Here are seven of my favorite Level 1 supplemental song books for your beginning piano students.
Do I Need a Level 1 Supplemental Songbook?
After teaching piano for 20 years, I have tried dozens of different books in hopes of motivating my students and reinforcing the music theory concepts they are working on.
If you’re a piano teacher, you know that the Lesson Book just isn’t enough! You need some extra “fun songs,” something to give more practice before moving forward, and recital choices along the way.
That’s why supplemental books are so critical. Even if a Lesson Book ends up being too difficult or too boring for a student, you can still win with just the right songbook on the side!
And, by the way, if you need help picking out a great main lesson book for your students, this article right here is a great place to start.
Comparing 7 Level 1 Supplemental Songbooks
In my last supplemental songbook roundup, I shared seven supplemental songbooks for your Primer beginner piano students, and this video is going to be all about the next level.
In this article, I’ll share…
- Highlights from each of the seven books
- Who I think it is great for
Be sure to read to the end where I’m sharing the supplemental songbook I authored myself!
What is a “Level 1” Piano Student?
Before we look at the first book, let’s talk about:
What do I mean by Level 1 piano students?
I know that every method book system is a little bit different, so when I say “Level 1,” I’m referring to students in:
- Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 (Red Book)
- Alfred Basic 1B or Alfred Premier Piano Course Level 1B
- Bastien Basic 1 or Bastien New Traditions Level 1
- WunderKeys Primer Book 3 going into WunderKeys Elementary 1A and Elementary 1B
If you’re interested in learning more about any of these piano method book series, I have a detailed review for each one! (except Bastien…coming soon!)
And if I didn’t mention the method books you use, I have a FREE PIANO METHOD COMPARISON CHART and, chances are, the method series you’re thinking of is probably on there! With this free chart, you can compare what “Level 1” means in various series.
Level 1 Supplemental Piano Books: Easiest to Hardest
I’m going to list these off from easiest to hardest (generally speaking), although these collections tend to contain a variety of difficulty levels. Most start with easier selections in the front of the book and get harder towards the end of the book. So, just keep that in mind when reading through the list.
The 7 Supplemental Books for Level 1 Piano Students are:
- Attention Grabbers Book 1 by Diane Hidy
- Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Level 1B Jazz, Rags, and Blues by Martha Mier
- WunderKeys Rainbow Salad Songbook
- Faber PlayTime Popular
- Faber PlayTime Disney
- Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 Gold Star Performance
- My Kind of Music by Kevin Olson
And you’re bonus suggestion…
- A Day at the Zoo, a part of the Piano Skill Set series by Phoenix Vera (me!)
1. Level 1 Supplemental Songbook: Attention Grabbers Book 1
We’re going to start with the the easiest Level 1 supplemental book: Attention Grabbers Book 1.
This is a collection of original Pieces by Diane Hidy published by Kjos.
For Piano Students Stuck in Middle C Position
I absolutely love this book for:
- Younger students who are ready for a challenge at the end of their Primer Level books or
- Students who are well into Level 1 and actually need something a bit easier to encourage them that’s fun to play.
So, if I have a student hitting a wall in the middle of Level 1, sometimes this will be the book I grab off the shelf for them.
These songs are wonderfully captivating for the students. They have cute titles and they sound really nice, so they’re great for festivals, competitions, and recitals.
What’s interesting about this collection is that, for the most part, they’re in Middle C Position (some neighbor-note position, one in D scale, one in F Scale). So, the position is familiar, but they get challenges for their hands within that “old” position.
In Middle C Position, student will be challenged with…
- Crossovers
- Reaches out of position
- Eighth Notes
- Black Keys
- Articulations
This is often perfect for students who are really comfortable in Middle C Position and have trouble moving out of it. This collection caters to that position apprehension, but it also introduces like some moves and crossovers, some black keys, some new positions, some eighth notes, lots of staccato and articulations.
So if you have a student who’s a little stuck in their position you want to try to ease them out of that then this can also be a really good book to work on.
Great Teacher Duets
I also love how the teacher duets are written in this book. I’ve not seen another book like this–they give you the student part right above the teacher part so it is really clear to see how the two things fit together. It’s like a teacher’s dream!
And the duets sound really nice for recitals as well.
So if you want a book that starts really easy like a Primer Level but just nudges them forward as they go through the book, then check out Attention Grabbers Book 1 by Diane Hidy.
2. Level 1 Supplemental Songbook: Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Level 1B Jazz, Rags & Blues
My second suggested supplemental songbook for Level 1 piano students is Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Level 1B Jazz, Rags and Blues by Martha Mier.
