The first 10 weeks, planned

Get beginners hooked on music before they open a book

My step-by-step framework for the first 10 weeks of piano lessons. Your students explore the keyboard, improvise, play by ear, sing and feel the beat - all before you start teaching reading. Lesson plans, practice plans, videos, sheet music and backing tracks included.

Get the course · $99 See the 10 weeks

No method book needed. Teach Lesson 1 this week.

Included in TopMusicPro Studio membership. Try it free for 7 days →

A dachshund with an accordion body, singing

“I just taught my first real No Book Beginner lesson, and it was SO MUCH FUN!”Emily Giles, piano teacher

Watch the 3-minute introduction

10
weeks of lesson plans
11
video lessons
6 to 11
year olds, 1-on-1
0
method books needed

Sound familiar?

Do you want beginners 100% engaged and having fun from the very first lesson?

Your first lessons with a new student are your chance to start a life-long love of music. And you can do it all without even touching a method book.

Before

  • Lesson one is middle C, a method book and a lot of reading.
  • Curious kids get bogged down in notation before they've made any music.
  • You'd love to teach more creatively, but don't know where to start.
  • Planning for every new beginner starts from scratch.

After

  • Students improvise, play by ear and make up musical stories from the first lesson.
  • They feel the beat in their bodies, sing, pitch-match and hear harmony.
  • You teach with confidence, without a method book.
  • Ten weeks of lesson plans are ready, so you print and teach.

What happens in the first lesson

“I had my first No Book Beginner lesson yesterday. I was terrified! But everything just flowed. Amazing! I am now rethinking every student's lesson to incorporate all I've learned so far.”
Lisa HigginbothamPiano teacher
“Taught a first lesson to a new student yesterday and her Mom said, ‘Wow. How did you learn to teach piano like this? Is this how you were taught? Because it sure isn't how we were taught as kids.’ A big shout out to Tim Topham for the No-book Beginners approach!!!”
Kathryn M.Piano teacher
“You should have seen the eyes light up in one of my 8 year old boys. He LOVED it… He was soo excited I'm going to start him on chords and composing. I'm soo excited too.”
Vanessa MunnsPiano teacher

What your students will do

A creative framework, not another method

Method books are designed to teach reading. No Book Beginners uses your first precious lessons to build listening, understanding, exploration and a love of music instead - the way we all learnt to speak before we learnt to read.

  • Get set up with technique, sitting position and the whole keyboard
  • Improvise on the black keys and white keys, and make up musical stories
  • Play by ear, echo play and transpose tunes
  • Hear, sing and play harmony and bass lines
  • Feel meter, rhythm, beat and time in their bodies
  • Listen, sing and pitch-match from the very beginning
  • Learn pieces by rote, ready for reading when the time comes

“If you ask me, beginner piano lessons should be the most exciting, creative and engaging lessons you teach.”

Tim TophamFounder of TopMusic

What's included

Everything you need to start teaching beginners creatively

Watch how I teach each activity, print the plan and teach it the same week.

Lesson plansStep-by-step instructions for each of the first 10 weeks
Practice plansConcrete ideas to send students home with
Teaching videosEvery activity explained, with real teaching examples
Sheet music and backing tracksPrintables for the lesson and for home
Extra resourcesTechnique videos and teaching aids
Free

Try Lesson 1 first

Not sure yet? Teach the first lesson free

My free guide walks you through Lesson 1, with a printable lesson plan and the two videos where I show you exactly how to teach it: technique and sitting position first, then improvising on the black keys with an accompaniment underneath.

Try it with your next new student. If it clicks, the course has the other nine weeks ready to go.

Get the free Lesson 1 plan →

Tim teaching No Book Beginners Lesson 1 Lesson 1, free on the blog
“I watched your training videos for Lesson One on YouTube at noon on Wednesday. At 2.30 I had my trial lesson… By the second piece, she started swaying along with the music as she improvised on three black notes.”Bec, TopMusicPro member. Read her story →

The book

Want the why behind it? Read the book

No Book Beginners is my book on why a read-first approach isn't always the best start, and what creative teaching really looks like. It includes the first five lessons and shows you how to adapt the framework for preschoolers, teens, adults and transfer students.

The course is the hands-on partner to the book: all 10 weeks, with videos of every activity, practice plans, sheet music and backing tracks.

Find out about the book →

“After ten weeks of this approach I have observed each individual student's sense of rhythm, physical capacity, aural ability and reading readiness, which helps me chart a path forward.”Rebecca Stewart, author of Sight Reading Secrets
The No Book Beginners book by Tim Topham, front and back covers

The course

10 Lessons: From the First Notes to Storm Improv

Built for students around 6 to 11, in 1-on-1 lessons of 30 to 45 minutes, and easy to adapt for groups. Every student is different: some will take 6 weeks to absorb these lessons, others 6 months. You can bring in reading at any stage and keep using the activities alongside it.

