If you’ve ever watched a beginning piano student’s eyes glaze over during a scale drill, you already know the biggest challenge in music education isn’t teaching the fundamentals, it’s keeping students excited enough to stick with them. That’s exactly the problem our newest releases are built to solve.
MakeMusic Studio is adding three fresh titles from the Alfred’s Basic Piano Library family, each one designed to meet students where their musical taste already lives, without cutting a single corner on pedagogy.
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Level 1A — Studio Edition
Studio Edition reimagines the beloved ABPL Level 1A book as a fully interactive practice companion.
The backing tracks have been completely reworked into fully orchestrated, high-quality accompaniments that make daily practice feel like playing alongside a live band. This small change makes a big difference in how motivated students feel sitting down at the keys.
We’ve also woven in popular tunes from beloved franchises like Pixar and Star Wars that pair with the exact technique sequence students are already learning. These titles are complete with original audio pulled straight from the source scores.
Rounding things out is a collection of brand-new original music from today’s rising-star composers, plus smart practice tools that let students adjust tempo and loop tricky passages at their own pace.
It’s the same trusted ABPL foundation, now built for the way students actually want to practice.
Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Level 1A — Current Hits
Nothing keeps a young pianist coming back to the bench like being able to play the songs already stuck in their head. Current Hits, our new ABPL Level 1A pop correlation book, brings eight of today’s biggest hits and modern classics into student-friendly arrangements sequenced to reinforce the core ABPL curriculum every step of the way.
Here are some titles students will find in the book:
- “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars
- “From the Start” by Laufey
- “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
- “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift
- “Steve’s Lava Chicken” from the Minecraft Movie
Foundations: Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Edition
First introduced to teachers at MTNA, Alfred’s Basic Piano Library Foundations is now complete and ready for the studio.
This series takes the essential building blocks of piano playing scales, chords, reading, and rhythm, and pairs each concept with a professionally-produced backing track that makes fundamentals genuinely fun to practice.
Early highlights include:
- “Look Up” from Superman (2025) built around Treble G and Middle C
- “Ken Makes a Discovery” which introduces C position for both hands with a nod to Barbie
- “Cantina Band” from Star Wars: A New Hope, used to teach staccato and legato
Foundations proves that the driest technical concepts in piano pedagogy can still feel like an adventure.
Why It Matters for Your Studio
Together, these three releases share one philosophy: rigorous technique doesn’t have to come at the expense of joy. Whether a student is drawn in by a Pixar theme, a Bruno Mars hook, or the “Cantina Band” swing, each title keeps them anchored to the proven ABPL sequence teachers already trust.
All three books will be available in MakeMusic Studio starting September 10, 2026. The new titles join the ever-growing library of hundreds of titles built into MakeMusic Studio.
Mark your calendars, and get ready to watch practice time become something students actually look forward to.