There seems to be a lot of discussion about which method, curriculum or series is better than another. What is the best book a student should buy? In the area of piano, it usually includes talking about Alfred Basic Piano Library or the Faber Piano Adventures. Perhaps the John Thompson Modern Graded course book or the James Bastien books. There are so many to choose from that it can be overwhelming at first. But that is the wrong question.

There will never be one almighty method or series that will fit every student you teach.

There are too many different personality types, learning styles and attention spans for one method series to perfectly fit them all. However, there is one book that every student should purchase. It will probably become the most valuable book of their entire musical career. And that is their assignment book.

Yes, a simple notebook or binder; it doesn’t have to be fancy. Most of the time it is one of the cheapest books they will ever purchase for music. But the insights held inside have been personally crafted for that students. It is worthless to anyone else but to that student who it was tailor for, it holds the answers to all the questions they have ever asked. It is their guidebook to the great and amazing world of music; their map.

It shows a personal history of their adventures through music. It is a journal of their triumphs and success. It holds all of your knowledge and advice (as the instructor) which is far more valuable than any lesson book someone can purchase. It is custom made for your student and not really duplicatable. It meets the student where they are at and pushes them to greater heights.

Over the years I have seen students who neglected to bring the assignment book to their lessons or considered them as less important compared to the other books…and it is those students who find it hard to continue on or find direction they need when music gets tough. So, may I encourage you as a teacher, to hold your knowledge as valuable.

Your insights and experiences are what you transfer to the pages of your students assignment books. Treat it as a precious thing. Because it is.

Encourage your students to do the same and tell them that the most important book they can ever own is their assignment book.

What experiences have you had with students using or not using their assignment books? Or even a personal story about yourself and how you have used your assignment book to progress? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you.

Till next time, take care,

John