We are pleased to release a wonderful new supplemental book called Piano Train Trips by composer Juan Cabeza! Julie and I were first introduced to Juan about a year ago when he placed his first Piano Safari order. Juan is a Spanish piano teacher who became inspired to compose patterned pieces for his students after he began using the Piano Safari Rote Pieces in his studio. The result is an engaging collection of late elementary to early intermediate works that may be taught by rote or from the score, depending on the needs and levels of your individual students. We feel this book will be perfect for students in the latter part of Repertoire Book 2 or those in Piano Safari Level 3. It will also work very well for older beginners who desire to play pieces that sound like “real music” right from the start! In the book introduction, Juan describes this book in the following way:
“Piano Train Trips is a collection of 18 piano etudes, plus a series of supplementary exercises. The etudes (stations) are designed to practice one specific musical aspect in each piece and are composed in styles that are appealing to all students…This book is a perfect complement to any piano method or curriculum of standard repertoire. It is important to provide the student with a varied repertoire of many pieces to learn throughout the school year. Using this book will enable the student to experience pieces in various styles and to improve reading, technique, memory, and analysis skills.”
The book is available in both print and digital version (print version is only available in the US and Canada). Juan has created digital audio tracks that come with your purchase of the book.
We hope you enjoy this video preview of Piano Train Trips!