Get Piano Lesson 5: Free Beginner Lessons for Piano - Left Hand 1 If you're right-handed, this next set of free beginner piano lessons may prove to be a bit of a challenge. Following the unique numbering system for the left hand, we'll play two 15-note chalkboard exercises.
- Download Keyboard Tutorial For Beginners
- Free Keyboard Lessons For Beginners
- Piano Keyboard Lessons For Beginners
You just can't have too much beginner piano music!
Teachers, supplement your piano method:
With FREE DOWN-LOADABLE kids' sheet music,
EASY to intermediate piano songs.
Traditional, and classical.
Scales, chords, & exercises, guides & reference sheets to explain the keyboard, guitar tabs, the music staffs, & more!
New Beginners sheet music for piano, free
Important music sheets for the first week to a month:
Piano Keyboard Charts
First, kids need to practice saying all the notes of the piano keyboard!
Choose one of these handy layouts, from three different styles.
Piano Scales Sheet Music
5-finger scales for shaping the beginner's hand posture.
Starting on C position, and moving up to the next all-white keys position.
These scales are the most important beginning technique my students learn.
With note names inside the note heads, and finger numbers with the first set, students catch on quickly!
Scales for left hand, too.
Wormies - just printable notes!
Not yet true note-reading, but following UP or DOWN.
This little exercise is just looking at the musical staff as a 'ladder'.
One slow note at a time, the notes creep up or down - or stay the same.
Now you will KNOW if your students are understanding the movement of notes on the staff.
These easy sheets are the first things I use with my students!
Some, like the scales & simple chords pictured above, greatly improve students' recall of what we have gone over at lessons.
Others, such as the paper keyboard, become a permanent reference, as we add a new key every week until even the black keys' names are memorized.
Additional beginner sheets and music:
ABC & CDE piano key notes
Simple 3-note songs set around Middle C; one for left hand, and one for right hand.
Black Notes songs
Little songs all on the black keys using only fingers 2, 3, & 4.
Some old, some new, & all easy for beginners!
Check out the long page of black keys songs...
Cat Came Back lyrics, melody & chords
This silly but satisfying song has several versions, with a couple simplified to just 5 fingers.
Irresistible lyrics!
C&B & C&D piano notes for beginners
One for left hand & one for right hand - super-easy note-reading songs.
...is really just a re-named version of 'Snakes Go for a Walk.'
You will find both those sheets at this page.
When students thoroughly 'get' Wormies and Snakes, it's time to graduate to this page, which is almost the same, except for surprising 'hops'!
Dueling C's piano music for beginners
Both hands want to play the Middle C.
Your student must determine which hand it actually belongs to!
Fuzzy Wuzzy
This graphic shows a 'helper notes' version of Fuzzy Wuzzy. (Another arrangement without lettered notes is also on this page.)
Just 5 keys are used in this song about the bear with no hair.
Though this song has skips, it is easy, short, & sweet.
Especially with AlphaNotes!
But there are other arrangements on this page.
Not the melody, but the easy broken chord accompaniment.
You may think think this is way too hard for your young students. Trust me, once they can play a 5-note scale and make a chord, they will be able to play broken chords.
And they are not READING the notes, but following the chord symbols above the music notes.
The first beautiful piano music for my students. It will inspire them.
Indian Dance
High energy with a non-stop melody, this is a song your beginners will be amazed to hear themselves play!
A treble-clef-only version and an 'AlphaNotes' version are also available on this site...
Beginners do well with familiar songs!
They will enjoy it, even if Christmas is far away.
The one shown here has lettered notes, but there are several versions on this page.
An old melody with simple appeals to God.
This is a familiar song to many.
A pretty nursery song, used in the most recent Cinderella movie.
This is a favorite among young girls.
Louie Louie sheet music for piano
Okay - so this is NOT a beginner's version!
But I do have a LETTERED-NOTE version, very easy to read, on the same page.
This 'song' is really just the 3 main chords in the key of C, set to the rhythm of Louie Louie.
A super fun way to understand the I, IV, & V chords.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Use this well-known song as a foundation for left hand chord technique, and also learning to transpose simple melodies.
Several arrangements; some with finger numbers and chord symbols, and some without.
Music Alphabet Song piano notes for kids
From A below Middle C & up to G, alphabet practice!
Instead of 'C' being the note for thumbs to reside on, thumbs are placed on 'D'.
Ode to Joy
The famous song by Beethoven, multiple versions!
Peck! Peck! Peck! beginner piano sheet music
Centered around Middle C, a fun little song about chickens eating.
Staccato is the new thing in this piece.
Pizza Please keyboard music notes
'Hot Cross Buns', with new lyrics about pepperoni and cheese!
Sharks, the Jaws theme song
'Sharks' piano music is a shoo-in for the Jaws theme song; at least, kids think so in my studio!
A very ominous-sounding theme, in the bass clef. Introduce your students early to the sound of 'minor'
The same idea as 'Wormies' (below), but much longer, with smaller note heads
Just like Snakes, but with hidden 'skips'. These are fun to try and spot!
I also have a new version of this exercise - same notes - called 'Crickets Go Hopping'!
It is also on this page.
One slow note at a time, up or down, or the same!
See if your students 'get it.'
Piano Music with Letters, click here
This page is largely beginner piano music.
Some pieces are much more advanced than beginner level, but are included in this list because they have some 'helper' notes added - letters inside the notes.
Though these pieces are real songs, real music, they are also note reading WORKSHEETS in a fun way!
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
All the Pretty Little Horses
Amazing Grace
Arabian Dance
Ash Grove
Beethoven's 5th Symphony
Bingo
Blow, Ye Winds in the Morning
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Cat Came Back lyrics and chords
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly
Egyptian Dance helper version
The Erie Canal Song
The Erie Canal Song helper version
The First Noel
First Noel with some lettered notes
Found a Peanut
Für Elise, by Beethoven
Für Elise original version
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fuzzy Wuzzy helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
God is Good lyrics and music
God is So Good with a left hand part
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen helper version
Greensleeves (What Child is This)
Greensleeves chords & melody with just a few helper notes
Haida
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday with chords
Hark How the Bells (Carol of the Bells)
Hark How the Bells elementary - 3 pages
Have You Seen the Ghost of John
Hungarian Dance #5
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
I'm a Pirate
Indian Dance
Indian Dance helper
Irish Wedding
Irish Wedding 'Helper'
Irish Wedding longer
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas helper version
Kum Ba Yah
Kum Ba Yah helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Lake Pirates helper version
Lavender's Blue, with the 'Cinderella song lyrics'
Lavender's Blue helper version
Louie Louie sheet music for piano
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary Had a Little Lamb alphanotes helper
Minka
Monsters Everywhere
Morning Has Broken
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
O Holy Night
Ode to Joy
Old Joe Clark
Pachelbel Canon in D
Pachelbel Canon in D, longer version
Pizza Please
Sharks, the Jaws theme music in disguise
Sharks, with dynamic markings!
Silent Night
Slumber My Darling (for singers)
Spanish Ladies
Star of the County Down
Star of the County Down helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Tarantelle
The B-I-B-L-E
This Old Man
Toccata by Johann Sebastian Bach, introduction
Toccata, very short
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Up on the Housetop the Reindeer Pause, a Christmas song
Wabash Cannonball
Wabash Cannonball melody, helper
Wabash Cannonball Secondo
Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda with helper notes
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
What Child is This, lettered notes & helper notes
What Do You Do with a Drunken - or GRUMPY - Sailor
What Wondrous Love
White, Orange & Green (for singers)
Wiegenlied, 'Mozart's Cradle Song'
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
The First Year (click here)
Primarily, this page is made up of Middle C music with 'shared-between-the-hands' melodies. Many will be familiar to your students.
Additionally, there are some pieces that make use of left hand chords or very simple accompaniments.
Most of the Middle C melodies have chord suggestions or illustrative graphics for an enterprising accompanist to devise his or her own backup. A few also have written-out secondo parts, for easy duet playing.
Some of the songs duplicate songs for Beginners & also music with lettered notes, but this is because I tend to make songs with multiple levels of difficulty for my students.
