
Learn from the creator of jazz who has taught thousands of students around the world, preview free chapters, and watch your piano playing take off.
Click the download icon to save the pdf to your computer.
Click the download icon to save the MP3's to your computer.
Build a repertoire by learning the song with a modified middle C position, focus on right-hand improvisation, and practice phrases in chunks as you prepare for left-hand additions later.
Explore improvisation as organizing learned rhythms, melodies, chords, and licks into patterns to create on-the-spot musical ideas; practice patiently and listen across styles.
Learn basic piano improvisation by mastering the C minor five-finger scale, practicing three licks (A, B, C) with vocalization, and exploring call-and-response patterns with band accompaniment.
Vocalize quarter notes, eighth notes, and rests to advance rhythm skills with swing and straight feel. Explore major and minor five‑finger scales and triads, reinforcing ear training through rhythm drills.
develop ear training through rhythm quizzes, pitch matching, and solfeggio melodies, using voice, piano, and movement to reinforce rhythm, pitch, and melodic awareness.
Learn rhythm in piano playing by vocalizing, tapping, and clapping patterns, practicing straight and swung feels, scales, and rounds to develop timing and coordination.
Move through ear training by identifying rhythms and melodies, matching heard patterns to piano and mallet plays, and using solfege do-re-mi to practice melodies.
Learn to play Hoppin' Harry with legato phrasing using slur marks, including optional octave-down bass for a fuller sound, and explore dynamic, major versus minor bass lines before improvisation.
Develop ear training by identifying rhythms and melodies on the piano, listening to CD tracks, and practicing with recordings or MIDI to recognize heard sequences.
Explore improvisation using the C minor five-finger scale, major/minor concepts, flats, and triads. Practice slowly with vocalization and simple accompaniment—metronome or drum track—to build coordination and expressive phrasing.
Develop rhythm skills by clapping swung and straight patterns, practicing triads in various keys with the five-finger scale in C minor, and applying both hands for musical rhythm.
Engage in ear training to identify rhythms and melodies via solfeggio, then pair them with C major chords, exploring major/minor triads, simple two-chord progressions, and articulation.
Form major and minor triads from the C and A five-finger patterns by stacking 1-3-5 and flattening the third, then explore root, first, and second inversions with consistent fingering.
Explore a simple swing song 'wacky men' with an active bass line, repetition, and opportunities to teach by ear; includes anticipation, syncopation, and bluesy major/minor contrasts.
Practice improvising with the five-finger blues scale, explore blues form and 12-bar blues basics, vocalize and apply varied accompaniment patterns while moving the scale to new keys.
Develop rhythm skills in unit 6 by clapping and vocalizing swung blues patterns, then apply the rhythm to notes and scales through group or individual exercises.
Develop ear training skills by clapping rhythms and identifying which rhythm you heard, then listen to melodies and tell which melody you heard.
Analyze dynamic phrasing in 'wild William' and how repeats, simile, and anticipations shape the piece. Find that the song is in A minor, the relative minor of C major.
Access timely help for piano for kids and adult beginners by posting lesson comments or emailing support; use the ticket system and explore other courses, then leave a five-star review.
JazzKids makes learning the piano and improvisation fun!
JazzKids®, created by Berklee College of Music graduate Willie Myette, creates method books that show beginning improvisers how to improvise at the piano.
Even if you have never improvised before, JazzKids makes it easy to learn. The step-by-step instruction and jam-with-the-band tracks make learning how to improvise fun and easy.
Not that interested in Jazz? Well, guess what, JazzKids now features many different styles of music including Jazz, Blues, Pop, Latin, Rock and Klezmer! You can learn how to improvise over these different styles while learning how to read and translate those pesky chord symbols into a full arrangement.
JazzKids has been used with students around the world for the past decade.
How Does JazzKids Encourage Improvisaton?