The Complete

Pianist
By Marilee Leishman
TheCompletePianist.com

Complete Beginner
Level One
Revised October, 2015

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Important Information
The Complete Pianist Method
The Complete Pianist Method was developed as a means to help teachers,
students, and self- learners study the piano in a well-rounded, step by step, and easy to
follow way. After years of private teaching and then teaching through Utah State
University’s youth conservatory, Marilee Leishman felt that many of her students were
becoming proficient in one aspect of the piano, but not always developing a complete
piano education. She created this series as a way to ensure that, as a teacher, she would be
sure to cover all essential parts of the piano in a systematic way. She wanted an easy to
learn system that would increase those strengths she found in her students, but also
develop any weaknesses they had. Many of the principles and ideas found in this method
have been inspired by Instructors and Professors in the Piano Pedagogy program at Utah
State University as well as Jon Schmidt’s note learning method.
How to use this book
The book should be worked through in order, since the principles taught gradually build
on each other, although more than one section may be worked on at the same time.

For Self Taught Students

If you are going through this method on your own, I applaud you in your desire to learn
this beautiful instrument! Simply work through the book from beginning to end. Since
you don’t have the benefit of an instructor, be sure to refer to TheCompletePianist.com
and watch the instructional video demonstrations of each section. If you have any further,
more specific questions, be sure to drop Marilee a note on The Complete Pianist website
and she will answer any questions you have.

For Parents
Parents do not necessarily need to have piano experience to teach this material. Just make
sure to refer to TheCompletePianist.com and watch the video demonstrations that go
along with each section in this level to ensure you teach them correctly. Short learning
periods each day that are consistent, are better than long inconsistent practice periods.
Keep in mind that it is often best if the student is at least 7-8 years old when beginning.
They are a little more mature and will learn much quicker than a 5 or 6 year old.
For Teachers
For Teachers: If you are a teacher and only see your student once a week, make sure to
cover at least 2 sections during each lesson, so the student has enough material to work
on throughout the week. When teaching a beginner, it is slow at first, since there are a lot
of foundational principles they need to learn at the start. But once it gets going, there will
be plenty for them to work on. As mentioned earlier, the student won’t need to purchase
extra books when using this series, since it encompasses all major aspects of the piano.

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Transfer Students: To test a transfer student’s ability, simply use the Workbook Review
at the end of this book to see what portions of this level they have down and what
concepts they need extra work on. If they test well on it, move up a level.
Lesson Outline
Here is an example lesson outline for teachers/parents and self taught learners, as you can
see it starts with a game of some kind. Be sure to always start fun and end positive with
your practice and teaching sessions. We want students to want to learn the piano!

1. Play a game – Teachers play a game with their student. Self-Learners - maybe
you can find a friend or just play around on the piano for a few minutes on your
own.
2. Teach the new concept in whatever section the student is in
3. Practice the new concept. For self–learners and parents be sure to watch the
correlating video explanation.
4. Sight read - Sight read some songs slowly and carefully.
5. Write down any practicing assignments or goals and share something positive
you/they did well, or learned that day.

Example Games
Example games to start out a lesson: These games don’t have to be long; they are just a
fun way to let the student explore the piano and grow good feelings/relationship together.
Wait until the student has learned the first two sections before beginning the games!
1. Play Improv tunes. Take turn improvising a simple melody. Put one hand
somewhere on the piano and just starting playing.
2. Play Copy Cat rhythms on one note. The teacher/parent/friend will play a
rhythm of some kind (not too long) on one note of the piano; the student will try
to repeat it exactly. Then the student will play a rhythm and the other person has
to repeat it exactly. You can get official and keep score if you want! For example,
the person who repeated the rhythm exactly gets one point.
3. Play Copy Cat Crazies on any notes. Take turns playing melodies, highs, lows,
short sounds, loud sounds and trying to copy them after one another.

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Ear Training 1
High and Low Sounds
High sounds are to the right on the keyboard and low sounds are to the left on the
keyboard.

