Are you a WunderKeys® teacher looking to add just the right books to your students’ curriculum?

In this article, I’ll explore one method book combination that has been highly successful for me: combining WunderKeys® with Piano Skill Set®.

Written as a resource for new piano teachers, or piano teachers looking to try out this method combo with a new student, I’ll cover:

• A list of books and materials needed to successfully teach a beginning piano student using these methods
• A short intro to WunderKeys and Piano Skill Set
• Additional resources available to you

Materials List for Teaching with Piano Adventures and Piano Skill Set

This list assumes a couple of things (that we’ll discuss more later on). We’re assuming you’re teaching a brand new beginner, age 6-10, and using WunderKeys Primer Book One in combination with the Piano Skill Set Pre-reading Level books. So if that fits your situation…

Here is Your List of Materials to Order:

• Books!
  • WunderKeys Primer Book One
  • Piano Skill Set Pre-reading Writing Book
  • Piano Skill Set Pre-reading Technique Book
  • Piano Skill Set My First Practice Record Book
• Digital Piano, Keyboard, or Acoustic Piano (duh!)
• Metronome or metronome app
• Printer or access to a printer to get started (you’ll want one eventually)
• Sticky Notes to mark pages (2″x2″ work best)
• Set of dice (you can get by with just one)
• Stickers to mark completed pages
• Coins

And a couple of additional optional items:

• First Lesson Interview Sheet – a great way to get to know your student at the first lesson, especially if you’re doing a trial lesson
• Colored pens or a set of markers to mark pages

Piano Lesson Plans Done For You

For a done-for-you outline of how your first six weeks of teaching a new piano student should look like (we’re talking minute-to-minute, task lists, suggested materials…), I have a pack for sale that will give you everything you need to feel confident going into that first lesson with your new student!

Why Use WunderKeys?

WunderKeys is a rising star in the world of piano method books. Relatively new on the market and exclusively available on Amazon, WunderKeys offers a truly unique experience for beginners with cute characters and engaging activities to teach.

In my experience (20+ years of teaching piano), I have found the WunderKeys approach to be very appealing to beginning piano students under age 10. Students absolutely love the four characters in the Primer books and can’t wait to read the stories.

For a brand new piano teacher worried about making piano lessons super fun for new beginners age 6-10, I would recommend trying out the WunderKeys Primer books.

In fact, my one complaint is the lack of writing assignments (or correlating theory book) and the lack of technique-focused work and review. But by adding Piano Skill Set books, we completely solve this issue!

You can read more about the WunderKeys series in my full review here: WunderKeys Review [article/video]

Why Add Piano Skill Set Method Books?

I love the colorful pages and games in the WunderKeys Primer books. And Piano Skill Set books deliver in both of these categories with the addition of a logical progression of skills that sets beginners up for mastery of the piano!

Piano Skill Set is a supplemental series of books designed to compliment any method book. They cover everything a student needs (hence the “skill” in the title), they review a lot, they have games, they are fun and colorful and inviting.

Piano Skill Set books come in three categories:

• Writing Books (theory workbooks + games + review)
• Technique Books (perfectly correlate with Writing books and include games and mastery pages as well)
• Songbooks (fun complimentary short songs that help the student prove their mastery of each skill)

Piano Skill Set is available (or will be available) in these levels:

• Pre-reading (the beginner level we’ll be using with Piano Adventures Primer Lesson book)
• Primer (matches up with the end of the Piano Adventures Primer level books)
• Level 1A
• Level 1B
• Level 2A
• Level 2B
• Level 3A
• Level 3B

To preview and learn more about Piano Skill Set books, check out PianoSkillSet.com.

Choosing the Right Piano Method Books

Not totally sold on using WunderKeys with your piano students?

I get it. Choosing a piano method book series is a big decision!

First of all, know that you can always start with Piano Adventures and Piano Skill Set, and experiment with other series later on. This combination is a solid starting point!

But if you would like to do more research of your own, here are some helpful resources for you:

• Choosing the Right Method / My Top 3 Picks [article/videos] – This looong post will walk you through my categories for comparing different piano methods, and highlight my favorite three series for beginners. Lots of info on this page! Plus links to two YouTube videos to explore.
• Faber Piano Adventures Review [article/video] – My full review of the books linked above. Walk through an overview of all levels of this series to see if you like it.
• The Ultimate Piano Method Comparison Chart [free download] – If you want to explore more series, check out this two-page chart of 20 different methods. It’s a great list to keep handy for further research.
• Other Piano Method Reviews – I’ve done many method reviews both on this blog and on my YouTube channel. Here’s a list…
  • If you like to READ:
    • Faber Piano Adventures Review Article
    • My First Piano Adventure Review Article
    • Adult Piano Adventures Review Article
    • Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Review Article
    • WunderKeys Review Article
    • WunderKeys Preschool Review Article
    • WunderKeys Supplemental Books Review Article
    • Piano Made Fun for the Young Review Article
    • Piano Safari Review Article
    • Piano Safari for Older Students Review Article
    • Piano Pronto Review Article
  • If you like to WATCH:
    • Faber Piano Adventures Review on YouTube
    • My First Piano Adventure Review on YouTube
    • Accelerated Piano Adventures Review on YouTube
    • Adult Piano Adventures Review on YouTube
    • Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Review on YouTube
    • WunderKeys Review on YouTube
    • WunderKeys Preschool Review on YouTube
    • WunderKeys Supplemental Books Review on YouTube
    • Piano Made Fun for the Young Review on YouTube
    • Piano Safari Review on YouTube
    • Piano Safari for Older Students Review on YouTube
    • Piano Pronto Review on YouTube

What About My Piano Studio Setup?

While our list does include a piano and a printer, we aren’t requiring too much for your studio setup to get started. Of course, eventually you’ll want to create a more ideal studio space. But I recommend starting with what you have and building as you teach. You’ll learn what’s important for a successful and inviting studio space, and what isn’t so vital.

For more information about setting up your studio on a budget, check out this article: How Much Does it Cost to Start a Piano Studio?

And What About the Business Side of Things?

Great question. There are so many things tied to the behind-the-scenes of running a successful piano teaching studio.

I recommend starting with my 30-day Email Challenge “Start Your Studio” which will walk you through twelve actionable steps to set up your business on the back end.

Once you’ve completed those tasks, if you still want guidance, read on. I’ve got a couple of resources that can really makes things run smoothly in these first few months!

New Piano Teacher Survival Kit

And for the ultimate in guidance for new piano teachers, I recommend investing in my Complete Piano Teacher Kit. This comprehensive tool kit includes the Lesson Plans mentioned above, along with all the printables and templates you’ll need. This kit will answer all of your questions before you even know you have them!

WunderKeys® is a registered trademark of Teach Music Today Learning Solutions. This resource is an independent educational supplement created by The Tattooed Piano Teacher and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by WunderKeys®.