How to Choose a Piano Method Book for Summer Lessons

Summer rearranges every studio. Recitals end, school calendars dissolve, and students scatter into one of two camps:

1. The travelers: camps, vacations, unpredictable schedules, and practice time measured in minutes per week.

2. The homebodies: unlimited unscheduled time and, with the right plan, more practice than they manage all school year.

Both camps can make real progress between June and August. They just need different assignments. For students who are traveling and busy, summer works well as a season to slow down and review material they have already learned. For students with time on their hands, it works equally well as a season to push forward. The trick is deciding which student you have in front of you, then choosing books that match.

Start with an Honest Assessment

Ask families about their summer plans before the last spring lesson. A student leaving for three weeks of camp followed by a family road trip needs a different book than a student whose summer consists of a library card and a swimming pool. Parents will tell you exactly how much practice time exists; they appreciate being asked.

Once you know the schedule, sort each student into a review track or a push track. Then resist the urge to split the difference. A review student handed new concepts in July will return in September, behind and discouraged. A push student handed three months of familiar material will get bored. Commit to one direction per student and choose materials accordingly.

For Review: Move Sideways

Reviewing does not mean rereading the same book; this is a formula for a drop in morale. Instead, choose a book that moves sideways: same concepts, new music, new presentation. This will reinforce skills while helping the student feel like they are still going somewhere.

Two reliable ways to do this:

Option 1: A Correlated Book from Another Series

If you teach from Alfred's Basic Piano Library, assign the correlated level of Premier Piano Course for the summer, or vice versa. The two methods correlate cleanly:

• An Early Elementary student in Alfred's Basic Level 1A matches Premier Level 1A.

• An Elementary student in Alfred's Basic Level 1B matches Premier Level 1B.

• A Late Elementary student in Alfred's Basic Level 2 matches Premier Levels 2A and 2B.

• An Early Intermediate student in Alfred's Basic Level 3 matches Premier Level 3.

• An Intermediate student in Alfred's Basic Levels 4 or 5 matches Premier Levels 4 or 5.

• A Late Intermediate student in Alfred's Basic Levels 5 or 6 matches Premier Level 6.

The concepts align, but the repertoire, presentation, and pacing differ enough that the book feels brand new. The student spends the summer consolidating reading skills, technique, and theory on unfamiliar pieces, then returns to their primary method in the fall without missing a step. You also get a useful diagnostic: gaps that hid inside familiar repertoire tend to surface when the same skills appear in new music.

Option 2: A Slower-Paced Book from the Same Family

For students in Alfred’s Basic Piano Course, switching to a correlated Prep Course book for the summer can be a good way to slow down the pace and review over the summer. The Prep Course covers the same ground as Alfred's Basic Piano Library at a gentler pace, which makes it ideal for a student whose practice time is about to evaporate.

The correlation works as follows: Prep Course Levels A and B align with Alfred's Basic Level 1A; Levels C and D align with Level 1B; and Levels E and F align with Level 2. So if a student is partway through Alfred's Basic 1B, assign Prep Course C or D for the summer. They keep playing, keep reading, and keep their hands on the keys, but nobody expects them to absorb new concepts between the beach and the grandparents' house.

The same logic extends up the levels. An Early Intermediate student can spend the summer in supplementary repertoire at their current level rather than advancing to the next core book. Sideways motion is still motion.

Why Review Works

A summer of review pays off in September. Students who spent June through August reinforcing their current level start the fall confident, fluent, and ready to advance. Compare that to the alternative: a student who stopped playing entirely and now needs four to six weeks of remediation before touching anything new. Review students who skip the remediation entirely. The teacher who assigns sideways books in May saves herself a month of repair work in the fall.

To Push: Pick Up the Pace

Now for the other camp. Some students hit summer with empty calendars and full tanks. These students can cover serious ground in ten weeks, and a faster-paced book gives them room to run.

Complete Levels

Alfred's Basic Piano Library Complete Levels condenses the standard course into fewer books at an accelerated pace. A motivated student with daily practice time can move through material in a summer that would normally occupy a full semester. The concepts are identical to the standard course; the pacing assumes a student who practices consistently and absorbs quickly. 

Premier Piano Express

Premier Piano Express does the same for the Premier Piano Course, condensing the course into four books. Book 1 covers Early Elementary, Book 2 covers Late Elementary, Book 3 covers Early Intermediate, and Books 3 and 4 carry students through Intermediate and Late Intermediate territory. Express books suit older beginners and transfer students especially well, and they suit any student who wants to feel the needle move every single week of the summer.

A push student who finishes a level in July gets something rare: the experience of outpacing the calendar. That feeling carries into the fall. Students who advance over the summer return to lessons believing progress is something they control, which is the single most useful belief a piano student can hold.

Either Way: Add the Fun Books

Review students and push students to share one requirement: summer repertoire should include music they actually want to play. Supplements carry a studio through July.

Current Hits puts pop repertoire at the student's exact level. The pop arrangements correlate to method levels just like the core books. A student grinding through review exercises will tolerate a great deal more grinding when a song they recognize sits at the back of the practice stack. A push student moving at double speed deserves a reward chart written in actual music.

A Simple Summer Formula

Here is the whole strategy in four steps:

1. Ask each family about summer plans in May.

2. Sort each student into review or push track.

3. Review students get a correlated book from a parallel series, or a slower-paced book like Prep Course. Push students to get an accelerated book like Complete Levels or Premier Piano Express.

4. Everyone gets a fun supplement at their level.

Students in the review track return in September fluent and confident. Students in the push track return a level ahead. Both groups return, still playing the piano, which is the quiet victory every summer assignment is really chasing. September will arrive either way; the only question is what kind of student walks back through the studio door.