 Play some High sounds on the piano, listen to the way they sound. Play some
Low sounds and carefully listen. For younger beginners ask: What animals do
they sound like?
Short and Long Sounds
 Play some short sounds and long sounds. To play short sounds, touch the key and
then release quickly. To play long sounds, simply hold the note down longer.

Far apart and close together

 Play two notes that are really far apart, on opposite sides of the keyboard. Listen
to how they sound. Play two notes that are really close together or right next to
each other. Listen carefully.

Going Up and going down

 Play a series of notes going up (from left to right). Next play a bunch of notes
going down (from right to left).

Repeat the Rhythm

 Try clapping some rhythms, anything that feels fun. If you are working with a
teacher, have the teacher clap a simple one measure rhythm, and then repeat it
back to your teacher. Do this a few times using different rhythms.

Improvisation
 Musical improvisation is the creative activity of “in the moment” musical
composition. As a first step, put your longer fingers on the black keys and start to
play some notes in any order you like. This is improvising!

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Ear Training Review

The Teacher may test using the Ear Training Test sheet
If you are working with a teacher, have them administer the Ear Training test sheet 1 to
you. If you are working on your own, you may test yourself using the Ear Training video
for level one on TheCompletePianist.com.

 Identify between high or low sounds, Short or long sounds and Loud or soft
sounds – The teacher will play the different sounds using the teacher ear training
sheet and the student will identify if the sound is high or low etc. (without looking
at the keyboard)
 Identify the distance between sounds (far apart or close together?), the direction
of the notes (up or down?) - The teacher may use the ear training test sheet if
desired.
 “Repeat Rhythm” The teacher will clap or play 1 measure of rhythm and the
student will clap or play it back - The teacher may use the ear training test sheet if
desired.
 Improvisation - Improvise a melody on the black keys. It can be different every
time!

Date Passed________

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Theory Training 1
Musical Alphabet A B C D E F G
For students who are learning on their own, refer to the Theory Level One video on
TheCompletePianist.com for full explanations of the Theory Training section.
In music we only use the letters ABCDEFG. Go ahead and look to the left side of your
keyboard. Those are the low notes. If you are using a full size piano with 88 keys, the
lowest note on the piano is A. The next note is B and it continues in the order of the
alphabet. When you get to G, you just start over with the next note being A.
Exercise 1: Start on the lowest note, play and say the letters as you go
Notice there are groups of 2 black keys and groups of 3 black keys, the black keys help
you identify which white note you are playing. If I were to cover the black keys with my
arm, all the white keys would look the same.

Younger Beginners: Here is a way to memorize the names of the notes on the keyboard.
We will call the groups of two black keys the Dog House. We will call the groups of
three Black Keys Grandpa’s house. The black keys are the roof for your houses.

Optional Game for Teachers:

Exercise 2: On the Keyboard, Play the following: Instruct the student to stand a little
1. Play all of the A’s ___ distance away from the piano.
2. Play all of the B’s ___ Shout out a letter and have the
3. Play all of the C’s ___ student run and press the key
4. Play all of the D’s ___ somewhere on the piano. Continue
5. Play all of the E’s ___ with all the letters. Change it up by
6. Play all of the F’s ___ asking the student to play a high C
7. Play all of the G’s ___ loudly or a low F softly.
8. Press down of the groups of two black keys ___
9. Press down all of the groups of three black keys ___

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Dynamics, Notes and Rests

Dynamics are signs for volume. (Loud or soft sounds)
If you see a fancy F in your music, it is the sign for Forte, which means to Play Loudly
If you see a fancy P in your music, it is the sign for piano, which means to Play Softly
Exercise 3: Press down some notes using the Dynamic Forte, then try playing Piano.

Check out the following notes, these are the basic notes to get you started. The name in
“Quotations” is the name we give the note when counting aloud in music.

Quarter Note or “Tah” = 1 beat ”Half Note” = 2 beats

“Half Note Dot” = 3 beats ”Great big Whole Note” = 4 beats

Quarter Rest or “Rest” = 1 beat Half Rest or “Hat Rest” = 2 beats

“Great Big Whole Rest” = 4 beats (Don’t fall in the whole!)