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
All the Pretty Little Horses
Amazing Grace
Arabian Dance (from The Nutcracker)
Ash Grove, a Welsh folk song
Away in a Manger
Back and Forth
Be Thou My Vision
B-I-B-L-E
Bingo
Blow Ye Wind
Burleske
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Canon in D (in the key of C)
Cat Came Back
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Cowboy's Lament (I'm Going to Leave Old Texas)
Dipping Donuts
Eensy Weensy Spider
Fairies in the Garden
Farther On
Found a Peanut
For the Beauty of the Earth
Funeral March (Chopin)
Fur Elise
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Go Tell It On the Mountain
Goober Peas
Greensleeves Duet melody
Happy Birthday
Hungarian Dance
If I Give to You My Heart
I'm a Pirate
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Kum Ba Yah
Lavender's Blue, with the Cinderella song lyrics
Little Man Who Wasn't There
Loch Lomond, an old song from Scotland
Minka
The Moldau
Morning Has Broken
O Holy Night
Old Joe Clark
On Top of Old Smoky
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Pat-a-Pan
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Red River Valley
Scarborough Fair
Shalom Chaverim
Sonatina in C by Clementi, easy
Snake Charmer
Spanish Ladies
Star of the County Down
Streets of Laredo
Swan Lake
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Tarantelle, the Spider song
The B-I-B-L-E
Wabash Cannonball
Waltzing Matilda
The Water is Wide
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
What Child is This
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor
Wolken
Yankee Doodle
Yellow Rose of Texas
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
After Year One (click here)
These are piano pieces which involve both hands, or add chord symbols for a made-up left hand.
Most of the pieces fit inside a 5-finger position. Left hand parts are fairly slow-moving, or repetitive.
Take a look at these piano music downloads for your young students moving from Primer music to Levels 1 and 2. standing of chords.
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Blow, Ye Winds in the Morning
Bohemian Lullaby
Can-Can
Canoe Song
Cat Came Back
Cowboy Song
Desert Sounds
Eensy Weensy Spider
Erie Canal
Funeral March
Fur Elise easy
God is So Good
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
How Doth the Little Crocodile
Hungarian Dance
Irish Wedding, easy.
Kum Ba Ya
Lavender's Blue
The Lily Maid
Little Man Who Wasn't There
Louie Louie
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Medieval Bells
The Moldau
Ode to Joy
Old Joe Clark
Pachelbel Canon (in C)
Pachelbel Canon in D
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Sakura
Snake Charmer
Streets of Laredo
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Tarantelle, the Spider song
The B-I-B-L-E
Toccata in Dm by J.S. Bach
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor
Winds in the Willow
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
After Year Two (click here)
Free easy piano sheet music for your students who are past level one.
Now students start using moving chords in the left hand, requiring more hand coordination.
Also, the range of notes is greater than in The First Year and After Year One.
Some, like Harp Ballad, are more appropriate in Year 3 or 4, but for older students, such as students who start as beginners in their teen years, they may reach this level very quickly, with a strong understanding of chords.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)
Angel in the Sky
Bach Minuet in G
Bach Prelude in C
Bingo
Brian Boru's March
Burlesque, by Leopold Mozart
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Cat Came Back - with an active left hand part, this is a challenge for older students
Come Ye Sinners - one of the old gospel hymns
Cowboy's Lament - (I'm Going to Leave Old Texas)
Egyptian Dance
Erie Canal
Funeral March - Chopin's scary 'Halloween music'!
Fur Elise original (part 1) - this is the famous part of the piece
German Dance - by Beethoven. Full of built-in scale passages!
God is So Good
Goober Peas - a fun song from the American South
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Happy Birthday
Harp Ballad - a beautiful piece that will spur your student to new skills!
Hava Nagilah - well-known Hebrew folk song
House of the Rising Sun - with exciting left hand chords
How Doth the Little Crocodile -a creepy-sounding song with lyrics from Alice in Wonderland
Hungarian Dance - Brahms' #5, a duet version
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Irish Wedding - this is the most advanced arrangement of this popular piece that even my beginners play
Kookaburra - A good arrangement for classroom singing.
Lake Pirates - modeled after The Hobbit Soundtrack, Hobbit 3!
Largo, from the New World Symphony - A famous and beautiful theme.
Lavender's Blue - the 'Cinderella song lyrics'!
Louie Louie - a set of chords used as an exercise, that sounds like real music.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Minka - Five different arrangements of this frenzied little tune.
Morning Has Broken - the song made famous by Cat Stevens
My Country 'Tis of Thee (America) - originally from England, known as God Save Our Noble King
Pachelbel Canon in D longer - I have several different arrangements of this piece.
Rain, Rain, Go Away - a duet and a couple of solos are on this page
Red River Valley - Several different arrangements, for the cowboy-loving students in your midst.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Sakura - Very pretty, a Japanese song about cherry blossoms.
Streets of Laredo -Three different arrangements of this old cowboy song.
Swan Lake -There are three arrangements of Tchaikovsky's ballet theme on this page
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - a good song for transposing into different keys
Waltzing Matilda - a famous song from Australia, very pretty
What Will We Do With a Drunken Sailor - an energetic song!
Yellow Rose of Texas - an old song about a pretty lady in Texas
Yo Ho Ho - a song about life at sea
Zum Gali Gali - a pretty minor-scale Hebrew song
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Year Three and After (click here)
These pieces stretch pianists' abilities.
More technique is required, with the use of chord inversions, thicker textures in the melodies, and stretched hand positions.
Additionally, note reading strays far outside the two octaves around Middle C.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Ae Fond Kiss, vocal score & piano music - A tender love song, saying farewell.
Cat Came Back lyrics and music - easy versions and harder arrangements; mix up the descending single-note bass line with triad chords.
Colorado Trail song - this is a cowboy song! It is very short, but very pretty.
De Boself - a simplified arrangement of the original piece by T. Van Oesten; brisk and charming.
Emma, a Jane Austen 'Emma' movie tribute - This is very lovely, and parents love it.
Funeral March by Chopin - A famous and ominous melody.
Gaelic Melody - traditional Celtic music, very lovely
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Goober Peas - a fun song, very singable, from the Civil War South.
Harp Ballad - an important piece in my studio, for beginning with big left hand broken chords. It's very pretty too!
House of the Rising Sun - Several arrangements of this famous piece
Keegan's Waltz - Another very beautiful piece. This has a singable melody and flowing left hand chords.
Lavender's Blue - An easy melody to sing, this piano arrangement makes the melody sound elegant.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Loch Lomond - This is is beautiful traditional song from Scotland.
Louie Louie - This sheet is showing the arrangement with chord INVERSIONS, which require SKILL.
Minka - A song from Russia, or possibly Ukraine. Several arrangements here.
The Minstrel Boy - From Ireland, this is a moving patriotic song.
The Moldau (Short)
The Moldau (Long)
Once I Had a Sweetheart - a vocal/piano arrangement
The Princess Bride - a lovely arrangement of the theme from the movie
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Red River Valley
Sakura
She Moved Through the Fair
Sleepsong
Spanish Ladies, vocal/piano
What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor
White, Orange and Green free Irish sheet music - One of my favorite songs of all time. A patriotic song about a young girl who bravely faces an enemy soldier.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Christmas Music - click here
There are all skill levels of songs represented on this very long (and growing!) page, and most of the pieces have multiple versions, and not just for piano, but guitar and voice!
Also, check on the Black Notes Songs page and the Note Naming Worksheet page for additional, very easy versions of some of these popular songs.
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
All You That in This House - This unusual carol is offered as a lead sheet in several keys, with just one chord, and with an intermediate piano arrangement
Angels We Have Heard On High - Four different versions
Arabian Dance or Arab Dance - intermediate level, from The Nutcracker Suite. Very evocative, very hypnotic.
Arabian Dance - easy arrangement for first or second year
Away in a Manger - an easy but pretty arrangement
Bring a Torch - a fun, bouncy energy characterizes this sweet carol from France.
