accidentals, moves and finger numbers are clearly marked to help them master this piece. Students should be comfortable with reading sixths and know the notes of the staff before tackling this piece. There are a few three-note triads for the right hand at the end.
Level: Elementary (Level 2A)
Position: Starts in C Pentascale, but moves (modulates) several times. Flats and sharps marked, moves marked. Student will need to move and reach 6ths frequently.
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy Christmas Morning Elementary Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear the magical Christmas Morning sound here…
Late Elementary (Level 2B-3A) Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
Moving into the Late Elementary category, we’re now looking at typical method book Levels 2B into Level 3A.
These students have now mastered C, G, F, and possibly more 5-finger positions. They are able to move or reach when asked. Sixths and sevenths are fairly natural at this point.
They are working on mastering their basic triad patterns (I, IV, V7). They can start to read in easier key signatures. And accidentals no longer throw them off!
At this point, we can start to introduce fuller left hand accompaniments, waltz patterns and other more complicated rhythms, and generally more ambitious arrangements!
How Do You Get to the North Pole? Elementary Piano Solo
Original composition by Phoenix.
You and your students will love this playful Christmas waltz! Within the lyrics of this Level 2A-2B piano solo, the writer whimsically imagines how they might reach the North Pole? By train? By plane? By sleigh? By hiking there??
Even without the lyrics, this waltz captures the joyful holiday season in a delightful and childlike way. But don’t be fooled. It’s challenging as well!
For your students who are familiarizing themselves with the I, IV, and V7 shapes, this piece will be a great review/challenge for their left hand. Not to mention some half steps in the right hand, and diverse articulations.
As a piano teacher myself, I’ve clearly marked each “surprise” with finger numbers and moves are clearly marked as well.
Level: Late Elementary (Level 2A-2B) Easy Piano Solo
Key Signature: C Major
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy How Do You Get to the North Pole? Late Elementary Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear a demo here…
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – The Nutcracker Suite Late Elementary Piano Sheet Music
Arrangement by Phoenix.
This is a highly requested piece in my studio near Christmas. However, I’ve found that many arrangements are out of reach for my Level 2 students. And the really easy arrangements lack the magic and movement of the original Tchaikovsky orchestration.
So I created this mid-level elementary piano solo arrangement of this well-known classical theme. Keeping the piece in the key of A minor means all sharps and flats are marked in the music. Lots of helpful finger numbers are included as well.
Level: Elementary to Late Elementary (Level 2A-2B)
Key Signature: A Minor (no sharps/flats)
Length: 3 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Late Elementary Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or listen first…
First Snowfall Late Elementary Piano Sheet Music for Winter
Original composition by Phoenix.
If you have a student who loves slow, flowy, new age pieces…
If you love minor seventh chords and minor iv chords…
This is the piece for you! Ethereal, rubato highly encouraged–a musical embodiment of the first magical snowflakes that fall at the start of winter.
This contemporary piano solo captures the way a light snowfall completely transforms the environment.
For a late Level 2 (Elementary) to early Level 3 (Late Elementary) student who is able to comfortably reach a 7th and is used to pedal lifts, this will be an enjoyable and magical performance for fun or for a winter recital.
Level: Elementary to Late Elementary (Level 2B-3A) Easy Piano Solo
Key Signature: C Major
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy First Snowfall Late Elementary Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear the piece here…
Early Intermediate Christmas Sheet Music
And finally, for your not-so-beginners, here are a few titles that will challenge and inspire those Early Intermediate Level piano students. These pieces fall under the category of method book Level 3B to Level 4.
How do you know if you fall into this category? You can consider yourself (or your student) an Early Intermediate player if you are able to read music outside of 5-finger positions without too many hints, you can read in key signatures up to 2 flats or sharps, you’re comfortable with swing eighth notes, have played sixteenth notes here and there, and are able to figure out runs and hands-together coordinating patterns.
Look over the next few titles to find jazz and contemporary original compositions and arrangements.
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Jazz Piano Sheet Music for Early Intermediate Students
This arrangement for jazz-familiar Late Elementary (Level 3A) or Early Intermediate (Level 3B-4) solo piano is a swingin’ take on a Holiday favorite.
It is short and sweet and entertaining to play and listen to!
Lyrics are included.
Level: Early Intermediate (Level 3B)
Style: Jazz (fast swing)
Key Signature: C Major
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1 minute
Buy Jolly Old St. Nicholas Early Intermediate Jazz Piano Sheet Music Here!
Want to hear it first?
The Twelve Days of Christmas Early Intermediate Jazz Piano Sheet Music
Often my students get excited about playing this familiar Christmas carol, but lose interest when they hear how repetitive this endless song can be!
That’s why I created this quirky, half-jazzy, half-(tongue-in-cheek)-classical version of the holiday classic, The Twelve Days of Christmas. This arrangement switches back and forth between classical idioms (straight eighth notes) and jazz-influenced interpretations of the melody (swing eighth notes).
Each “day” has its own character. We almost make it through all 12 days, but in order to keep the audience’s interest, when we get to the 8th day we fast-track it right to the 12th day for a fun and frantic race to the end of the song.
