This new volume continues the highly beneficial series from Paul Harris, published by Faber Music. Anyone familiar with music education will surely know how Paul has played an important role in helping to transform music teaching, particularly instrumental instruction. I’ve enjoyed using Paul’s popular Improve Your Sight-Reading! publications with pupils, as well as The Virtuoso Teacher and Simultaneous Learning, which are intended for teachers.

The ability to sight-read is a crucial skill in music making, assisting quick learning, thereby eventually affording more opportunities for students to work with other musicians.

A piece a week can be used alongside the renowned Improve your sight-reading! series, encouraging students to learn and assimilate quickly, spending a short time swiftly reading and attaining note and rhythmic security, learning each piece fluently, before moving onto the next one.

Grade 3 focuses on mostly one page pieces (of which there are 27), all with colourful titles such as Ants and aardvarks, Bagpipes at breakfast, and Ghosts in a hurry, and beautifully set with illustrations (which should appeal to younger learners particularly). An introduction contains much useful information about such topics as fingering, pulse, practice and style, expression and character. As Paul says, ‘A new piece each week for 27 weeks before an exam will make a huge difference.’ Absolutely! This series should certainly inspire confidence and creativity.

I have one copy of this new volume to giveaway. Please leave your comment in the comment box at the end of this blog post, and I will announce the winner on Sunday evening (British time). Good luck!

My publications:

For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 level are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.

You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.