Carol of the Bells - a very simple approach to Carol of the Bells, also known as 'Hark How the Bells' in my studio
Christ Child's Lullaby - there are no lyrics to this lovely lullaby, but a lilting, unusual melody.
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Christ Was Born On Christmas Day - This little carol can scoot right along, with the fixed left hand chords. Pretty easy.
Coventry Carol - a minor-key song that tells a sad story about a Bible prophecy. Very beautiful, and familiar
Deck the Halls - the sounds of this fun carol immediately call Christmas to mind!
Ding Dong Merrily On High - a pretty carol with energy that is fun to play and sing
Entre le boeuf - a pretty minor French carol, with a new English translation.
The First Noel - several different arrangements, and different keys offered.
The Friendly Beasts -arrangements for guitar, piano, and lead sheets too.
Gaudete - especially for singers, the title of this very old Latin hymn means 'Rejoice!'
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Go Tell It On the Mountain - several versions of this vigorous melody, including an easy and short version of this well-known Christmas song on the black keys.
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen -these arrangement sound full without having to be continually changing left hand chords.
Greensleeves (What Child is This) - as soon as your young students can play broken chords, they will be able to play this beautiful accompaniment part
Greensleeves solo - a full-sounding but simple solo version of the Greensleeves melody
Hark How the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) - a very satisfying three-page easy arrangement of Carol of the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) that sounds much harder than it is - a great favorite!
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - for piano and guitar, with a lyrics sheet too
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
He is Born (Il est ne) - several arrangements of this pretty French Christmas carol
Holly and Ivy - several levels of difficulty for this older English carol with a captivating energy
Jingle Bells - several very easy arrangements of Jingle Bells, and one very full arrangement that will challenge your early intermediate students
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas -this beginner's version of the song has a secondo duet part, and also a version with letters in some of the notes.
Lo, I Bring You Tidings - a newer Christmas carol focusing on the words of the angel to Mary, and her response.
Masters In This Hall - an old song from England with unaccustomed lyrics, about how God has helped mankind. It has an exciting, soaring melody.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - with arrangements for piano and guitar. The piano version is a recital-worthy arrangement, and can be performed with a vocalist.
O Holy Night - a number of different arrangements of this beautiful song
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Pat-a-Pan - a child's song, very energetic, in a minor key. Beautiful and exciting.
Silent Night - perhaps everyone's favorite Christmas carol
Sing We Noel - this is a beautiful and UNFAMILIAR Christmas carol.
Up On the Housetop - a fun song about hearing Santa and his reindeer up on the roof
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Halloween Music - click here
From brand-new Middle C note readers to kids who've been playing for years, there is something on this page for every student!
Some classical music, lots of new music. Please click on the Halloween music link to be taken there!
Please click on the Halloween music link to be taken there!
Thanksgiving Music
I don't have very many of these pieces thanking God for the blessings we have received - I hope to add many more, though!
Doxology (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow)
A very old and SHORT hymn, offered here in many keys.
For the Beauty of the Earth
A very pretty non-denominational sort of hymn... with general lyrics that few people could object to.
For Health & Strength & Daily Bread
Short and repetitious - to the point! Also, it is joyful-sounding and pretty. This is a SINGING round.
Groundhog Day
Just one song - but two versions:
One in which the groundhog is male, and one in which the perky little groundhog is female!
The Groundhog
One or more of your students may think Groundhog Day is worth celebrating with music...
Valentine's Day Songs
Some of these songs have sweet lyrics, and at least one is just silly (Chocolate Romance).
Chocolate Romance
'Truffles, he loves me. Orange, he loves me not!'
If I Give to You My Heart
A sweet little song about promising never to part.
Lavender's Blue, with the Cinderella song lyrics
An old nursery song... but very pretty, unlike so many children's songs! In the Lily James Cinderella movie from just a few years ago, Cinderella is found by the Prince when he hears her singing this song from high in the attic where she is imprisoned by her stepmother.
Wooden Heart
This is a folk tune from Germany, made famous in the United States by Elvis Presley. Because his lyrics are copyrighted, I've supplied alternate lyrics (and you can also sing the German).
Lead Sheets for All Instruments, click here
See all the free lead sheets at Music-for-Music-Teachers!
Most of these sheets are in treble clef, in multiple keys, and many of them also have guitar tabs. A few songs are featured with bass clef.
All of these songs have lyrics & the chord symbols over the staffs - very handy for groups!
The lead sheets are not listed here; please click on the link above to go there.
Left Hand Only or Right Hand Only - click here
Students with one hand do better with music written with them in mind.
Get started on your search for more music for your one-handed student here... Please click on the link above.
Duets & Ensembles for Piano & Keyboard - click here
Piano duet & ensemble sheet music for students of every level; classical, folk tunes, Christmas duets, and some original music!
Please click on the link above.
Piano duet sheet music for students of every level; classical, folk tunes, Christmas duets, and original music. Please click on the link above.
Hymns, Anthems, & Patriotic Songs - click here
These songs are part of the lifeblood of a nation and a people. Here are arrangements easy enough for your young students, and some lovely and 'big' enough for church or other public gatherings. Click the link above to be taken to the page.
Broadway Music - click here
A comprehensive list of the most beloved musicals of all time!
Which ones are right for your beginning singers?
Which songs ought you to be wary of?
Oh, yes; there are definitely a few of those!
Piano Teaching Tools - click here
These pages include:
- paper printouts of piano keyboards,
- scales and chords (both major & minor),
- flashcards large and small,
- exercises such as Hanon & Aloys Schmitt,
- staff paper of all sizes,
- theory exercises,
- ideas for note-reading and also rote learning,
- my favorite book selections, and more.
You will also find vocal & guitar helps on that page. Please click on the link above.
Every kid, every situation is unique... some kids will happily play week after week from their piano method books, enjoying each turn of the page with its new challenge, while others find the books boring and dig in their heels as you attempt to drag them through their lesson book.
Some beginners move along quickly, while others need months and months to digest the small handful of notes around Middle C.
Some kids have heard classical piano music from the time they were born; with others, all they know is video game music.
So how do you choose beginner piano music? Well, all kids love to play what is familiar to them. You will have to stretch them, expanding their tastes, but you must still satisfy their desire to play what sounds like music to them (the reason they were excited to play piano in the first place!) or risk losing them as students.
Never will I forget an account by the late John Holt (writer and early home-schooling advocate, and lover-if-not-master of the cello) in his book, Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story, about meeting another adult cello student.
Like him, she was a beginner, and they were comparing notes (no pun intended). Holt was thoroughly enjoying himself with the growing number of real cello pieces he could play, even though he knew his abilities were modest.
But the poor woman cellist was confined to scales by her teacher, week after week. At the end of each lesson this man would say something like, 'I think you're almost ready for a real piece... but no, we'd better continue with the scales.'
Yikes! Can you imagine?
I don't think too many of us would do that to our students, but the story is a useful reminder that LOVE, a sense of wonder, and excitement are what draw children to music, and we teachers must not forget that.
Scales? Yes. Exercises? Yes. Note-reading? Of course.
But with beginner piano music, always at least one FUN piece, a piece that gives the child something to look forward to at practice time.
Keep looking until you find a piece they enjoy, and they will likely work on it happily until it is perfect.
So where do you find that perfect piece? It's so easy to make a wrong choice for a picky student!
And there's the nagging little voice in the back of your mind reminding you that copying is definitely not legal...
If only there were sources of free kids' sheet music, beginner piano music! Music, in addition, with suggestions for teachers, and stories and tips.
Well, now there is. I have a large and ever-expanding collection of beginner piano music, and what I offer here has been tried and found worthy of keeping!
Much of it is just supplemental to the beginner piano music method books I use, but a lot of it is music I consider essential for my students, to lay down a hands-on foundation of understanding music theory.
Add some spice to your students' music diet without breaking the bank -- almost all the beginner piano music you will find here is free and easily printable, with no strings attached.
Furthermore, you don't have to guess what's there before you hit the 'Download' link - you can look my free sheet music over before downloading it onto your computer!
Recent Articles
Just the Black Keys, for the Younger Pianist
'Just the Black Keys' is a new piano book for young beginners who need more time with simple music. Make that simple music FUN!
