In the blink of an eye, it will be November and your piano studio will be filled with the cheerful melodies of the holiday season.
By the time Christmas rolls around, you will have heard Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls one too many times.
October is your last chance to brood with minor sounds before everything is holly and jolly.
So, we’ve decided to share a spooky Halloween piano solo for your tween and teen students.
Composed in the key of D minor, today’s tune can be used alongside a level 2B method book.
Take Time To Play With Minor Tunes
In many popular level 2B method books, the first full scales played by piano students include C major, G major, and F major.
It makes perfect sense to begin with C major. Because there are no accidentals, students can focus on the fingering patterns required to play one-octave scales.
It also makes perfect sense to follow up with G major. With only one easily-identifiable sharp, G major is accessible for students that have just made the jump to one-octave scales.
But when it comes to F major, Trevor and I like to diverge from the pack.
In WunderKeys Elementary Piano Lesson Book 2B, we replace F major with D minor; and we do this for two important reasons.
Piano Students Need Musical Variety
When method books only include C major, G major, and F major they are committed to a collection of pretty happy sounds.
We have nothing against happy pieces, but piano students need variety. In addition to those happy tunes, tween and teen students want music that is full of emotion and power; something that minor songs have in spades.
Because D minor shares the same flat as F major, it is a wonderful alternative that allows for a method book full of variety.
Piano Students Need Consistent Fingering
The fingering pattern required to play F major is different than the fingering pattern required when playing in C major or G major. Instead of tucking the thumb under the third finger, students must tuck their thumb under the fourth finger. In addition, when playing the F major one-octave scale, students finish on their fourth finger.
Piano students need consistency. With so much to learn in a level 2B method book, having a consistent fingering pattern throughout the scales, enables students to focus their attention on learning new notes, new left-hand patterns, and new rhythms.
When students play in D minor, the fingering pattern for the one-octave scale is consistent with the fingering pattern required to play the C major and G major one-octave scales.
Before You Download Our Halloween Piano Solo
The Halloween piano solo that we are sharing today is composed to be used alongside WunderKeys Elementary Piano Lesson Book 2B.
WunderKeys Elementary Piano Lesson Book 2B was released in early September 2021 is making an immediate splash in studios around the world.
One teacher recently wrote to say…
“Wunderkeys level 2B is the best! My students love the sound of the pieces. They don’t sound like little kid music! PLUS, it so nicely prepares them for early intermediate playing! It moves them out of position, moves to full octave scales, key signatures, more notes, 6/8 time, stretches their hands to new positions. I’m very pleased with it. And just like all the Wunderkeys materials, it is such a pleasure to use. I HIGHLY recommend the 2B book!”
In WunderKeys Elementary Piano Lesson Book 2B students break free from 5-finger positions and explore the magic of one-octave scales.
Jam-packed with pop-infused piano studies, technical exercises, left-hand patterns, improvisation, sight reading, chord exploration, rhythm work, and classical-inspired pop repertoire, this book provides level 2 students with exactly what they want and need: super cool, peer-approved music that is developmentally appropriate and perfectly paced.
Click here or on the cover below to get WunderKeys Elementary Piano Lesson Book 2B for your students.
Download Our Halloween Piano Solo
Click here or on the image below to download our Halloween Piano Solo for level 2b students.
And if you teach primer students as well, remember to check out our newest Halloween piano book, Mummy Rocks The Costume Contest.
