Navigating the world of music levels can be confusing because different publishers use different terms, and often those terms are misleading. We have divided our piano music into categories based roughly on difficulty level. Hopefully this guide will be useful for you.

 

CATEGORIES:

 

Beginner to Elementary - These are intended for students typically in the first 3 years of lessons. When considering where a student is at in their lesson/method books, the beginner to elementary level pieces will roughly match with lesson books through level 2 (such as Music Tree Part 2B or Piano Adventures Level 2B). Beginner music typically is for those in their first year and often uses just notes (without a staff). Early elementary and elementary pieces are typically for those who have had at least a few months of lessons and have reached the point where music is notated on a staff.

Please note: Do not confuse the word "elementary" with your child's classroom grade. Piano lesson progress rarely coincides precisely with school.

 

Late Elementary to Early Intermediate - These are intended for students with typically around 3-5 years of lessons. When considering where a student is at in their lesson/method books, the late elementary to early intermediate level pieces will roughly match with lesson books in level 3 and 4 (such as Music Tree Part 3-4 or Piano Adventures Level 3A-4).

 

Intermediate to Late Intermediate - These are typically fit for students who have had more than 4 years of piano lessons. They are usually near the end of the last level of method/lesson books or have moved beyond using method/lesson books. The levels of difficulty in the various "intermediate" categories can vary quite a bit.

 

Early Advanced to Advanced - These are typically fit for students in high school college, or adults that have taken lessons for many years. Some of these pieces can be challenging since advanced is the highest category.

 

 

Notes on confusing publisher level terminology:

Easy Piano -  is not easy. These are typically intermediate level.

5-Finger Piano - is great for elementary level students comfortable using all the fingers on both hands but not yet comfortable with moving hand positions to different notes while playing