The goal of the Piano Companion series is to prepare the piano student to play the music of the masters as soon as possible. Book One introduces the student to the keyboard, reading music, and playing in all major and minor keys. It can be used by students of all ages with the assistance of a qualified piano teacher or for self- directed study. Students with previous piano instruction may use this course as a refresher.

Book One is organized into 17 lessons. The first five lessons introduce the basic concepts of the hands, the keyboard, and reading music. Lessons six through seventeen guide the student through all major and minor keys. The format for these lessons is as follows: each lesson introduces new musical concepts, a major key with its relative minor and their respective hand positions, chords, and musical material, technical exercises reinforcing the new keys, a recital piece as a capstone to each lesson, and theory exercises to reinforce the musical concepts. Each lesson ends with a review of the musical concepts presented in the lesson.

After the student has gone through the first five lessons, the remainder of the lessons are designed to be accomplished, on average, at a rate of one every one to three weeks. While this will vary from student to student, the overall timeframe to complete Book One is 13-38 weeks. The pace of the book may seem accelerated but can be accomplished by a disciplined and dedicated student with the support of family and friends.

Above all, the student should keep in mind that music is an expression of who he/ she is. So, enjoy the music!