Popcorn and Movie Songs

Carolyn Miller has arranged several broadway, popular, and movie songs to accompany the  Dozen A Day Exercise Series.  These ten songs coordinate with Book 1, two for each of the five groups of a dozen exercises.  There are also optional teacher accompaniments.  Look inside here.

To see the skills taught in Book 1, look here.

Inside this Songbook, you will find:
Cabaret
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Rock Around the Clock
Let It Be
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers
Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)
If I Were a Rich Man
Give a Little Whistle
Twist and Shout
Climb Ev'ry Mountain


These pieces progress in difficulty, as do the exercises in the coordinating book.   In the "Note to Teachers" on the contents page, it remarks "These arrangements are excellent supplements for any method and may also be used for sight-reading practice for more advanced students."

This book would be a great way to reinforce finger movement and other technique in a fun and engaging way.  Some of the other technique would be: grace notes, legato ending in staccato, and others.

Quick Look
Notes: sixteenth, eighth, quarter, half, dotted half, whole, eighth, quarter note triplets, eighth note triplets, corresponding rests including eighth rests,
Key Signature: C, F
Time Signature: 4/4, 2/4
Staccato, slur, grace notes, tie, finger movement, harmonic thirds, ritardando, first and second endings, sharps, flats, naturals, ledger lines, accent, fermata,
f, mf, mp, p, crescendo

This book is great for what it is intended: to be a reinforcement of technique and a collection of popular songs.  I personally wouldn't use most of these songs as recital pieces, but that's not what they are intended for.  This would be great for a student that needs a "reward" after finishing a certain unit of the exercises.  I have students that love the Dozen a Day exercises just by themselves, and others who appreciate a "special song" when a unit is done.  This book series is also helpful to assess where a student is as far as technique. These books are packed with finger movements, chord inversions, scales, and arpeggios in the guise of songs.  If you have a transfer student, this may be the perfect place to start, with a song they know.

This is available at Sheet Music Plus for $6.99 or $12.99 with the CD.