Free Printable Piano Sheet Music Golden Wedding Solo, Duet & Trio!
Free printable piano sheet music for solo or keyboard/ piano class Golden Wedding with a lovely minor melody. EASY duet & trio; harder solo!
Happy Birthday Free Sheet Music for Guitar, Piano, & Lead Instruments
Happy Birthday, with several NEW arrangements for piano solo & duet, and guitar tabs, some with a few lettered notes to make it easy for beginners.
Ode to Joy Sheet Music for Piano, Easy Beginner to Advanced
Ode to Joy, now with advanced 'BIG'-sounding arrangements, piano duets, 'Joyful, joyful' lyrics, and multiple beginner and late beginner arrangements.
Just As I Am Without One Plea Easy Piano Arrangement
Just As I Am, without one plea, is an old beloved hymn. Check out two very easy arrangements for your piano students.
Education Music Resources - My Favorites! A Music Teacher's View
Education music resources: here is a list of my favorite materials, whether for piano, voice, guitar or violin student.
Viva la Musica Song - a Round in Three Parts
Viva la musica is a very old round for singing. Find it here for treble and bass voices and for guitar.
Zum Gali Gali Lyrics and Sheet Music
Zum Gali Gali lyrics and easy sheet music for piano, voice, guitar, and lead instruments.
A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Miggy, United Kingdom:
I've just found your website and I think I've died and gone to heaven. I've just taken up the piano again after 35 years absence... buying sheet music was getting expensive/a luxury. The tips are great too. I also live in the middle of nowhere so buying from a shop is not really an option unless I fancy a 120 mile round trip for a piece of sheet music!
April:
Thank you so much for all the information and materials! Your site is very thorough and well organized! I am a piano teacher in New Orleans, LA and in the process of putting together my own curriculum and recordings. You have inspired me to make my materials available to all online!
Kristen:
Hi Dana, I just wanted to send you a short note and say thank you for the AMAZING resources. I've been teaching piano for about 10 years, and I wish I would have come across your website sooner. I've especially been using your songs for my young beginners who are entering 1st grade. Thanks again!
Comments: Do you have a story or a question about music teaching? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Hi Jolly
I'm looking for the words and music to the song Hi Jolly about a camel driver who worked for the US Calvary. Dana: I don't know it, Katie. I suggest …
Should I Ask for Donations, or Charge for Music?
Hello, Let me just say that, as a piano teacher of 20+ years I find your site educational, informative and refreshing! I've been toiling with the …
I Need Help Reading Notes
Dana: I am placing a link to a PDF book here that talks about basic notereading . (I've tried to place this link before; hopefully it will work …
How Do You Find Students and Run a Successful Business In a Small Town?
Rachael says: Hi, just a little note to say I've enjoyed your site. I'm a guitar and piano teacher too.. also living somewhere off the beaten track …
Once I Was a Pretty Good Pianist... Not rated yet
Hi, I took lessons and played piano from 2nd grade through 12th. I wasn't an amazing pianist, but played at the usual level for that many years. I am …
First Piano Lesson Not rated yet
What are the most important things to include in a student's first piano lesson ? Where should I start ? What should I teach first ? Also, can you maybe …
My Student Wants Fast Intermediate Pieces Not rated yet
Hello, Does anyone have suggestions for fast pieces for a student? I would say she's an advanced beginner. She can play a more difficult version of Fur …
O come O come Emmanuel Not rated yet
As a long-time piano teacher, I am always happy when students request pieces that are unfamiliar to most, but so hauntingly beautiful! I love your site. …
Frustrated That I Can't Play Piano as Well as I Once Did Not rated yet
Dear Dana, This website was just a real pleasure to discover... I cannot wait to be able to play piano again! I thought you could maybe help me with …
Awesome! Not rated yet
I was looking for some Christmas music for my beginner students and a co-worker sent me a link to this page. I can't wait to use some of the music with …
Somewhere in time Not rated yet
Can you do the beginner sheet music for Somewhere in Time that my daughter can learn to play. Thanks Dana Sorry, Aaron, but this music is under …
This is a wonderful site Not rated yet
This a wonderful site. I am teaching my younger sister to play the piano and she picked it up in 5 minutes and of course I will donate it will be my pleassure. …
¿Puedo...? Not rated yet
¿Puedo decir la partitura exacta que quiero? Dana : Hi, Bego, English please... I am not too good at Spanish. Only what you can find on my site …
I'm confused...! Not rated yet
I learnt how to play piano and was really good at it and accepted the challenges...but it got really hard and I gave it up and didn't practise it for a …
Mother of 10 Year Old Boy Piano Player Not rated yet
I was wondering if you had any piano sheet music for songs about hockey? My son will be participating in a Music Bridges Performance and he chose hockey …
Rustic Chapel - Do you know it? Not rated yet
I cannot remember the name for sure, it was a piece I played probably in the early 50s. what do I need I need to do to get more information on your …
Do You Have Any Suggestions for a Non-Traditional Method/Course? Not rated yet
Loved your site, especially the tips for teaching improv. I am looking for a beginner's piano method to teach my children. Do you have any suggestions …
Older player likes chords and scales Not rated yet
Thank you so much for the time you put into creating the chords and scales, as I'm studying on my own the grade two material and needed to know the fingering …
Thanks so much! Not rated yet
I used to learn piano but my teacher went away and I found this website the best, now I have some music to read and play. I like the carols the best …
Absolutely Wonderful! Not rated yet
I was always interested in playing the piano as a child, but never had the chance to. Now as a mother I wanted to give my son a chance to appreciate …
Do you have clarinet sheet music? Not rated yet
Do you have clarinet sheet music? Dana: Hi, Katy, For clarinet sheet music, the best bet is my long list of LEAD SHEETS . These are mostly …
Easy way to know your piano notes. Not rated yet
I noticed the first day when I practiced my recorder,it has the same exact notes as on piano, and on sheet music the notes look exactly the same. So if …
I Just Began Playing Piano... What Should I Do First? Not rated yet
I just began playing piano and I wanted to know what I should do first? There are so many different sites that say so many different things and I dont …
I Really Love Piano Not rated yet
Hi, I'm 22 and I love really love piano. But in my country the piano is really expensive and in this 22 years I only dream about it at night. I hope …
Shoshone Love Song? Not rated yet
Any chance of a search option on your site please? The range is so extensive it is difficult to find a particular piece. Thanks Dana: A search …
Concerned Teacher -- Why isn't the song I want here? Not rated yet
My kids love the song Mary Did You Know. But for some reason it's not on here. I also love that song. So it would be nice to Have Mary Did You Know. …
The Day I Learned Piano Not rated yet
The day I learned piano was the happiest day of my life. My piano teacher is named Muad Carroll. She is 90 years old but she has the hand of a cheetah. …
Could You Offer Songs Like Grease? Not rated yet
Ok I have found a few great songs that I think I would love but I have done a few of them already. I need some sheet music to play that is fun and upbeat …
GREAT WEBSITE! Not rated yet
Great website I'm telling everyone I know who loves the piano!!!!!!!!!!!! Dana: Thanks, Kiah!
Voice and Piano Teacher Not rated yet
This site is FABULOUS. For all the reasons you explain on the site itself--this is exactly what piano teachers need! (I still need to go look at the …
Awesome Not rated yet
Awesome! Thank you for your piano music. I love it! I actually am not a teacher except to myself. I am ten years old and am trying (and succeeding) to …
Teaching for the First Time Not rated yet
I'm 11 (I'm not kidding!) and am supposed to teach my 6 year old brother to play a song on the piano while his two friends sing to it. His friends are …
Hello, I'm a beginner here and I have a question... Not rated yet
Do all beginners get good after the first semester..? Dana: No, Kitty, like most of life's pursuits, you get out of music what you put into it. …
Thank You Not rated yet
Thank you for your web site. My children and I will enjoy playing the music you have available.
Part of Your World Not rated yet
Why don't you have Disney music on here? Every child loves, let's say for instance, Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. So if you want more people …
Comments
Have your say... Leave me a comment in the box below.You just can't have too much beginner piano music!
