Alfred's Prep Course

Description

This course will make the youngest beginners feel right at home. The books were designed with little ones in mind, keeping the songs simple, melodies enjoyable, and material understandable. At the beginning of Lesson Book A, kids are shown correct posture and finger numbers, and then it's time to play! The first lessons introduce the black keys so that they won't be a foreign concept. This also helps students recognize the position of the different white keys and notes. The songs start off simply, adding notes gradually to steadily expand the student's capabilities. The notes of the songs are numbered to the finger and shown in a line without a staff to keep it simple. Gradually, new notes and positions are introduced, and then the staff is explained and included. Different songs accompany each lesson for practice. Lastly, they present the bass and treble clefs, and this ends Book A. As students continue to progress through the levels, the lessons and songs grow more challenging to adapt to their growing abilities. When children reach the end of Prep Course F, they will be well-prepared to begin Book 3 of Alfred's Basic Piano Course.

There are several supplementals available to complement the lesson books for each level and to provide additional practice and enrichment. These are not required, but you may find them helpful. The Activity and Ear Training Books contain coloring and activities to enforce notes, rhythm, music symbols, and other concepts introduced in the Lesson Books. Solo Books have fifteen or so additional songs for children to practice and play. Theory Books are designed to reinforce newly learned concepts through games and quizzes. Sacred Solo Books are available on our website to provide playable songs with religious themes. For exercises and warm-ups at the piano, there are Technic Books. Also, Notespeller Books focus solely on learning the notes through coloring and writing exercises. This can be a lot of books to juggle around, but each page of the books tell you which page of the Lesson book it is designed to correlate with. CDs are available for audio help on our website. ~ Melissa

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Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.