John W. Schaum Piano Course A - The Red Book is the second book in the John W. Schaum Piano Course Library. It first received it's copyright in 1945 and has been revised in 1996. It is under Warner Bros. Publication.
Contents
John W. Schaum Piano Course Level A - The Red Book starts off with a list of objectives a student would have learned upon finishing the lessons. The next page offers a space for tracing the student's left and right hand which will help identify finger numbers. Before the lesson proper begins, there are some suggested sight reading drills the student should do before starting every lesson. Following that are the lesson pieces accompanied by illustrations, colorful drawings, tips and mini-lessons on music theory. After music piece no. 14 there is a quiz. The music pieces are arranged so that the student can start off with easy arrangements proceeding to more challenging ones as the lesson progresses. After lesson no. 36 there is another quiz. Finally, in the last page there is a certificate of promotion for the student upon finishing the course.
Pluses (+)
The music pieces are fun to play, the tunes will surely please any beginning piano student, especially children. The colorful drawings add appeal to the book. The quizzes are helpful in reviewing past lessons and making sure that the student understands the lessons.
Minuses (-)
The music theory lessons incorporated in the book needs to be more comprehensive, Deeper explanations of music terms as well as illustrations would be helpful.
The Bottom Line
This book is meant for piano teachers of young students. I like the music pieces and I think young piano students will have fun learning them as well.