Prelude for Peace

Adrift is a pensive lyrical solo full of unique jazz harmonies, but easy enough for beginners and late-beginners. The sophisticated harmonies, and free-floating rubato form using multiple octaves, will make students of all ages feel successful in the early stages of lessons!

Water Lillies, composed by Kevin Costley, is an easy elegant lyrical solo that will delight late beginners of all ages.

In the Stillness, composed by Rick Robertson, is a lyrical, ambient solo that is easily learned and effective in performance for late beginning level students.

Night Sounds is an easy lyrical solo for beginners composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien that includes lyrics. This piece serves as a great introduction to ties and easy position shifts.

Let It Linger is an easy minor-key lyrical solo for late-beginners that is part of Jennifer Eklund’s Pronto Pizazz Volume 2 collection. This short study focuses on shifting pentacle positions in parallel fifths and crossovers, and includes a lush teacher accompaniment.

Morning Sounds is an easy lyrical solo for beginners composed by Sarah Reaser O’Brien that includes lyrics. This piece serves as a great introduction to playing in waltz-time, crossovers, and easy open-fifth position shifts with the left hand.

A Memory, composed by Rick Robertson is a wistful lyrical style solo for late beginners and up. It is very effective in performance, and the left-hand crossings add a point of interest and color. A middle section provides contrast in texture. This piece is part of the Kaleidoscope Volume 1 songbook.

Strolling is a lyrical solo for late beginners and is part of Spotlight Solos Volume 2. Music by Jennifer Eklund.

The Invisible Kingdom, composed by Lisa Donovan Lukas, is an easy elegant ambient solo for late beginners and up. This piece is part of the Fantasies & Fairy Tales Volume Two songbook.

Stellar, is an elegant, ethereal solo for late beginners composed by Chrissy Ricker. This piece is part of the Perfect Patterns songbook.

Night Skies, by Rick Robertson, is a late-elementary level lyrical solo. A plaintive melody is contrasted with a middle section based on broken chords with pedal. This would make an effective number for a recital program, and could even be used as a brief selection for a worship service.

Full Circle is a peaceful ambient solo for late beginners by Jennifer Eklund. This piece offers students ample opportunity to work on interpretation, rubato, and lyrical artistry and is part of the Simple Serenity songbook.

Under Lock & Key is an easy lyrical waltz for late beginners and early intermediates composed by Jennifer Eklund. This piece serves as a great introduction to various types of ending systems, lyrical phrasing, and pedal techniques.

Stacy Fahrion wrote Nice Tardigrade so that beginner pianists can enjoy playing polyrhythms and playing in Dorian mode. “Nice tardigrade” is a mnemonic phrase like “hot cup of tea” or “not difficult” that may help pianists remember the sound of a three against two polyrhythm. Tardigrades are resilient microscopic creatures that look like tiny bears. They have existed on Earth for about 600 million years.

Little Serenade is an elegant ambient solo for late beginners by Jennifer Eklund. This piece offers students ample opportunity to work on interpretation, rubato, and lyrical artistry and is part of the Simple Serenity: Volume Two songbook.

Nightscape is an easy, minor-key, lyrical solo for late beginners of all ages. This showcase piece serves as a great introduction to legato and expressive phrasing techniques. Part of the Easy Spotlight Solos songbook. This piece has been selected for the NFMC Festivals Bulletin, 2020-2024.

Angel Crossing, composed by Kevin Costley, is an easy pattern-based lyrical solo for late beginners that provides a great opportunity to work on legato and rubato.

The Calm, from the Fired Up! Level Two method book, is a pattern-based easy lyrical solo for late beginners. A great opportunity to work on pedaling, easy position shifts, and left-hand crossovers. Includes a teacher accompaniment part.