These are original jazzy songs written by Martha Mier and published by Alfred.
For Piano Students Who Love Upbeat Jazzy Songs
If you have a student who is into jazzy sounds and they like upbeat happy tunes, then likely they will find some songs in this book that they really enjoy playing.
If I have a student who is in Piano Adventures Level 1 and we get to page 43, which is the Party Song and they love this song (which has that blues or boogie woogie bass pattern), then I definitely consider the Jazz, Rags and Blues book for them.
This book also has teacher duets that are fun to play and fit well with the solos.
Position & Rhythm Challenges for Level 1 Piano Students
This book will stretch Level 1 piano students!
Students are going to be in “Neighbor Note” Position often, but also in the C pentascale, G pentascale, D pentascale, and the F pentascale.
They are going to be exploring some syncopated rhythms. Also using ties, staccatos, and slurs precisely placed to get that jazzy sound.
This book isn’t for every student but for those who love the jazzy sounds it will be a big hit. So check out Alfred’s Premier Piano Course Level 1B Jazz, Rags, and Blues by Martha Mier.
3. Level 1 Supplemental Songbook: The Rainbow Salad Songbook (Very Useful Piano Library, WunderKeys)
The third recommendation of our Level 1 supplemental songbooks this is The Rainbow Salad Songbook by Andrea Dow.
This book is all originals and it is part of the WonderKeys supplemental series known as the Very Useful Piano Library (VUPL).
A Captivating Story and Graphics
Students will immediately be captivated by the rainbow colors the bright, saturated illustrations in this book. As well as the story!
The Story goes: a certain unicorn was eating nothing but junk food and sitting on his couch and he lost all of his rainbow colors! One by one, he discovers healthy foods through his animal friends cooking for him. Gradually his colors return one by one.
Theory Pages Included
This book also includes some writing pages as well so you get some theory time in. There is also a coloring page at the back.
One Position Only! (C Pentascale)
I love to use this book for a student who, when introduced to the five notes of the bass clef C pentascale (C-D-E-F-G) is really struggling with those new lower notes.
Every single song in this book is in C pentascale position–no variations whatsoever!
Hand Coordination: Parallel Motion
However students will be challenged in that one position to do a lot of parallel coordination between the hands. This coordination is required when the right hand is playing C-D-E while the left hand is also playing C-D-E, for example, so they can work on that parallel motion.
And because the hands are matching up so much, it can help them start to associate what the bass clef notes look like with the treble clef notes that they already know. So it can build some note reading confidence in them as well.
Be sure to check out The Rainbow Salad Songbook from the WunderKey series.
Level 1 Supplemental Songbook: Faber PlayTime Popular Book
The fourth in our list of Level 1 Supplemental Songbooks is PlayTime Popular Book, a part of the Faber Piano Adventures supplemental series, published by Hal Leonard.
These are movie and TV songs that have been arranged by the Fabers.
All of these songs are going to be in Middle C Position or “Neighbor Notes” Position, with one song in the C Pentascale.
Familiar Songs to Motivate
If I have a student who is really interested in playing some familiar tunes, I will run this table of contents by them. If they’re into Star Wars, if they know about The Flintstones or any of the other songs from this book, they might be really excited to play some of those familiar tunes that they’ve heard before.
Because these songs are familiar and because the position is familiar, they can really advance themselves with some other challenges!
Students can take on some new challenges because the song is familiar such as…
- Rhythms that they wouldn’t have seen before
- More black keys
- More moves around the keyboard.
They’re motivated to take on these challenges because they already know and love the song!
So, number four is PlayTime Popular. And number five is also from the same series.
Level 1 Supplemental Songbooks: PlayTime Disney Book
By the same authors, Randall and Nancy Faber, number five in our list of Level 1 supplemental books is PlayTime Disney.
If students are wanting to play a familiar tune and they love Disney movies, then they might be into this one instead.
This is also a part of the Piano Adventures series and contains all Disney songs arranged by the Fabers and published by Hal Leonard.
Favorite Movie Songs Arranged for Easy Piano
Similar to the Popular book, they are going to be in Middle C Position, “Neighbor Notes” Position, or the C Pentascale.
Because these are movie vocal lines, they’re going to have a lot of…
- Black keys
- Challenging rhythms
- Moves around the keyboard
But again, because students already know the tune, they’re super motivated to take on those extra challenges and stretch themselves outside of the box more so than with their lesson book songs.
The Disney book has some nice teacher Duets that make these recital-ready if you’ve got a themed recital coming up.