Teachers, supplement your piano method:
With FREE DOWN-LOADABLE kids' sheet music,
EASY to intermediate piano songs.
Traditional, and classical.
Scales, chords, & exercises, guides & reference sheets to explain the keyboard, guitar tabs, the music staffs, & more!
New Beginners sheet music for piano, free
Important music sheets for the first week to a month:
Piano Keyboard Charts
First, kids need to practice saying all the notes of the piano keyboard!
Choose one of these handy layouts, from three different styles.
Piano Scales Sheet Music
5-finger scales for shaping the beginner's hand posture.
Starting on C position, and moving up to the next all-white keys position.
These scales are the most important beginning technique my students learn.
With note names inside the note heads, and finger numbers with the first set, students catch on quickly!
Scales for left hand, too.
Wormies - just printable notes!
Not yet true note-reading, but following UP or DOWN.
This little exercise is just looking at the musical staff as a 'ladder'.
One slow note at a time, the notes creep up or down - or stay the same.
Now you will KNOW if your students are understanding the movement of notes on the staff.
These easy sheets are the first things I use with my students!
Some, like the scales & simple chords pictured above, greatly improve students' recall of what we have gone over at lessons.
Others, such as the paper keyboard, become a permanent reference, as we add a new key every week until even the black keys' names are memorized.
Additional beginner sheets and music:
ABC & CDE piano key notes
Simple 3-note songs set around Middle C; one for left hand, and one for right hand.
Black Notes songs
Little songs all on the black keys using only fingers 2, 3, & 4.
Some old, some new, & all easy for beginners!
Check out the long page of black keys songs...
Cat Came Back lyrics, melody & chords
This silly but satisfying song has several versions, with a couple simplified to just 5 fingers.
Irresistible lyrics!
C&B & C&D piano notes for beginners
One for left hand & one for right hand - super-easy note-reading songs.
...is really just a re-named version of 'Snakes Go for a Walk.'
You will find both those sheets at this page.
When students thoroughly 'get' Wormies and Snakes, it's time to graduate to this page, which is almost the same, except for surprising 'hops'!
Dueling C's piano music for beginners
Both hands want to play the Middle C.
Your student must determine which hand it actually belongs to!
Fuzzy Wuzzy
This graphic shows a 'helper notes' version of Fuzzy Wuzzy. (Another arrangement without lettered notes is also on this page.)
Just 5 keys are used in this song about the bear with no hair.
Though this song has skips, it is easy, short, & sweet.
Especially with AlphaNotes!
But there are other arrangements on this page.
Not the melody, but the easy broken chord accompaniment.
You may think think this is way too hard for your young students. Trust me, once they can play a 5-note scale and make a chord, they will be able to play broken chords.
And they are not READING the notes, but following the chord symbols above the music notes.
The first beautiful piano music for my students. It will inspire them.
Indian Dance
High energy with a non-stop melody, this is a song your beginners will be amazed to hear themselves play!
A treble-clef-only version and an 'AlphaNotes' version are also available on this site...
Beginners do well with familiar songs!
They will enjoy it, even if Christmas is far away.
The one shown here has lettered notes, but there are several versions on this page.
An old melody with simple appeals to God.
This is a familiar song to many.
A pretty nursery song, used in the most recent Cinderella movie.
This is a favorite among young girls.
Louie Louie sheet music for piano
Okay - so this is NOT a beginner's version!
But I do have a LETTERED-NOTE version, very easy to read, on the same page.
This 'song' is really just the 3 main chords in the key of C, set to the rhythm of Louie Louie.
A super fun way to understand the I, IV, & V chords.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Use this well-known song as a foundation for left hand chord technique, and also learning to transpose simple melodies.
Several arrangements; some with finger numbers and chord symbols, and some without.
Music Alphabet Song piano notes for kids
From A below Middle C & up to G, alphabet practice!
Instead of 'C' being the note for thumbs to reside on, thumbs are placed on 'D'.
Ode to Joy
The famous song by Beethoven, multiple versions!
Peck! Peck! Peck! beginner piano sheet music
Centered around Middle C, a fun little song about chickens eating.
Staccato is the new thing in this piece.
Pizza Please keyboard music notes
'Hot Cross Buns', with new lyrics about pepperoni and cheese!
Sharks, the Jaws theme song
'Sharks' piano music is a shoo-in for the Jaws theme song; at least, kids think so in my studio!
A very ominous-sounding theme, in the bass clef. Introduce your students early to the sound of 'minor'
The same idea as 'Wormies' (below), but much longer, with smaller note heads
Just like Snakes, but with hidden 'skips'. These are fun to try and spot!
I also have a new version of this exercise - same notes - called 'Crickets Go Hopping'!
It is also on this page.
One slow note at a time, up or down, or the same!
See if your students 'get it.'
Piano Music with Letters, click here
This page is largely beginner piano music.
Some pieces are much more advanced than beginner level, but are included in this list because they have some 'helper' notes added - letters inside the notes.
Though these pieces are real songs, real music, they are also note reading WORKSHEETS in a fun way!
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
All the Pretty Little Horses
Amazing Grace
Arabian Dance
Ash Grove
Beethoven's 5th Symphony
Bingo
Blow, Ye Winds in the Morning
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Cat Came Back lyrics and chords
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly
Egyptian Dance helper version
The Erie Canal Song
The Erie Canal Song helper version
The First Noel
First Noel with some lettered notes
Found a Peanut
Für Elise, by Beethoven
Für Elise original version
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fuzzy Wuzzy helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
God is Good lyrics and music
God is So Good with a left hand part
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen helper version
Greensleeves (What Child is This)
Greensleeves chords & melody with just a few helper notes
Haida
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday with chords
Hark How the Bells (Carol of the Bells)
Hark How the Bells elementary - 3 pages
Have You Seen the Ghost of John
Hungarian Dance #5
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
I'm a Pirate
Indian Dance
Indian Dance helper
Irish Wedding
Irish Wedding 'Helper'
Irish Wedding longer
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas helper version
Kum Ba Yah
Kum Ba Yah helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Lake Pirates helper version
Lavender's Blue, with the 'Cinderella song lyrics'
Lavender's Blue helper version
Louie Louie sheet music for piano
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary Had a Little Lamb alphanotes helper
Minka
Monsters Everywhere
Morning Has Broken
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
O Holy Night
Ode to Joy
Old Joe Clark
Pachelbel Canon in D
Pachelbel Canon in D, longer version
Pizza Please
Sharks, the Jaws theme music in disguise
Sharks, with dynamic markings!
Silent Night
Slumber My Darling (for singers)
Spanish Ladies
Star of the County Down
Star of the County Down helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Tarantelle
The B-I-B-L-E
This Old Man
Toccata by Johann Sebastian Bach, introduction
Toccata, very short
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star helper version
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
Up on the Housetop the Reindeer Pause, a Christmas song
Wabash Cannonball
Wabash Cannonball melody, helper
Wabash Cannonball Secondo
Waltzing Matilda
Waltzing Matilda with helper notes
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
What Child is This, lettered notes & helper notes
What Do You Do with a Drunken - or GRUMPY - Sailor
What Wondrous Love
White, Orange & Green (for singers)
Wiegenlied, 'Mozart's Cradle Song'
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see the piano music with letters page, 'Note-Naming Worksheets'!
The First Year (click here)
Primarily, this page is made up of Middle C music with 'shared-between-the-hands' melodies. Many will be familiar to your students.
Additionally, there are some pieces that make use of left hand chords or very simple accompaniments.
Most of the Middle C melodies have chord suggestions or illustrative graphics for an enterprising accompanist to devise his or her own backup. A few also have written-out secondo parts, for easy duet playing.
Some of the songs duplicate songs for Beginners & also music with lettered notes, but this is because I tend to make songs with multiple levels of difficulty for my students.
