Chapter 1: Finger Technique and Scales
* Key Concepts: Finger independence, scale patterns, articulation
* Real Example: "Happy Birthday" played with different finger combinations and articulations (legato, staccato, tenuto)
Chapter 2: Rhythm and Syncopation
* Key Concepts: Time signatures, note values, syncopated rhythms
* Real Example: "Ode to Joy" with a syncopated bassline and dotted rhythms
Chapter 3: Chords and Inversions
* Key Concepts: Major, minor, and seventh chords, inversions, chord progressions
* Real Example: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" played with various chord inversions
Chapter 4: Trills, Mordents, and Turns
* Key Concepts: Ornaments, trills, mordents, turns
* Real Example: "Für Elise" with trills in the melody and a mordent in the accompaniment
Chapter 5: Dynamics and Expression
* Key Concepts: Dynamics (volume), phrasing, articulation
* Real Example: "Clair de Lune" with crescendos, decrescendos, and rubato
Chapter 6: Sight-Reading Practice
* Key Concepts: Reading music on the staff, recognizing patterns
* Real Example: Practice reading simple melodies and rhythmic notation
Chapter 7: Harmony and Counterpoint
* Key Concepts: Consonance, dissonance, counterpoint
* Real Example: "Ave Maria" with flowing countermelodies and harmonic progressions
Chapter 8: Non-Classical Pieces
* Key Concepts: Exploring different musical styles, improvisation
* Real Example: "Imagine" by John Lennon, played with a pop-style accompaniment
Chapter 9: Performance Techniques
* Key Concepts: Preparation, stage presence, performance anxiety
* Real Example: Preparing for a performance of "Sonatina in C Major" by Beethoven
Chapter 10: Music Theory and Analysis
* Key Concepts: Musical terminology, structure, analysis
* Real Example: Analyzing the form and key relationships of Bach's "Prelude in C Major"
Chapter 11: Composition and Improvisation
* Key Concepts: Creating your own melodies, harmonies, and rhythms
* Real Example: Improvising a simple variation on "Amazing Grace"
Chapter 12: Review and Assessment
* Key Concepts: Revisiting concepts, practicing repertoire
* Real Example: Playing a prepared performance of "Minuet in G Major" by Beethoven and taking a written music theory assessment
