Thank you all for the great replies. This does help, I think I will be spending most of my summer at the music store.

Eric, unfortunately, the New Release Club is not available to us cannucks. I spoke to someone at Faber and advised me they no longer offer it, I was very disappointed.

I do use Faber as my core method books and always thought of supplementary as assignments to work on their weaknesses. After reading all of the posts I see a different reason. Give them something they like and something to reinforce their preferences and strengths. I believe I was thinking of it the wrong way.

Thank you all, great suggestions, and this means I'll be spending more $$$$$. This will definitely be my summer project.

Musica,

I think Jalapeno's point about using music from different publishers is an excellent point. Students can benefit from the different styles offered by the different composers and also from the different ways in which the music is printed on the page. This can vary considerably from one publisher to the next. You don't want to give material that looks too different from their core method to a very beginner, but shouldn't let them grow to expect that all their music will be printed in the same style. Variety helps the student learn to adapt.

No matter how wonderful composers/authors of the method books are (i.e., Nancy and Randall Faber), there always tends to be a similarity in their style of writing. Everyone notices this in works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, etc. so this is hardly a criticism. It's simply a statment of fact. Giving the student supplementary pieces by various composers again helps to keep them from expecting everything to be close to the same. If, heaven forbid, you were to use the Bastien Basics method and also choose all your supplementary books and sheets from the Bastien publications, not only would your poor students (and you) be suffering from the lack of musical interest, but the student might have difficulty playing good pieces by the Fabers or the Noonas, etc. because they seemed too different to him.

This just occurred to me -- the scores themselves of different methods and books (esp. by different publishers) have a different look. Except for young children who do need larger print, it may be helpful for students to read different types of print in notation. I'm thinking of the difference between Carl Fisher, Henle, Faber, Bastien, Thompson, etc....

While it's great that Faber books circle finger number's to indicate a move, student's need to experience score with little to no fingerings or editorial markings. The list of composer's names is RIGHT ON! You can't miss when you buy collections by these composers! Do check out music sales, libraries, and thrift stores. I know I've mentioned this, but I have found some great deals. One was a Durand edition of Debussy's Children's Corner, another was some Granados, mixed in with a lot of Paul Sheftel's music and some old Bastien books. All for about $1 each!

John,
I actually take your suggestion in the opposite direction. I've posted about this before, but here goes with another little explanation. When students start venturing out of stationary positions, I call the various technical means for doing this "Tricks" (loop crossing, scale crossing, shift, extension, contraction, move, etc.)and give the children "Secret Codes" to consistently write in their scores, no matter what publisher they come from. (The Faber circle is one I switched to because it was so much better than the stoopid score-messy arrow I used to use. ) At first I write the Secret Codes in with the student, and later on I observe them writing them in their own scores. Added bonus: prepares them for ornamentation symbols later on. I use Secret Codes when learning new music myself and find it way speeds up the process as the hand learns to automatically do the right thang before a mistake is made and placed forever in the neural pathways.

Back to Musica's original question, I also use supplementary stuff that enhances what they're already good at, the same way I select what they play at recitals. I also feel most supplementary music should best come from a different publisher than the core method to help them become more well-rounded. The problem I find with this is that the PA library has some of the best supplemental material out there, making it difficult to ignore. Another name I would add to the must-have list would be that of John Robert Poe, stuff available from many publishers.

Supplementary books are what I prefer to call student saver books. Students want to learn music that they can play for family & friends, as well as for recitals, etc. The supplementary books, then, serve a variety of purposes. The students get to work on music that they enjoy, & at the same time they're sharpening their sight-reading skills, polishing their technique, & applying their knowledge of theory. I can't imagine teaching piano without using a lot of supplementary books & sheets.

How often do you assign supplementary material, other tnan Christmas and recitals?

Good question, Musica. It seems to depend on the student. Some times when I will assign supplementary music include:

• When a student is bogged down in the core books and needs something easy to bolster their confidence.
• When a student has expressed an inclination towards a specific piece or style of music.
• Specially themed piece for upcoming Recital
• Special Events: Pieces for Holidays or Bar Mitzvahs
• When a student seems bored by the slow steady sequence and thrives on special challenges.
• After the Jury is completed, before beginning the next set of books.

That's just a start. I'm sure other folks have more ideas of when to supplement. Of course, this varies widely from student to student.

You're right, Master Lisa! (when are you not?) I omitted one key word..."also". I wanted to say that while circles are good, students ALSO need......

I like using other books for the reasons you mention; to see how well students can spot moves ON THEIR OWN and work independently.

Musica,

I like to give returning students a neat sheet (usually Halloween - do they do that in Canada?) right at the beginning of the school year so they start off with a bang. Besides Christmas and recitals, I like to pull out the supplemental stuff to give them a spring boost (when they start to get an attitude if ya know what I mean :rolleyes: ) plus for contests and the like.

John,

I am ever so thankful you still refer to moi as Master, especially after that ridiculous faux paus of mine the other day in that little interchange between us.....

Ooh! Ooh! I wanted to mention how helpful it is to give students a form to fill out, with descriptions of various moods, styles, and emotions. An example:

"I like playing pieces that are..."

Cheerful
Fast
Scary
Beautiful
Dreamy
Crazy
Slow
Challenging
Dance-like
Easy
Loud with BIG chords
Move all over the keyboard
(fill in the blank)__________
etc....

Also have "I do not like playing pieces that are..." (ditto)

You'll find that student's preferences will change year to year (day to day?), but having this form on hand will help you when you are searching.

You can also choose the pieces FIRST, and then type out a list describing those pieces, to avoid having to search for something you may not have in your library!