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
All the Pretty Little Horses
Amazing Grace
Arabian Dance (from The Nutcracker)
Ash Grove, a Welsh folk song
Away in a Manger
Back and Forth
Be Thou My Vision
B-I-B-L-E
Bingo
Blow Ye Wind
Burleske
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Canon in D (in the key of C)
Cat Came Back
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Cowboy's Lament (I'm Going to Leave Old Texas)
Dipping Donuts
Eensy Weensy Spider
Fairies in the Garden
Farther On
Found a Peanut
For the Beauty of the Earth
Funeral March (Chopin)
Fur Elise
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Go Tell It On the Mountain
Goober Peas
Greensleeves Duet melody
Happy Birthday
Hungarian Dance
If I Give to You My Heart
I'm a Pirate
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Kum Ba Yah
Lavender's Blue, with the Cinderella song lyrics
Little Man Who Wasn't There
Loch Lomond, an old song from Scotland
Minka
The Moldau
Morning Has Broken
O Holy Night
Old Joe Clark
On Top of Old Smoky
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Pat-a-Pan
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Red River Valley
Scarborough Fair
Shalom Chaverim
Sonatina in C by Clementi, easy
Snake Charmer
Spanish Ladies
Star of the County Down
Streets of Laredo
Swan Lake
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Tarantelle, the Spider song
The B-I-B-L-E
Wabash Cannonball
Waltzing Matilda
The Water is Wide
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
What Child is This
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor
Wolken
Yankee Doodle
Yellow Rose of Texas
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see the 'The First Year' sheet music!
After Year One (click here)
These are piano pieces which involve both hands, or add chord symbols for a made-up left hand.
Most of the pieces fit inside a 5-finger position. Left hand parts are fairly slow-moving, or repetitive.
Take a look at these piano music downloads for your young students moving from Primer music to Levels 1 and 2. standing of chords.
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Blow, Ye Winds in the Morning
Bohemian Lullaby
Can-Can
Canoe Song
Cat Came Back
Cowboy Song
Desert Sounds
Eensy Weensy Spider
Erie Canal
Funeral March
Fur Elise easy
God is So Good
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
How Doth the Little Crocodile
Hungarian Dance
Irish Wedding, easy.
Kum Ba Ya
Lavender's Blue
The Lily Maid
Little Man Who Wasn't There
Louie Louie
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Medieval Bells
The Moldau
Ode to Joy
Old Joe Clark
Pachelbel Canon (in C)
Pachelbel Canon in D
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Sakura
Snake Charmer
Streets of Laredo
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
Tarantelle, the Spider song
The B-I-B-L-E
Toccata in Dm by J.S. Bach
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor
Winds in the Willow
Yo Ho Ho
Go here to see 'After Year One' sheet music!
After Year Two (click here)
Free easy piano sheet music for your students who are past level one.
Now students start using moving chords in the left hand, requiring more hand coordination.
Also, the range of notes is greater than in The First Year and After Year One.
Some, like Harp Ballad, are more appropriate in Year 3 or 4, but for older students, such as students who start as beginners in their teen years, they may reach this level very quickly, with a strong understanding of chords.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)
Angel in the Sky
Bach Minuet in G
Bach Prelude in C
Bingo
Brian Boru's March
Burlesque, by Leopold Mozart
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Cat Came Back - with an active left hand part, this is a challenge for older students
Come Ye Sinners - one of the old gospel hymns
Cowboy's Lament - (I'm Going to Leave Old Texas)
Egyptian Dance
Erie Canal
Funeral March - Chopin's scary 'Halloween music'!
Fur Elise original (part 1) - this is the famous part of the piece
German Dance - by Beethoven. Full of built-in scale passages!
God is So Good
Goober Peas - a fun song from the American South
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Happy Birthday
Harp Ballad - a beautiful piece that will spur your student to new skills!
Hava Nagilah - well-known Hebrew folk song
House of the Rising Sun - with exciting left hand chords
How Doth the Little Crocodile -a creepy-sounding song with lyrics from Alice in Wonderland
Download Keyboard Tutorial For Beginners
Hungarian Dance - Brahms' #5, a duet version
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Irish Wedding - this is the most advanced arrangement of this popular piece that even my beginners play
Kookaburra - A good arrangement for classroom singing.
Lake Pirates - modeled after The Hobbit Soundtrack, Hobbit 3!
Largo, from the New World Symphony - A famous and beautiful theme.
Lavender's Blue - the 'Cinderella song lyrics'!
Louie Louie - a set of chords used as an exercise, that sounds like real music.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Minka - Five different arrangements of this frenzied little tune.
Morning Has Broken - the song made famous by Cat Stevens
My Country 'Tis of Thee (America) - originally from England, known as God Save Our Noble King
Pachelbel Canon in D longer - I have several different arrangements of this piece.
Rain, Rain, Go Away - a duet and a couple of solos are on this page
Red River Valley - Several different arrangements, for the cowboy-loving students in your midst.
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Sakura - Very pretty, a Japanese song about cherry blossoms.
Streets of Laredo -Three different arrangements of this old cowboy song.
Swan Lake -There are three arrangements of Tchaikovsky's ballet theme on this page
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - a good song for transposing into different keys
Waltzing Matilda - a famous song from Australia, very pretty
What Will We Do With a Drunken Sailor - an energetic song!
Yellow Rose of Texas - an old song about a pretty lady in Texas
Yo Ho Ho - a song about life at sea
Zum Gali Gali - a pretty minor-scale Hebrew song
Go here to see the 'After Year Two' sheet music!
Year Three and After (click here)
These pieces stretch pianists' abilities.
More technique is required, with the use of chord inversions, thicker textures in the melodies, and stretched hand positions.
Additionally, note reading strays far outside the two octaves around Middle C.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Ae Fond Kiss, vocal score & piano music - A tender love song, saying farewell.
Cat Came Back lyrics and music - easy versions and harder arrangements; mix up the descending single-note bass line with triad chords.
Colorado Trail song - this is a cowboy song! It is very short, but very pretty.
De Boself - a simplified arrangement of the original piece by T. Van Oesten; brisk and charming.
Emma, a Jane Austen 'Emma' movie tribute - This is very lovely, and parents love it.
Funeral March by Chopin - A famous and ominous melody.
Gaelic Melody - traditional Celtic music, very lovely
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Goober Peas - a fun song, very singable, from the Civil War South.
Harp Ballad - an important piece in my studio, for beginning with big left hand broken chords. It's very pretty too!
House of the Rising Sun - Several arrangements of this famous piece
Keegan's Waltz - Another very beautiful piece. This has a singable melody and flowing left hand chords.
Lavender's Blue - An easy melody to sing, this piano arrangement makes the melody sound elegant.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Loch Lomond - This is is beautiful traditional song from Scotland.
Louie Louie - This sheet is showing the arrangement with chord INVERSIONS, which require SKILL.
Minka - A song from Russia, or possibly Ukraine. Several arrangements here.
The Minstrel Boy - From Ireland, this is a moving patriotic song.
The Moldau (Short)
The Moldau (Long)
Once I Had a Sweetheart - a vocal/piano arrangement
The Princess Bride - a lovely arrangement of the theme from the movie
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Red River Valley
Sakura
She Moved Through the Fair
Sleepsong
Spanish Ladies, vocal/piano
What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor
White, Orange and Green free Irish sheet music - One of my favorite songs of all time. A patriotic song about a young girl who bravely faces an enemy soldier.
Go here to see the 'Year Three and After' sheet music!
Christmas Music - click here
There are all skill levels of songs represented on this very long (and growing!) page, and most of the pieces have multiple versions, and not just for piano, but guitar and voice!
Also, check on the Black Notes Songs page and the Note Naming Worksheet page for additional, very easy versions of some of these popular songs.
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
All You That in This House - This unusual carol is offered as a lead sheet in several keys, with just one chord, and with an intermediate piano arrangement
Angels We Have Heard On High - Four different versions
Arabian Dance or Arab Dance - intermediate level, from The Nutcracker Suite. Very evocative, very hypnotic.
Arabian Dance - easy arrangement for first or second year
Away in a Manger - an easy but pretty arrangement
Bring a Torch - a fun, bouncy energy characterizes this sweet carol from France.
Carol of the Bells - a very simple approach to Carol of the Bells, also known as 'Hark How the Bells' in my studio
Christ Child's Lullaby - there are no lyrics to this lovely lullaby, but a lilting, unusual melody.
