Vivace Piano Books: Ground-breaking piano tuition books put students in the driving seat of their own success

With all similarities to standard music tuition books banished from Emily Howell’s Vivace piano course and exercise books, this four-strong series bursts with colour (thanks to its illustrations by Anna Bodrenkova) and songs with different options enabling students to personalise their journey through the book.

Without a nursery rhyme in sight, readers are treated to song choices that inspire practice and musical theory conveyed in a way that doesn’t make you yawn. And the addition of a drumbeat app with the exercise books takes practice to another level.

Modern, relevant and enabling, these ‘go-to’ books are the lightbulb moment that transfers learning to play from your wish-list to an enjoyable reality.

Synopsis:

The first full colour beginners book designed specifically for teenagers and adults; packed full of modern songs, clear explanations (suitable for self-tuition), activities and 28 accompaniments so your teacher can jam along or find them on YouTube.

The books aim to challenge the stereotype and lots of the activities and songs have different options so students can personalise their own journey through the book (i.e. some songs have lyrics for students that enjoy singing and there are improvising and composing options).

This piano course like no other will take you on an adventure around the globe; can you complete the missions, pick up skill points and discover the collectibles to complete all 5 levels?

The exercise books in the series also have a free drumbeat app (available on android) that you can play the piano exercises along to.

The author says:

“Creating and writing my own books has now organically synchronised my style of teaching to the resources we use. The books use strategies developed over years of teaching and incorporate supplementary games and activities that ground in supporting skills such as rhythm, learning notation and knowing note and rest values.”

“Thebooks are full of duets so teachers can jam along; students will love how the duets sound and teachers can develop students’ timing as they guide them through the piece. My titles have a purposeful scope for versatility with multiple options for activities or how to play songs. This flexibility puts the student in the driving seat to personalise their journey and gives lessons a more exploratory feel.”