Heather Hammond and Karen Marshall's new piano course, The Intermediate Pianist, has been specifically written to help students progress through the tricky intermediate stages of learning the piano, offering a ‘one-stop shop’ for Grade 3–5 level pianists.
Karen Marshall said: "This intermediate stage of learning the piano – and indeed any instrument – is a notoriously tricky period, when many teachers may find students dropping off, losing interest and quitting lessons. The Intermediate Pianist tackles the issues faced by students and teachers through these stages and provides a music curriculum to engage, excite, enthuse and educate pupils, helping them to understand the music that they are playing and developing them into well-rounded musicians."
Through a mix of carefully chosen repertoire, quick studies, key technical information and musicianship activities, students are given the tools to improve note-reading, develop technique and a build greater understanding of style and music theory. The material in each book has been divided into chapters that are each designed to give approximately one month’s work. Each of these chapters contain a variety of elements and styles, and the terms used throughout also support and reflect those required for GCSE Music.
Praise for The Intermediate Pianist series includes:
“In The Intermediate Pianist, Karen Marshall and Heather Hammond have produced a rare gem of a piano tutor series. What is so special about these books is the way students are encouraged to be creative learners, as well as accomplished performers. This is no prescriptive series of exercises. From the outset, the authors enable exploration: styles and techniques are combined in helping the intermediate pianist develop a rich tapestry of experience. Not only is there something for everyone here, the diversity of the musical repertoire found in these books has at its core a real consideration of how music works - in addition to how it can be performed. Marshall and Hammond show the common and unusual elements of different musical styles. In doing so, they are setting pianists up to be flexible, adaptable musicians who can go beyond performing examples of music into a deeper and more knowledgeable understanding of what they are playing. Not only will this approach bring a great joy of discovery, it will help students on their journey to master new challenges. Being distinctive is an important element in successful music making today. Marshall and Hammond provide the core techniques to help, and make it huge fun in the process.”
“It's fantastic! Seems like a piano teachers’ dream!”