Exercise 4:
1. Draw a Quarter Note, how many beats does it get? ______________
2. Draw a Half Note, how many beats does it get? _________________
3. Draw a Dotted Half Note, how many beats does it get? ___________
4. Draw a Whole Note, how many beats does it get? ________________
5. Draw a Quarter Rest, how many beats does it get? ________________
6. Draw a Half Rest, how many beats does it get? ___________________
7. Draw a Whole Rest, how many beats does it get? _________________
The Grand Staff, Basic Dynamics and other terms

Measure = the space between two bar lines on a staff. How many measures does the
above example have? It has two measures.
Time Signature = the symbol immediately to the right of the Treble or Bass clef, is the
Time Signature. It tells us how many beats are in a measure and what gets one beat. In
this case the four on top means there are four beats in each measure.

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Theory Review
1. Write the letters of the notes, A B C D E F G, on the following keyboard.

2. Draw a Quarter Note, Half Note, Dotted Half Note, and Whole Note on the line
below.

3. Draw a quarter rest, half rest, whole rest, forte sign, piano sign, on the staff below.

4. Draw a treble clef, bass clef, bar line, brace, 4/4 time signature, double bar line
and repeat sign on the grand staff below. Divide the grand staff into two
measures. Draw 6 lines notes in one measure and 6 space notes in the other
measure.

Date Passed________

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Sight Reading 1
Jon Schmidt’s Note Learning Method
Anchor Notes on the Grand staff – Part one
With the Complete Pianist method, you’ll immediately learn to play music and read notes
on the grand staff. What a great skill to have from the beginning! This level will teach the
top, middle and bottom lines of each staff. They are called the Anchor Notes because
they are like an anchor for your hands, making sure they don’t float around to the wrong
places.

We will start with the Right bottom anchor (or right bottom line) and Left top anchor (or
left top line). They are located in the middle of the keyboard. Find and play these two
notes on your piano, use the middle group of 2 black keys to help guide you. Hint: Left
TOP line lives on the TOP note inside the three black keys. The right bottom line lives
right after/above the two black keys.

Here is what they look like on the staff. Name and play them while looking at the staff.
Draw and label the two anchor notes in the second measure!

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Now you will sight read some short songs using these two notes. As you go through the
song, play the notes slowly and carefully. Make sure you use your R.H. in the treble clef
and L.H. in the bass clef. Don’t worry about the speed or rhythm at this point. Simply
punch in the note as you see it. Once you are comfortable with the notes, try to sing the
lyrics while you play. These songs don’t need to be perfect to move on!

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Sight Reading 1
Anchor Notes on the Grand staff – Part two
Let’s add the left middle anchor or left middle line to what you’ve already learned.
First let’s look at where they are on the keyboard. Remember that the right bottom line
and left top line should be framing the middle notes of the piano.

Hint: Left TOP line lives on the TOP note inside the three black keys. The left MIDDLE
line lives on the MIDDLE note in between the two black keys. The right bottom line lives
right after/above the two black keys.

Here is what they look like on the staff. Notice that they are all line notes, meaning the
line goes right through the middle of the notes. Draw and label the three anchor notes in
the second measure!

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Now you will sight read some short songs using these three notes. Play the first time
through slowly and carefully without worrying about rhythm. Make sure to play the
Treble clef notes with the R.H. and the Bass clef notes with the L.H. Once you are
comfortable with the notes, try playing and singing the lyrics along with it.

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Note and Finger Training 1

For extra help or practice, visit TheCompletePianist.com and watch the Note and Finger
Training video for level one.
Finger Practice

The fingering in both hands is the same. The thumbs are finger 1, pointer finger is 2,
middle finger is 3, ring finger is 4 and the pinky is finger 5.
Wiggle the following fingers above the piano.

Now place the hands anywhere on the piano & push down the following finger
numbers. Try them with your R.H. alone, then your L.H. alone

Using the numbers 1 through 5, write your own finger song on the line below.