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Christ Was Born On Christmas Day - This little carol can scoot right along, with the fixed left hand chords. Pretty easy.
Coventry Carol - a minor-key song that tells a sad story about a Bible prophecy. Very beautiful, and familiar
Deck the Halls - the sounds of this fun carol immediately call Christmas to mind!
Ding Dong Merrily On High - a pretty carol with energy that is fun to play and sing
Entre le boeuf - a pretty minor French carol, with a new English translation.
The First Noel - several different arrangements, and different keys offered.
The Friendly Beasts -arrangements for guitar, piano, and lead sheets too.
Gaudete - especially for singers, the title of this very old Latin hymn means 'Rejoice!'
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Go Tell It On the Mountain - several versions of this vigorous melody, including an easy and short version of this well-known Christmas song on the black keys.
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen -these arrangement sound full without having to be continually changing left hand chords.
Greensleeves (What Child is This) - as soon as your young students can play broken chords, they will be able to play this beautiful accompaniment part
Greensleeves solo - a full-sounding but simple solo version of the Greensleeves melody
Hark How the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) - a very satisfying three-page easy arrangement of Carol of the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) that sounds much harder than it is - a great favorite!
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - for piano and guitar, with a lyrics sheet too
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
He is Born (Il est ne) - several arrangements of this pretty French Christmas carol
Holly and Ivy - several levels of difficulty for this older English carol with a captivating energy
Jingle Bells - several very easy arrangements of Jingle Bells, and one very full arrangement that will challenge your early intermediate students
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas -this beginner's version of the song has a secondo duet part, and also a version with letters in some of the notes.
Lo, I Bring You Tidings - a newer Christmas carol focusing on the words of the angel to Mary, and her response.
Masters In This Hall - an old song from England with unaccustomed lyrics, about how God has helped mankind. It has an exciting, soaring melody.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - with arrangements for piano and guitar. The piano version is a recital-worthy arrangement, and can be performed with a vocalist.
O Holy Night - a number of different arrangements of this beautiful song
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Pat-a-Pan - a child's song, very energetic, in a minor key. Beautiful and exciting.
Silent Night - perhaps everyone's favorite Christmas carol
Sing We Noel - this is a beautiful and UNFAMILIAR Christmas carol.
Up On the Housetop - a fun song about hearing Santa and his reindeer up on the roof
Go here to see the Christmas sheet music for piano!
Halloween Music - click here
From brand-new Middle C note readers to kids who've been playing for years, there is something on this page for every student!
Some classical music, lots of new music. Please click on the Halloween music link to be taken there!
Please click on the Halloween music link to be taken there!
Thanksgiving Music
I don't have very many of these pieces thanking God for the blessings we have received - I hope to add many more, though!
Doxology (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow)
A very old and SHORT hymn, offered here in many keys.
For the Beauty of the Earth
A very pretty non-denominational sort of hymn... with general lyrics that few people could object to.
For Health & Strength & Daily Bread
Short and repetitious - to the point! Also, it is joyful-sounding and pretty. This is a SINGING round.
Groundhog Day
Just one song - but two versions:
One in which the groundhog is male, and one in which the perky little groundhog is female!
The Groundhog
One or more of your students may think Groundhog Day is worth celebrating with music...
Valentine's Day Songs
Some of these songs have sweet lyrics, and at least one is just silly (Chocolate Romance).
Chocolate Romance
'Truffles, he loves me. Orange, he loves me not!'
If I Give to You My Heart
A sweet little song about promising never to part.
Lavender's Blue, with the Cinderella song lyrics
An old nursery song... but very pretty, unlike so many children's songs! In the Lily James Cinderella movie from just a few years ago, Cinderella is found by the Prince when he hears her singing this song from high in the attic where she is imprisoned by her stepmother.
Wooden Heart
This is a folk tune from Germany, made famous in the United States by Elvis Presley. Because his lyrics are copyrighted, I've supplied alternate lyrics (and you can also sing the German).
Lead Sheets for All Instruments, click here
See all the free lead sheets at Music-for-Music-Teachers!
Most of these sheets are in treble clef, in multiple keys, and many of them also have guitar tabs. A few songs are featured with bass clef.
All of these songs have lyrics & the chord symbols over the staffs - very handy for groups!
The lead sheets are not listed here; please click on the link above to go there.
Left Hand Only or Right Hand Only - click here
Students with one hand do better with music written with them in mind.
Get started on your search for more music for your one-handed student here... Please click on the link above.
Duets & Ensembles for Piano & Keyboard - click here
Piano duet & ensemble sheet music for students of every level; classical, folk tunes, Christmas duets, and some original music!
Please click on the link above.
Piano duet sheet music for students of every level; classical, folk tunes, Christmas duets, and original music. Please click on the link above.
Hymns, Anthems, & Patriotic Songs - click here
These songs are part of the lifeblood of a nation and a people. Here are arrangements easy enough for your young students, and some lovely and 'big' enough for church or other public gatherings. Click the link above to be taken to the page.
Broadway Music - click here
A comprehensive list of the most beloved musicals of all time!
Which ones are right for your beginning singers?
Which songs ought you to be wary of?
Oh, yes; there are definitely a few of those!
Piano Teaching Tools - click here
These pages include:
- paper printouts of piano keyboards,
- scales and chords (both major & minor),
- flashcards large and small,
- exercises such as Hanon & Aloys Schmitt,
- staff paper of all sizes,
- theory exercises,
- ideas for note-reading and also rote learning,
- my favorite book selections, and more.
You will also find vocal & guitar helps on that page. Please click on the link above.
Every kid, every situation is unique... some kids will happily play week after week from their piano method books, enjoying each turn of the page with its new challenge, while others find the books boring and dig in their heels as you attempt to drag them through their lesson book.
Some beginners move along quickly, while others need months and months to digest the small handful of notes around Middle C.
Some kids have heard classical piano music from the time they were born; with others, all they know is video game music.
So how do you choose beginner piano music? Well, all kids love to play what is familiar to them. You will have to stretch them, expanding their tastes, but you must still satisfy their desire to play what sounds like music to them (the reason they were excited to play piano in the first place!) or risk losing them as students.
Never will I forget an account by the late John Holt (writer and early home-schooling advocate, and lover-if-not-master of the cello) in his book, Never Too Late: My Musical Life Story, about meeting another adult cello student.
Like him, she was a beginner, and they were comparing notes (no pun intended). Holt was thoroughly enjoying himself with the growing number of real cello pieces he could play, even though he knew his abilities were modest.
But the poor woman cellist was confined to scales by her teacher, week after week. At the end of each lesson this man would say something like, 'I think you're almost ready for a real piece... but no, we'd better continue with the scales.'
Yikes! Can you imagine?
I don't think too many of us would do that to our students, but the story is a useful reminder that LOVE, a sense of wonder, and excitement are what draw children to music, and we teachers must not forget that.
Scales? Yes. Exercises? Yes. Note-reading? Of course.
But with beginner piano music, always at least one FUN piece, a piece that gives the child something to look forward to at practice time.
Keep looking until you find a piece they enjoy, and they will likely work on it happily until it is perfect.
So where do you find that perfect piece? It's so easy to make a wrong choice for a picky student!
And there's the nagging little voice in the back of your mind reminding you that copying is definitely not legal...
Free Keyboard Lessons For Beginners
If only there were sources of free kids' sheet music, beginner piano music! Music, in addition, with suggestions for teachers, and stories and tips.
Well, now there is. I have a large and ever-expanding collection of beginner piano music, and what I offer here has been tried and found worthy of keeping!
Much of it is just supplemental to the beginner piano music method books I use, but a lot of it is music I consider essential for my students, to lay down a hands-on foundation of understanding music theory.
Add some spice to your students' music diet without breaking the bank -- almost all the beginner piano music you will find here is free and easily printable, with no strings attached.
Furthermore, you don't have to guess what's there before you hit the 'Download' link - you can look my free sheet music over before downloading it onto your computer!
Recent Articles
Just the Black Keys, for the Younger Pianist
'Just the Black Keys' is a new piano book for young beginners who need more time with simple music. Make that simple music FUN!
