Children sheet music

Methods are sequences

Each method introduces notes, hand positions and rhythms in its own order, and each builds on what the previous book assumed. Starting a child on Book 2 of a method they have not been using is not a shortcut.

Most methods also sell parallel theory, performance and technique books at each level, designed to be used alongside the lesson book. They are genuinely useful, and they are also how a £9 purchase becomes a £30 one — buy the lesson book first and add the others if the child is engaged.

What a first book should have

Large clear notation, few notes per page, and pieces short enough to finish in one sitting. Pre-staff or middle-C-position starts are both defensible; teachers differ, and the one your teacher uses is the right one.

Beyond the method, the best early repertoire is real music written for children by composers who meant it: Schumann's Album für die Jugend, Bartók's For Children, Kabalevsky's Op. 39, and Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young. All are out of copyright and all are better than most graded collections.

Graded exams

If a child is working towards graded exams, the syllabus lists specific pieces from specific books, and buying the wrong edition of the right piece is a common and avoidable expense. Check the current syllabus year — lists rotate, and last year's book may not contain this year's pieces.