1
Week 1, part 1What can you play, and how to sit
1
Week 1, part 2Improvising: black keys and animal improv
2
Week 2Improv, rhythm and the white notes
3
Week 3Play by ear, transposing, echo play, patterns and beat
4
Week 4Transposing, improv, note games and singing
5
Week 5Harmony, bass lines, play by ear and a rote piece
6
Week 6Rote piece, harmony, Breakfast Improv and Around the World
7
Week 7Rote, improv, harmony and Around the World
8
Week 8Improv, Around the World and The Simpsons
9
Week 9Breakfast Improv, Storm Improv and Around the World
10
Week 10Wrap up, improvising and your resources list
“I followed this lesson plan for a new student, an 8 year old boy, and he enjoyed it so much that he was sorely disappointed to realise 45 minutes had zoomed by. A real hit - thanks Tim!”Mei Po Sum, piano teacher, Singapore
Tim Topham

Learn from Tim Topham

The way I start my own beginners

I'm Tim Topham, the founder of TopMusic, the world's biggest online community of independent music teachers. I have more than 20 years in education, teaching in the UK and Australia, and my writing and training have been featured in American Music Teacher, EPTA Piano Professional and The Piano Teacher. I hold a Bachelor of Music, a Diploma of Education, an MBA in Educational Leadership and an AMusA.

No Book Beginners is how I get my own new students playing chords, improvising and creating melodies, all before we open a method book. Reading comes later, and it's vital. But in those first 10 weeks I want every student to fall in love with making music.

From teachers who've taken it

Join the thousands of teachers who are more confident thanks to TopMusic courses

“I wanted to tell you about the 6 year old student I started using the No Book Beginners framework with. It basically saved this student! His mom was ready to drop lessons because what I was using just wasn't working for him. He just absolutely loves the lessons now and I love teaching them.”
Krista McCarthyPiano teacher
“Your ‘No Book Beginner’ method is something I use with all my new students. I love the curriculum and so have my students… You are partially to thank for me deciding to take the leap to quit my desk job and become a piano teacher.”
Alyssa FinderPiano teacher
“All of my beginners have ended up being better and faster learners because it is set out so well.”
Christy KimballPiano teacher

Get the course

Everything for your next new beginner

What you get

  • Video lessons for all 10 lessons (Lesson 1 comes in two parts), watch at your own pace
  • Step-by-step lesson plans for every week
  • Practice plans and ideas to send students home with
  • Sheet music, printables and backing tracks for the lesson and at home
  • Technique videos and teaching aids
  • 12 months' access, renew any time at the same price

No Book Beginners

$99 USD

One-off payment

Add to cart
or

Get it in TopMusicPro StudioThis course plus 50+ more courses, live coaching and monthly sheet music. $49/month or $499/year. Start a 7-day free trial →

Already a Studio member? Log in. It's in your library 🙂

Why teachers stay in TopMusicPro Studio

“I went from about 35 students to 65. I ended up doing three classes and I have a waiting list.”
Kristi LeeRead her story →
“My biggest win with TopMusicPro has been increased student retention and increased income.”
Judi van DykeRead her story →
“TopMusicPro is definitely worth the investment whether you make it back in increased students or you just become a better musician.”
Ellen SampleRead her story →

Questions teachers ask

What age and lesson length is it for?

It's designed for beginners around 6 to 11, in 1-on-1 lessons of 30 to 45 minutes. The activities work in groups too, with a few tweaks. For very young children, see Preschool No Book Beginners with Nicola Cantan, included in Studio.

When do my students start reading?

After about 10 weeks, but it's up to you. Some students absorb these lessons in 6 weeks, others take 6 months. You can introduce reading at any stage and keep using No Book Beginners alongside your favourite reading approach.

Do I have to stop using my method book?

No. It's a framework, not a method, so it works alongside the way you already teach. Try one idea with one new student and see how it feels before you go all in.

Can I try it before I buy?

Yes. The free Lesson 1 plan and videos are on the blog. Teach that lesson first, then come back for the other nine weeks.

How is the course different from the book?

The book explains why I teach beginners without a book, includes the first five lessons and shows how to adapt the framework for preschoolers, teens, adults and transfer students. The course gives you all 10 weeks, with videos of every activity, practice plans, sheet music and backing tracks. They work well together.

Is it only for piano teachers?

The lessons are taught at the piano. Guitar teachers will find Teaching Your First 10 Guitar Lessons in Studio membership.

Is it included in TopMusicPro membership?

Yes. It's part of the Studio and Studio Plus memberships, along with 50+ other courses. Compare memberships or start a 7-day free trial. (Courses aren't included in the Lite membership.)

How long do I have access?

Buying the course on its own gives you 12 months’ access, and you can renew any time at the same price. If you’d like ongoing access to this course and 50+ others, TopMusicPro Studio membership includes them all.

Teach your next beginner without a book

Ten weeks of lesson plans, videos, practice plans and backing tracks, ready for your next new student.

Get the course · $99

Or get it free in TopMusicPro Studio membership.