Just for Kids: Magical Collection

A pre-Grade 1 album by Sarah Walker containing seventeen accessible melodies ranging from golden oldies like Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious, Puff the Magic Dragon and We're off to see the Wizard (I trust you have spotted the paranormal connection already?) to original creations of her own, such as An Eerie Adventure, The Hypnotist and (my personal favourite) Merlin's Incantation, which has a fun 'IQ' Test attached to it. The graphics are natty, and the daft games judiciously slotted in are much to the book's advantage. I vigorously approve of the light-hearted approach, which seems very likely to encourage some constructive pianistic development, too.

Piano Professional, Spring 2009

This is another book in the wonderful Just for Kids series. Walker's own pieces sit side by side with everyone's favourite 'magic' pieces sich as Puff the Magic Dragon, A Whole New World and Hedwig's Theme. All these pieces will be seized on by young pianists at the preparatory stage of piano playing, who will love playing pieces that they and their friends know. For those who lament the face that children don't know traditional or folk songs anymore, there is also the German folksong The Magic Toadstool from Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel and the traditional tune There Was An Old Witch. Walker also manages to include related puzzles and games to keep pupils' interest and has added a teacher's accompaniment to several of the tunes - Papageno's Magic Glockenspiel amongst them. All these pieces are beautifully written and will enjoyably bridge that tricky gap between 'tutor book specials' and set exam pieces.

Music Teacher, February 2009