The Bach Leveler
your guide to understanding the difficulty of Bach’s pieces for piano students
BACH IS HARD
This is what I tell my students whenever they embark on a piece by the great master!
Thankfully, Bach’s music for keyboard students spans many levels, from late elementary to advanced.
It’s our job as teachers to create a smooth progression through the levels of Bach’s keyboard works so our students can feel confident and capable.
How do I know which piece to assign?
This is where my fancy spreadsheet comes in!
I have created a list of over 80 pieces written by Johann Sebastian Bach (or found within his Notebooks) that are standard pre-college or amateur repertoire.
Out of my years of experience teaching Bach to pre-college students, I have developed a grouping system to help you see where each piece fits within the range of his output, and the stage at which it is appropriate to introduce each piece to your students.
I’ve also labeled these pieces with corresponding levels from two syllabi and three intermediate repertoire series so you can see how others approach leveling.
BONUS!
Included in your purchase is a 13-minute video where I introduce you to the spreadsheet and give you tips on how to use the grouping system.
AND - I have compiled a page of links taking you directly to many of the books my students use for Bach study.
“I recently purchased the Bach Leveler and was so impressed with what I found — Janna’s 13-minute video gives a step-by-step explanation of her methodology for creating a “road map” to playing Bach’s piano literature, starting from the earliest intermediate level through to pre-college work. In addition to well-known workhorses, there are a few lesser-known gems, and it’s wonderful to add that to my teaching arsenal.”
“As a relatively new starter on my piano journey, I’ve found choosing pieces to play at the right level particularly difficult. What sounds easy isn’t necessarily easy to learn. This resource will be a great aid to my navigating a sane path through some Bach repertoire. I really like the inclusion of the grade and grouping of each piece, and the collection listings will be really helpful in sourcing scores.”
Questions?
Use the contact button above to reach out.