Choosing Between the Popular Book and the Disney Book
Before handing out this book, I usually ask the student if they’re familiar with the tunes from:
- Mary Poppins (there are two songs in the Disney book from this movie)
- Beauty and the Beast (there are two songs in the Disney book from this movie)
If they don’t know any songs from these two movies, they may prefer the Popular Book. But check the table of contents for both books before starting them with a student.
Check out PlayTime Disney by the Fabers.
Level 1 Supplemental Songbook: Piano Adventures Level 1 Gold Star Performance Book
Well, the Fabers aren’t done yet! I have one more recommendation from the Piano Adventures series, and that is the Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 Gold Star Performance Book.
A Challenge for Level 1 Piano Students
If you’re not familiar with the Gold Star Performance books, these are published in every level of the Faber Piano Adventures series. However they are made as sort of an up-level for students that are ready for a challenge.
This book could be assigned along with the Faber piano Adventures Lesson, Technique and Theory books as part of of their core books instead of the regular Performance Book, or it could be added on to any series for a Level 1 student that seems to be ready for a challenge.
Although this book is labeled as a Level 1 it definitely goes above and beyond what the Faber Piano Adventures’ other Level 1 books would in that students are going to be moving all about the keyboard, doing crossovers, and different positions as well as playing black keys.
They’ll be exploring beyond the G scale into the D scale, and the F scale, and even the A scale.
If your student is flying through their Level 1 lesson book and you want to slow them down a little bit in the main book while challenging them even more, then add on this Gold Star Performance book.
Variety of Musical Styles
What I love about this book is that it appeals to the kid in our Level 1 students as far as the subject matters, the titles, and the lyrics go. However, the songs sound more sophisticated.
It has a nice balance of different types of songs. There’s sort of a classical sonatina written by Nancy Faber where each movement is one of the colors. There are some silly songs, such as a pirate song. And much more.
Some of the songs are traditional arrangements, while some are originals. Because of the variety, you’re bound to find some songs that any student would enjoy in this book.
They sound really nice so they would be recital-ready as well.
Juvenile Themes
One caution for this book is:
I have assigned it to an older student once and it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. Although the challenge level was perfect for the student, the titles and the themes of the song were a little too juvenile and we find ourselves kind of feeling silly playing a song called Meeses, Mouses, Mices.
Just be aware that many of the songs in this book are a little more on the juvenile side, so it might not be the right choice for a teen or adult student.
If you’d like to see a full list of all available Faber books, check out this page here!
Level 1 Supplemental Songbooks: My Kind of Music Book 1
The final of our seven Level 1 supplemental books (before we talk about the bonus book!) is My Kind of Music, Book 1 by Kevin Olson.
This is Book 1 of a series of four “My Kind of Music” book. Honestly they’re all really good, but Level 1 is the one that I use the most.
My Kind of Music contains original tunes by Kevin Olson. I was first introduced to this book years ago because it was on the National Federation of Music Clubs song list for their festival competition.
Wide Range of Songs Eases Students from Level 1 to Level 2
This book is nice because there’s a variety of different styles. There’s also a variety of difficulty levels so you can really pick and choose to take your student from that very early Level 1 into being ready for Level 2.
The first two songs are in Middle C Position so it starts off pretty easy and lets them tackle the challenge of articulation and style and rhythm in a familiar position.
But then we get some varying positions, some crossovers and things like that later on in the book.
Expressive, Story-Telling Pieces
There are no teacher duets in this book but really they’re not needed because these songs sound so great. Each one tells a story and there’s a lot of room for expression in each piece.
There’s even a little poem written by Kevin Olson at the beginning of each song. And the titles are really descriptive as well so you know what sort of story you’re supposed to be telling.
This is a great way for students to get into that musicality that they can do by using their technique and by making music with their heart.
If you have a student who loves stories, definitely check out My Kind of Music, Book 1 by Kevin Olson.
A Day at the Zoo: My Very Own Level 1 Songbook!
Finally, let me tell you about the project that I just released!
I am also a composer myself and if you’re not familiar with my compositions, be sure to sign up for my email list so that you can get free songs every now and then and hear about all the latest publications I’m working on!
As part of my supplemental book series (which focuses on theory and technique books) called Piano Skill Set, I’m creating songbooks as well.
My Level 1 songbook is called A Day at the Zoo.
It features songs in various positions that captivate and challenge students to tell the story of each individual animal.
There is also a game included in the book.
So be sure to check out my book, A Day at the Zoo, or any other books that caught your attention.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you on the next piano method book review! Lots of love <3