Free Printable Piano Sheet Music Golden Wedding Solo, Duet & Trio!
Free printable piano sheet music for solo or keyboard/ piano class Golden Wedding with a lovely minor melody. EASY duet & trio; harder solo!
Happy Birthday Free Sheet Music for Guitar, Piano, & Lead Instruments
Happy Birthday, with several NEW arrangements for piano solo & duet, and guitar tabs, some with a few lettered notes to make it easy for beginners.
Ode to Joy Sheet Music for Piano, Easy Beginner to Advanced
Ode to Joy, now with advanced 'BIG'-sounding arrangements, piano duets, 'Joyful, joyful' lyrics, and multiple beginner and late beginner arrangements.
Just As I Am Without One Plea Easy Piano Arrangement
Just As I Am, without one plea, is an old beloved hymn. Check out two very easy arrangements for your piano students.
Education Music Resources - My Favorites! A Music Teacher's View
Education music resources: here is a list of my favorite materials, whether for piano, voice, guitar or violin student.
Viva la Musica Song - a Round in Three Parts
Viva la musica is a very old round for singing. Find it here for treble and bass voices and for guitar.
Zum Gali Gali Lyrics and Sheet Music
Zum Gali Gali lyrics and easy sheet music for piano, voice, guitar, and lead instruments.
A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Miggy, United Kingdom:
I've just found your website and I think I've died and gone to heaven. I've just taken up the piano again after 35 years absence... buying sheet music was getting expensive/a luxury. The tips are great too. I also live in the middle of nowhere so buying from a shop is not really an option unless I fancy a 120 mile round trip for a piece of sheet music!
Piano Keyboard Lessons For Beginners
April:
Thank you so much for all the information and materials! Your site is very thorough and well organized! I am a piano teacher in New Orleans, LA and in the process of putting together my own curriculum and recordings. You have inspired me to make my materials available to all online!
Kristen:
Hi Dana, I just wanted to send you a short note and say thank you for the AMAZING resources. I've been teaching piano for about 10 years, and I wish I would have come across your website sooner. I've especially been using your songs for my young beginners who are entering 1st grade. Thanks again!
Comments: Do you have a story or a question about music teaching? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Hi Jolly
I'm looking for the words and music to the song Hi Jolly about a camel driver who worked for the US Calvary. Dana: I don't know it, Katie. I suggest …
Should I Ask for Donations, or Charge for Music?
Hello, Let me just say that, as a piano teacher of 20+ years I find your site educational, informative and refreshing! I've been toiling with the …
I Need Help Reading Notes
Dana: I am placing a link to a PDF book here that talks about basic notereading . (I've tried to place this link before; hopefully it will work …
How Do You Find Students and Run a Successful Business In a Small Town?
Rachael says: Hi, just a little note to say I've enjoyed your site. I'm a guitar and piano teacher too.. also living somewhere off the beaten track …
Once I Was a Pretty Good Pianist... Not rated yet
Hi, I took lessons and played piano from 2nd grade through 12th. I wasn't an amazing pianist, but played at the usual level for that many years. I am …
First Piano Lesson Not rated yet
What are the most important things to include in a student's first piano lesson ? Where should I start ? What should I teach first ? Also, can you maybe …
My Student Wants Fast Intermediate Pieces Not rated yet
Hello, Does anyone have suggestions for fast pieces for a student? I would say she's an advanced beginner. She can play a more difficult version of Fur …
O come O come Emmanuel Not rated yet
As a long-time piano teacher, I am always happy when students request pieces that are unfamiliar to most, but so hauntingly beautiful! I love your site. …
Frustrated That I Can't Play Piano as Well as I Once Did Not rated yet
Dear Dana, This website was just a real pleasure to discover... I cannot wait to be able to play piano again! I thought you could maybe help me with …
Awesome! Not rated yet
I was looking for some Christmas music for my beginner students and a co-worker sent me a link to this page. I can't wait to use some of the music with …
Somewhere in time Not rated yet
Can you do the beginner sheet music for Somewhere in Time that my daughter can learn to play. Thanks Dana Sorry, Aaron, but this music is under …
This is a wonderful site Not rated yet
This a wonderful site. I am teaching my younger sister to play the piano and she picked it up in 5 minutes and of course I will donate it will be my pleassure. …
¿Puedo...? Not rated yet
¿Puedo decir la partitura exacta que quiero? Dana : Hi, Bego, English please... I am not too good at Spanish. Only what you can find on my site …
I'm confused...! Not rated yet
I learnt how to play piano and was really good at it and accepted the challenges...but it got really hard and I gave it up and didn't practise it for a …
Mother of 10 Year Old Boy Piano Player Not rated yet
I was wondering if you had any piano sheet music for songs about hockey? My son will be participating in a Music Bridges Performance and he chose hockey …
Rustic Chapel - Do you know it? Not rated yet
I cannot remember the name for sure, it was a piece I played probably in the early 50s. what do I need I need to do to get more information on your …
Do You Have Any Suggestions for a Non-Traditional Method/Course? Not rated yet
Loved your site, especially the tips for teaching improv. I am looking for a beginner's piano method to teach my children. Do you have any suggestions …
Older player likes chords and scales Not rated yet
Thank you so much for the time you put into creating the chords and scales, as I'm studying on my own the grade two material and needed to know the fingering …
Thanks so much! Not rated yet
I used to learn piano but my teacher went away and I found this website the best, now I have some music to read and play. I like the carols the best …
Absolutely Wonderful! Not rated yet
I was always interested in playing the piano as a child, but never had the chance to. Now as a mother I wanted to give my son a chance to appreciate …
Do you have clarinet sheet music? Not rated yet
Do you have clarinet sheet music? Dana: Hi, Katy, For clarinet sheet music, the best bet is my long list of LEAD SHEETS . These are mostly …
Easy way to know your piano notes. Not rated yet
I noticed the first day when I practiced my recorder,it has the same exact notes as on piano, and on sheet music the notes look exactly the same. So if …
I Just Began Playing Piano... What Should I Do First? Not rated yet
I just began playing piano and I wanted to know what I should do first? There are so many different sites that say so many different things and I dont …
I Really Love Piano Not rated yet
Hi, I'm 22 and I love really love piano. But in my country the piano is really expensive and in this 22 years I only dream about it at night. I hope …
Shoshone Love Song? Not rated yet
Any chance of a search option on your site please? The range is so extensive it is difficult to find a particular piece. Thanks Dana: A search …
Concerned Teacher -- Why isn't the song I want here? Not rated yet
My kids love the song Mary Did You Know. But for some reason it's not on here. I also love that song. So it would be nice to Have Mary Did You Know. …
The Day I Learned Piano Not rated yet
The day I learned piano was the happiest day of my life. My piano teacher is named Muad Carroll. She is 90 years old but she has the hand of a cheetah. …
Could You Offer Songs Like Grease? Not rated yet
Ok I have found a few great songs that I think I would love but I have done a few of them already. I need some sheet music to play that is fun and upbeat …
GREAT WEBSITE! Not rated yet
Great website I'm telling everyone I know who loves the piano!!!!!!!!!!!! Dana: Thanks, Kiah!
Voice and Piano Teacher Not rated yet
This site is FABULOUS. For all the reasons you explain on the site itself--this is exactly what piano teachers need! (I still need to go look at the …
Awesome Not rated yet
Awesome! Thank you for your piano music. I love it! I actually am not a teacher except to myself. I am ten years old and am trying (and succeeding) to …
Teaching for the First Time Not rated yet
I'm 11 (I'm not kidding!) and am supposed to teach my 6 year old brother to play a song on the piano while his two friends sing to it. His friends are …
Hello, I'm a beginner here and I have a question... Not rated yet
Do all beginners get good after the first semester..? Dana: No, Kitty, like most of life's pursuits, you get out of music what you put into it. …
Thank You Not rated yet
Thank you for your web site. My children and I will enjoy playing the music you have available.
Part of Your World Not rated yet
Why don't you have Disney music on here? Every child loves, let's say for instance, Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. So if you want more people …