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Note Practice
Using your pointer finger play the following note song. You can play the notes anywhere
on the keyboard, but do them in this order.

Here is Middle C Position – Note that the thumbs share middle C and each finger has
their own note working outwards from the middle.

Letting all your fingers rest on the notes in middle C Position, play the following
exercise.

Write your own note song on the line below. Use any notes/ letters A through G. Then
play it in middle C Position.

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Fingering & Note Names Review

Play the following Finger songs hands separately anywhere on the piano.

Play the following Note songs in Middle C position.

Date Passed ________

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Sight Reading 1
Anchor Notes on the Grand staff – Part three
Let’s add the left bottom anchor or left bottom line to what you’ve already learned.
First let’s look at where it lives on the keyboard.

Hint: Left TOP line lives on the TOP note inside the three black keys. The left MIDDLE
line lives on the MIDDLE note in between the two black keys. Left BOTTOM line lives
on the BOTTOM note inside the three black keys. The right bottom line lives right
after/above the two black keys.

On the staff: Draw and label the four anchor notes in the second measure!

Touch….Check…Play….. the following songs. “Touch, check, play” is a technique you

should do the first time you are sight-reading a song. (Sight reading, means to play it for
the first time, without practicing it) You want to train yourself to play the note right the
first time! “Touch, Check, Play” helps train you to do that. Simply, touch the note on the
keyboard that you think it is, double check it on the piano and staff and then play.
Simple…Touch, Check, Play! “Touch, Check, Play” every note as you sight read these
songs.

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Rhythm Training 1
For extra help or practice, visit TheCompletePianist.com and watch the level One
Rhythm Training video.

Beat = “A steady succession of units of rhythm”. The beat of the music should be steady,
as has been defined. So when learning how to clap a rhythm our counting needs to be
steady, like a ball bouncing up and down or a person walking at a steady pace. Try to
keep your counting steady and Rhythmic. You can march or walk to the beat as you clap
these rhythms.

Quarter Note, say “Tah” = 1 beat Say “Half Note” = 2 beats

Say “Half Note Dot” = 3 beats Say “Great big Whole Note” = 4 beats

Quarter Rest, say “Rest” = 1 beat Say “Half Rest” = 2 beats

Say “Great Big Whole Rest” = 4 beats

Rhythm Practice
Clap and count the following rhythms
Remember to only clap when you see a note. Hold hands together for the remainder of
the beats and separate your hands on any rests. Say the name method first, and then try
the number method of counting.

Optional Game: Get out a drum or other musical instrument and have the student play
the rhythm practice and/or rhythm review using the instrument.

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Rhythm Review
Heading 3
Clap and count (with a steady beat) the following rhythms, then play and count.
Count the two ways that were demonstrated on the last page; note name counting
and numbers.

Date Passed________

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Sight Reading 1
Anchor Notes on the Grand staff – Part Four
Let’s add the right middle anchor or right middle line to what you’ve already learned.
First let’s look at where it lives on the keyboard.
Hint: Left TOP line lives on the TOP note inside the three black keys. The left MIDDLE
line lives on the MIDDLE note in between the two black keys. Left BOTTOM line lives
on the BOTTOM note inside the three black keys. The right bottom line lives right
after/above the two black keys and the right middle line lives right after/above the three
black keys.

Here is what they look like on the staff. Draw and label the five anchor notes in the
second measure!

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Touch, Check, Play! As you sight read these songs for the first time, remember to Touch
the note…..Double check it…. then play it, on every note. Don’t worry about rhythm or
lyrics the first time through.

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Interval Training 1
Steps on the keyboard
Try the following exercise:
Press C and then D and say step up as you do it.
Press G and then F and say step down as you do it.
If you press E and then F is it a step up or a step down?

