choosing repertoire for
new students

Introducing a range of

Genres

In the eyes of many teachers, true enjoyment and appreciation for music comes from a broad and balanced repertoire. By combining classical and popular pieces – including Disney, pop, film scores and musicals – students are introduced to an important range of genres which help build a wider technical skillset. 

Laura Bryan, a piano teacher in Staffordshire, UK, explains how she achieves this balance:

I always like each student to have a challenging classical piece to work at over a longer period, plus something more simple that can be picked up easily, perhaps a popular song they already know.

Laura Bryan
Private teacher

With more than 20 years’ teaching experience, Olha Makhova in UAE also balances a focus on pop and classical pieces:

Popular classics are usually a hit, such as soundtracks, Disney and musicals, as well as easy versions of classical pieces – Verdi arias, Mozart, Beethoven and Bizet.

Olha Makhova
Private teacher

Broadening students’ exposure to style, rhythm, tone and key should be a focus, so try not to narrow the styles they play too much – especially if they find a genre they particularly enjoy.

Meanwhile, John Ennis recommends being flexible when introducing different genres to students – the most important thing is that they need to want to play them:

Choose pieces they can be friends with. Any genre. Something they will play with a view to performing and that sounds impressive. Einaudi is popular – attractive, yet technique building.

John Ennis
Private teacher

The new Trinity Piano 2021-2023 syllabus includes a wide choice of repertoire to reflect a balanced range of genres from across time and places:

Get the Trinity Piano 2021-2023 syllabus

Pieces that entice the

Learner

With new learners, the priority is nurturing a love of piano. Teachers observed that new learners are less likely to stick at the piano if they aren’t engaged from the start, whereas more experienced learners are generally more likely to dedicate themselves to pieces, even if they’re tricky.

Nerissa Lobo explained the importance of self esteem and choice when it comes to building up the confidence of students:

The priority is always the student. It should be more student based than forcing my ideas on the child. If a student does not connect with the music, that will be the start and the end of any learning.

Nerissa Lobo
Private teacher

Opening up your own repertoire in response to a new student is also suggested, and Katrina Gordon gives examples of some of the genres she’s included to entice her learners:

Every student needs something different so they have to be treated as individuals. I tend to go with what they love, whether that is Bach, film music or computer game theme tunes... anything goes!

Katrina Gordon
Private teacher

For less-experienced students, pieces need to build confidence and show quick progress. The faster a person feels they’re picking it up, the more inclined they are to progress with their lessons.  Angie Tse says the priority for new students should always be confidence:

Confidence building – quick wins so they know quickly what it feels like to be 'good at piano' and this makes it very fun and rewarding.

Angie Tse
Private teacher

Fun, lively, catchy pieces the student might already recognise work well, as well as pieces where the student doesn’t feel they’re necessarily being tested on their technique. Giving students ownership over their choices will also entice them to practice, as Binoy Venkatachellum has found:

I ascertain the genre the student likes already and their level. I select pieces to keep them interested and motivated, while giving them a sense of ownership and achievement.

Binoy Venkatachell
Private teacher

Nurturing good

Habits

Getting students into technically correct habits early on is a priority for many of the teachers we spoke to. This means choosing repertoire that requires a range of hand positioning and techniques.

Some of our teachers recommended choosing pieces where the hands don’t have to jump around the keyboard too much. If good hand technique is made a focus early, it’ll become second nature in time – it’s a lot harder to undo bad positioning that has already been picked up. Elaine Goh, who teaches across schools in East Anglia, UK, stated that:

First and foremost enjoyment is key, then a good hand technique and touch.

Elaine Goh
Private teacher

Another essential part of getting into good practices is to get students to habitually look at their posture ahead of playing, and stay aware of it throughout their time at the piano. 

Building confidence to read music subsequently helps pupils navigate the instrument more effectively, so this is also a priority for many teachers. Getting students in the habit of looking at things like key, rhythm and dynamics also develops a more competent player. Joan Buchanan who has been teaching in Glasgow, Scotland for 30 years, highlights that this works best with a collaborative approach:

Discussion is key: look at the music, phrasing, rhythmic motifs, imitation and sequencing together. Look for scale or arpeggio patterns. Discuss the dynamics.

Joan Buchanan
Private teacher

Determining a learner's

Starting point

Instead of using grades as a benchmark, our teachers agreed that best practice is to work out a student’s starting point based on their rounded musicianship. Exam content can’t always teach you what you need to know about a learner’s abilities.

One of the most crucial starting points is working out their existing level. Just because a student is new to you, doesn’t mean they’re a new student to piano, so finding their starting point yourself allows you to pitch lessons correctly to them; too easy or hard, and you may not engage them.

If a new student of yours has recently changed teachers to work with you, their confidence and abilities may have taken a knock. Therefore, it’s better to start a little below the level they tell you they’re coming in at, then you can use your professional judgement to increase the difficulty as and when you see their assuredness grow. 

Bob Baird, a piano teacher from Glasgow, Scotland, says there can sometimes be a disconnect between where a students thinks they are, and where their abilities show themselves to be:

The priority is to judge the ability that the student has come in at; what is the grade nearest the student’s ability and is it accurate of where they think they are?

Bob Baird
Private teacher

For brand new students, the focus should be on getting them confident to read music quickly, as Jeanne Bestbier, a piano teacher of 35 years in South Africa highlights:

For beginners, I want to encourage them to start reading notes and playing short pieces as soon as possible. For higher grades, the aim is to perform pieces equal in difficulty to the grade they have most recently passed.

Jeanne Bestbier
Private teacher

The musicality of a piece takes priority for many teachers, including Cindy Ng Su Yen, who has been a piano teacher in Singapore since 1982:

The priority is for students to be able to play with the correct tempo, accuracy of notes and with clear articulations.

Cindy Ng Su Yen
Private teacher