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John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: First Grade Book by John Thompson

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: First Grade Book by John Thompson is I have played and taught piano for over 50 years. I know that this method is highly esteemed, but I do not recommend it at all. I used to use it for teaching but the problem, in my opinion, is the placement of fingering numbers over every note. The students read the numbers, not the notes, and in doing so, fail to learn to read the notes themselves. Some of the information about phrasing and basic finger/wrist technique is helpful, and the retro illustrations are a bit of a hoot. Most of my students breeze through it easily, then Book Two arrives and the student is suddenly faced with the bitter reality that they must read notes and move their hands up and down the keyboard. It's overwhelming for many of them.If you decide to go with it, try to supplement it with some less heavily annotated material. There is much simple early music, for example, written in two parts. IMSLP offers much of this public domain material free of charge online.

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: First Grade Book by John Thompson is The entire John Thompson series is as old as the hills, and I'm sure there are many piano teachers who would say that this series is outdated. There appear to be a lot of piano courses now that are specifically geared to different age groups. I have nothing against any of the other piano courses. But I am an older piano student with a goal to complete the entire John Thompson Course before I reach 70. I'll never be great, but this series pushes me to the max. And I appreciate the selection of songs that are presented in each book.Each student/teacher should negotiate the learning series that best fits the students learning style. For me, the John Thompson series is the core of my learning, and I supplement with books from other series. I also love the fact that I can listen to Alan Chan play every selection from the John Thompson series on You Tube. Listening to a quality rendition is most helpful in appreciating each piece before attempting to play the lesson.

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: First Grade Book by John Thompson is The music in the John Thompson Modern Course is absolutely beautiful and has a classical sound to it. If you are self learning, I highly recommend as a supplemental book, especially if you are interested in learning classical. There is a little bit of theory information with each new song; however, if you are self learning you will find this book overwhelming if you are not using another method book along with it. Yes, there are a lot of finger numbers in John Thompson Grade 1, however, I feel this allows you to learn the JT songs faster and build technique while you are concurrently working on your reading skills using another traditional method book. (example the all in one adult method books by Alfred, Bastien, or Piano Adventures, just to name a few). It may be considered old fashion by those more interested in more modern music, but the John Thompson books have a timeless and classic appeal. I agree that it is not the best method book for learning by itself, but definitely a great supplement.

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: First Grade Book by John Thompson is Took up piano again and tried a couple of "adult" books but wasn't feeling the love. Finally remembered the name of these from my piano lessons 50 years ago. This series is the best, hands down.