The piece would make a very engaging recital piece keeping audiences on their toes and allowing the performer to showcase different techniques and styles. An early intermediate (Level 3B-4) student could tackle this challenge, or an intermediate (Level 4-5) player would find it a casual holiday endeavor.
All lyrics are written into the music so the player can follow along with the poem as they are playing.
Level: Early Intermediate to Intermediate (Level 4)
Genre: Jazz + Classical mash-up
Key Signature: F Major (1 flat)
Length: 3 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy The Twelve Days of Christmas Jazz Early Intermediate Sheet Music Here!
Or hear this unique arrangement here…
Winter Magic New Age Early Intermediate Piano Solo
A new age piano solo that captures the magic…
- the magic of a winter sunrise 🌅
- the magic of a crunchy bootprint 🎿
- the magic of big, fluffy snowflakes falling ❄️
- the magic of that unique *silence* that you can somehow “hear” after a snowfall 👂
As much as I complain about living in the Midwest in the winter 🥶 it is TRULY ✨ MAGICAL! ✨
Here’s a piece for your early intermediate students (let’s call it Level 4 if we’re talking Piano Adventures) called Winter Magic.
In this B-flat major piece, we create an environment with sound! Think of it as a sort of tone poem that allows the listener to be whisked away to a magical post-snowfall crisp winter morning.
This piece is great for a student who…
- Needs a “wow” piece (it sounds more mature w/o being to difficult)
- Is new to reading in multi-flat key signatures
- Tends to over-pedal (this piece is very forgiving; you could almost just keep the pedal down the whole time)
- Is exploring rubato (lots of freedom to push and pull the tempo)
Level: Early Intermediate (Level 3B-4)
Key Signature: B-flat Major (2 flats)
Genre: New Age
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: ~2 minutes
Buy Winter Magic Early Intermediate Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear a demo of this piece…
The Snowman Cakewalk Winter Jazz Early Intermediate Piano Sheet Music
Original composition by Phoenix.
Looking for something different for a winter recital?
Working on stride left hand patterns or swing eighths?
Or just have a student who loves jazz?
Try The Snowman Cakewalk! This piece is light-hearted and captures the imagination of the holiday season in a unique way. You just can’t help but smile (and tap your foot) when you hear this piece.
Set in the key of G major (1 sharp), students will be challenged to master stride left hand jumps and broad right hand arpeggio reaches. Students should feel comfortable reaching an octave on the keys before tackling this piece. A student in the later elementary stage (Level 3A-3B) may be able to handle the patterns, or a student entering the early intermediate stage (Level 4) would find this just the right level of challenge.
Level: Early Intermediate (Level 3B-4)
Genre: Jazz (swing)
Key Signature: G Major (1 sharp)
Length: 2 pages
Performance Time: 1-2 minutes
Buy The Snowman Cakewalk Jazz Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear this fun tune here…
Away in a Manger Early Intermediate Piano Sheet Music
And, finally, a beautifully emotive arrangement of a Christmas classic:
This is an intermediate solo piano arrangement of the classic Christmas hymn Away in a Manger. It includes the lyrics for all three verses. Listeners will be captured by the beautiful, calm simplicity of the first verse, hear the cattle lowing and feel the bustle of the stable in verse two, and be invited to share in the childlike prayer in the last verse. A captivating and compelling original introduction melody returns between verses and at the end for a complete “story.”
As a professional pianist and piano instructor, I have been arranging solo piano pieces for decades. This arrangement will be a delight for both young people and adults who crave a professional-sounding, gorgeous rendition of this hymn without having to work up difficult runs or complicated jumps! I’ve created this arrangement to help intermediate piano players proudly share their talent with friends and loved ones this holiday season. I hope you enjoy!
Level: Early Intermediate (Level 4)
Genre: Contemporary
Key Signature: D Major
Length: 4 pages
Performance Time: 3-4 minutes
Buy Away in a Manger Intermediate Piano Sheet Music Here!
Or hear this arrangement performed here…
Christmas Sheet Music Bundles
If you are a piano teacher looking to build up your sheet music library, consider purchasing a bundle! With either bundle, you’ll save 40-50% off of the individual sheet music title prices.
There are two bundles: one for the easiest levels, and one for the more advanced levels. Or buy both to own the whole collection listed in this blog post!
Easy Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners Bundle #1
Choose this bundle if you are interested in owning the first eight titles I mentioned above.
This bundle covers Pre-Reading, Primer, Level 1, and Level 2A sheet music originals and arrangements.
Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners to Intermediate Students Bundle #2
Choose this bundle if you are interested in owning the last nine titles I mentioned above.
This bundle covers Level 2B through Level 4: Late Elementary to Early Intermediate titles, both original compositions and arrangements of familiar Christmas tunes.
Listen to Christmas Sheet Music for Beginners
And if you’d just like to listen to all of these titles and more holiday classics, check out this playlist:
What Title is Missing?
If you’re a piano teacher, I would love to hear the most popular request from your students around Christmas-time! Let me know down in the comments.