Skips on the keyboard

Play the following examples on the keyboard and say skip up or skip down:
Press C and then E and say skip up as you do it. (It skips D and goes up)
Press E then G and say skip up as you do it. (It skips F and goes up)
Press B then G and say skip down as you do it.
Press A then F and say skip down as you do it.
If you press B and then D, is it a skip up or a skip down?
Steps and Skips on the keyboard review
Review: Play the following notes on the keyboard. On the line provided write Skip
Up or Down, Step Up or Down or Same.

1. C to D 6. B to G
2. D to C 7. A to A
3. G to G 8. A to G
4. E to G 9. G to F
5. F to D 10. G to E

Steps on the staff

A Step on the staff is when a note goes from a space to the immediate line next to it,
either above or below it. Or a step can be from a line to the very next space.
Practice looking at the direction of the notes. Are they going up or down? Is the note
above the line, on the line, or below the line?

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Play and say the following example:

Skips on the staff

A skip on the staff is when the two notes skip a space or a line. All the skip in the
following example, skip a space, or go from line to line.

Play and say the following example. See if you can point out the skip going from a space
to a space.

Optional Game: Play a game with some interval flashcards,

play fish and ask the student if they have a skip up or step
down etc. You can also ask the student to step up or skip
up/down on the keyboard getting faster and faster as you go.

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Interval Review
For extra help with this section, visit TheCompletePianist.com and watch the level One
Interval video.

Say step up/down or skip up/down as you play

Date Passed__________

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Sight Reading 1
Anchor Notes on the Grand staff – Part five
You are now ready to learn the final anchor note! Let’s add the right top anchor or right
top line to what you’ve already learned.

First let’s look at all the anchor notes on the keyboard. Notice that they each skip 3 notes
or are a 5th apart from each other.

Here is what they look like on the staff. Draw and label all six anchor notes in the second
measure!

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Touch, Check, Play! As you sight read these songs for the first time, remember to Touch
the note…..Double check it…. then play it, on every note. Don’t worry about rhythm or
lyrics the first time through.

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Technique Training 1
3 keys or hand positions - snowman group
Place your hands in each of the following positions. The one chord in these groups uses
3 white keys, stack them up and they build a snowman.

Note: In F position finger 4 is on the black key. This black key is called B flat. It
helps to scoot hands more towards the black keys so you can reach the Bb. Flats
and sharps will be covered in more detail in level 2.
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Scale, Cadence and Arpeggio:

In this chart, the scales will be played Hands alone stepping up and down. L.H. stands for
Left Hand. R.H. stands for right hand. Each hand is starting on the first note of the
position and stepping up and then stepping down.
A cadence is a chord or group of chords forming a well known pattern. Our cadence will
be a very simple open 5th for this level. (Hint: Press fingers 1 and 5 at the same time in
each your position)

Arpeggios consist of skips, rather than steps like the scale. Look at the example and
check the fingering.

Transposition means to play a song in one position and then play the same thing in
another key. We are going to learn how to play Hot Cross Buns in C position and then
transpose it to G and F position. Once you learn it, try it in G and F position.

Optional Game: Play Hot Cross Buns without

showing the student the music and then help them
figure it out by ear or repetition. You can also have
the student play a scale or arpeggio, really
low/really high, loudly or softy for variation.

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Technique Review
For extra help with this section, visit TheCompletePianist.com and watch the level One
Technique video.

Start with the Key of C, play the scale, cadence, arpeggio and song. Once that key is
mastered, move on to G position and then F position.

Scales - stepping
Begin with one hand in the position (C position, G position or F position). Play these
scales hands alone, stepping up and down. Start with L.H. finger 5, stepping up to finger
1 then stepping back to finger 5. R.H. starts on finger 1, steps up to finger 5 and then
back down to finger 1.

C position G position F position

Cadences – Chord, 5th

Cadence: At the end of each scale, play an open 5th in the position. (C position, G
position and F position) Hint: Press fingers 1 and 5 together

C position G position F position

Arpeggios - Skipping
Begin with both hands in the position (C position, G position or F position). Press L.H.
finger 5, skip up to finger 3 then finger 1, then play R.H. finger 1, finger 3 then finger 5.
The left hand will then cross over the R.H. and play the same note as R.H. finger 1,
except 1 octave higher. Try to get a smooth, connected sound from note to note.

