New Ideas Piano Series: Preliminary Level B

Author: Bao Huiqiao, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The "Preparatory Level" of the New Concepts Piano Series consists of three volumes. Volume is designed for complete beginners to start playing the piano, with a focus on children but also catering to adults. As an important feature, we adopt the modern educational philosophy that emphasizes "practice before theory." In the first half of this volume, instead of learning notation first, students start by playing the piano, getting their fingers accustomed to the keys, and listening to the music they produce. Only in the second half do they gradually learn the staff notation. Unlike the Beyer method, which focuses for a long time on the right hand and white keys, this volume begins with black keys and encourages the use of both hands from the start. In terms of musical style, instead of first establishing and then breaking down the functional system of major and minor keys, students are exposed to a variety of musical styles from the very beginning of their piano studies—of course, this requires the teacher's active participation. All the pieces in this volume are accompanied by teacher parts, allowing for joint performances that help students from the start to experience vivid, complete musical images and rich harmonies. This approach integrates music and technique into the learning process, rather than prioritizing technique over music.
The second volume is structured around the theme of expressive playing, explaining typical performance techniques through progressively challenging pieces. The third volume focuses on musical theory, integrating basic knowledge such as intervals, chords, and modes into the pieces. The tasks of these two volumes extend beyond "beginner-level" and prepare students for the New Concepts Piano Series.
The second feature is the inclusion of musical theory and knowledge. A solid understanding of music theory is essential for playing the piano well.
The third feature concerns musical style and left-hand application. As mentioned earlier, the first volume introduces students to a wide range of musical styles and exercises independence in both hands. Therefore, the later volumes include more pieces with pop rhythms, half-step progressions, and left-hand melodies.
The fourth feature is the inclusion of Chinese-style pieces. Since the piano is not a traditional Chinese instrument, playing Chinese pieces may feel more technically challenging for beginners. That said, Chinese pieces often require more effort in the early stages of learning.
The fifth feature is the tempo of the pieces. The first volume is introductory, and most pieces in the second volume are also relatively simple. By the third volume, some pieces reach a technical difficulty comparable to certain pieces in the Basic Level of the New Concepts Piano Series.
The "new concepts" in the curriculum demand fresh approaches to the repertoire. To meet this requirement, we have incorporated a significant proportion of new compositions—approximately three-quarters of the pieces are original. This proportion may even be higher than in other volumes of the New Concepts Piano Series. Let's consider this the sixth feature of our "Preparatory Level" tutorial.