C position G position F position

Transposing – Song: Hot Cross Buns

Begin with one hand in position (C position, G position or F position) Play Hot Cross
Buns by ear; look back at the previous page for assistance. Once you have learned it in
one hand, try it with the other hand.

C position G position F position

Date Passed________

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Sight Reading 1
Stepping from two anchors – Part Six
Let’s add stepping up or down from both the right bottom anchor and the left top anchor.

First let’s look at where they are on the keyboard. We have the Right bottom line step up
and down and the left top line step up and down.

Here is what they look like on the staff.

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Touch, Check, Play! As you sight read these songs for the first time, remember to Touch
the note…..Double check it…. then play it, on every note. Don’t worry about rhythm or
lyrics the first time through. These songs don’t need to be smooth and perfect. Move on
once you have the notes down. You can come back later to polish them further.

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Flashcard Review
Speed Tests
For extra help or practice, visit TheCompletePianist.com and watch the level One Anchor
Note Flashcard video.

By now you should be able to identify and play the anchor notes, so here you will learn to
play them quickly. Print the anchor note flashcards on the next page of this workbook.
Once you can identify and play each note slowly, set the metronome to 40 bpm. Have a
teacher/friend/parent place a flashcard note in front of you on a beat and then try to play
the note on the next beat. Go through all of the Anchor notes using the same process.
(You are not required to identify the names of the notes at this level. The names will be
covered in levels 2 and 3.) Once you get all of the notes right at 40 bpm, raise the speed
up to 45 and continue the process until you have passed off all the notes at 60 mm.

1. Student has passed off the Anchor notes at 40 bpm____

2. Student has passed off the Anchor notes at 45 bpm____
3. Student has passed off the Anchor notes at 50 bpm____
4. Student has passed off the Anchor notes at 55 bpm____
5. Student has passed off the Anchor notes at 60 bpm____

Another way to test speed is to use a stop watch and write down the fastest scores when
playing the anchor notes all in a row. Have a teacher/friend/parent place the flashcard
notes for you all in a row in any order and play them as quickly as you can.

1. Amount of seconds it took me to play the Anchor Notes ____

2. Amount of seconds it took me to play the Anchor Notes ____
3. Amount of seconds it took me to play the Anchor Notes ____
4. Amount of seconds it took me to play the Anchor Notes ____
5. Amount of seconds it took me to play the Anchor Notes ____

Optional Game: Have the student stand away from

the piano. Call out an anchor note by description and
have them run and play it on the keyboard. Then try
showing them the anchor note and having them run
and touch it on the keyboard. Another way to practice
is to randomly place the anchor note flashcards across
the music stand and let the student play them in that
order, then switch it up.

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Polish Piece
Follow these steps to learn this song in sections. Each section is 2 measures long, except
Section B2 is 3 measures long. You may check off each step as you go! There are
multiple Section A’s and Section B’s throughout the piece. You only need to do the
following steps in one of the sections A’s and one of the Section B’s, since they are
simply repeats of the pattern.

Section A
 Touch…Check…Play Hands alone with finger numbers. (small numbers)
 Write in counting then Play & Count aloud
 Play at least one more time, as smooth and steady as possible
Section B
 Touch…Check…Play Hands alone with finger numbers.
 Write in counting then Play & Count aloud.
 Play at least one more time, as smooth and steady as possible
Section C
 Touch…Check…Play Hands alone with finger numbers.
 Write in counting then Play & Count aloud.
 Play at least one more time, as smooth and steady as possible
Section B2
 Touch…Check…Play Hands alone with finger numbers.
 Write in counting then Play & Count aloud .
 Play at least one more time, as smooth and steady as possible
Whole song:
 Add dynamics (p = soft, f = loud) and practice 3-5x until smooth!
Challenge:
 Go back and polish some of the sight reading songs with the counting! This is
important to ensure you understand the concepts completely before moving on to
the next level!

Polished Stones
Marilee Leishman

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Date Passed____________

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Composition Training 1
Tips for writing on the staff
1. If the note lies below the middle line of the staff, the stem goes up on the right
side like the letter d.

2. If the note lies above the middle line of the staff, the stem goes down on the left
side, think of the letter p.

3. The direction of the stem on the note living on the middle line of a staff can either
go up or down. The whole rests go below the line and half rests are above the line.

Trace a few half rests and whole rests in this example.

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Composition Review
 Look through the Sight Reading pieces that you’ve previously learned throughout
this book for inspiration.
 Use the notes you have learned up to this point for your composition. Any of the 6
anchor notes or the steps up and down from the R. bottom anchor and L. top
anchor can be used.
 Incorporate different lengths of notes, such as quarter, half, dotted half and whole
notes. You can also experiment with using the rests that have been taught in this
level.
 Be sure to write in the counting as you go. This will ensure you have the right
number of beats per measure.
 Feel free to add dynamics!
 Give it a title and write your name as the composer.
 Have Fun!

Title ___________________________________________________________________

Composer___________________

Date Passed________

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Workbook 1 Review
Ear Training Review
 To review Ear Training level 1, go to TheCompletePianist.com and watch the Ear
Training 1 video. Or go back to the Ear Training section at the beginning of this
workbook and have a teacher/friend/parent administer the test to you.

Theory Review
 Write the names of the notes on the following keyboard.

Thinking of the Dog House and Grandpa’s House, answer the following questions:

 Does the Dog house rest on the Two Black Keys or the Three Black Keys?
____________________________________________________________
 Does Grandpa’s house rest on the Two Black Keys or the Three Black Keys?
_____________________________________________________________
 What animal does the letter C stand for? ____________________________
 What animal does the letter D stand for? ____________________________
 What animal does the letter E stand for? _____________________________
 What does the letter F stand for? ___________________________________
 What does the letter G stand for? ____________________________________
 What does the letter A stand for? ____________________________________
 What does the letter B stand for? ____________________________________

 What does the dynamic symbol, F Forte mean? ___________________________

 What does the dynamic symbol, p piano mean? ___________________________
 On the line below, draw and label a Quarter Note, Half Note, Dotted Half Note,
Whole Note, Quarter Rest, Half Rest and Whole Rest. Below each note or rest,
write their value, or how many beats they are worth.

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 On the following staff, draw a treble clef, bass clef, bar line, brace, 4/4 time
signature, double bar line and repeat sign on the grand staff below. Divide the
grand staff into two measures. Draw 6 lines notes in one measure and 6 space
notes in the other measure.

Note and Finger Review

 On the following line, write a Finger Song, and then play it on the piano. Try it
with the R.H. alone and then the L.H. alone. Use all finger numbers, 1 2 3 4 5.

 On the following line, write a Note Song, and then play it on the piano. Use the
entire musical alphabet, A B C D E F G and remember to play it in middle C
position, with both thumbs sharing middle C.

Flashcards
 Draw and label the 6 anchor notes on the following staff.

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Rhythm Review
 Clap/drum or play the following rhythm using a steady beat. Do it twice through
while counting aloud in both of these methods; note names (Half Note, Tah, Rest
etc) and numbers (1 2 3 4). Challenge: Write in both methods of counting below
the measures.

Technique Review
 Play the 5 finger scale followed by the 5th in the keys of C G and F.
 Play the level one arpeggio for the keys of C G and F.
 Play Hot Cross Buns in the keys of C G and F.

Interval Review
 Say “Step Up/Down” or “Skip Up/Down” as you play the next line. Remember to
play the first note without saying anything, and then say the interval while playing
the 2nd note, continue on in that manner.

Composition Review
 Draw a stem on the notes in the first five measures. Make sure they are on the
correct side of the note and pointing in the right direction. Draw a whole rest, half
rest and quarter rest in the last three measures.

Name and Age _________________________________________________________

Date you passed off The Complete Beginner Level One, Hooray! ________________

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