🎹 About the First Christmas Pop Solos songbook series:
The holiday season tends to sneak up on teachers and students, especially those who start lessons at the beginning of the new school year. Finding great secular holiday music for beginners beyond the usual traditional favorites (looking at you “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Jingle Bells”!) is especially challenging.
I created this three volume series to satisfy the needs of first and second year beginning level students so they can play all the pop Christmas favorites with a little backup from you (or a capable parent or sibling) in the form of duet accompaniments. All of the student parts can stand-alone and are written in a five-finger, one-note-at-a-time format with no shared keys and no key signatures. Add in the duet part and you have a lot of extra pizazz in the mix making these pieces perfect for holiday recitals and performances.
🎶 First Christmas Pop Solos: Volume 4 Songbook
The following ten songs are included in the First Christmas Pop Solos: Volume 4 songbook.
These are all available as separate singles, but you get the most value (50% off 😱) by purchasing the whole collection. All of these arrangements are appropriate for beginners of any age. The duet parts are at an intermediate level and easy to sightread.
- Run Rudolph Run
- Christmas Canon
- The Most Wonderful Day of the Year
- Nut Rocker
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
- Wizards in Winter
- Mele Kalikimaka
- I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
- Where Are You Christmas?
- You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
🎹 Watch a performance of the entire volume:
⭐ Featured Favorites
Let’s dive deeper with some more details about a few of my personal favorites from First Christmas Pop Solos: Volume 4 songbook.
1. “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry
The kids know this tune mainly because it was used in “Home Alone.” Interestingly enough, Johnny Marks (you know, the guy who wrote most of the majorly famous secular Christmas tunes) is a credited writer because apparently he trademarked the name “Rudolph” and sued Chuck Berry for writers credit on the song because of the use of the name “Rudolph.”
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
🎹 “Run Rudolph Run” Beginner Solo with Duet:
 - Beginner with Duet/images/Cover--runrudolph-BG-w-DUET-MN.png)
2. “Mele Kalikimaka” by R. Alex Anderson
This is such an earworm and a great way to get beginners playing syncopated rhythms. Jimmy Buffett’s version is classic, but the video here with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters is also entertaining!
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
🎹 “Mele Kalikimaka” Beginner Solo with Duet:
 - Beginner with Duet/images/Cover--mele-BG-w-DUET-MN.png)
3. “Nut Rocker” by Kim Fowley
Move over Tchaikovsky! “Nut Rocker” is awesome rockin’ fun based on the Emerson, Lake & Palmer version of this song. There are equally cool versions by the original artists B. Bumble & The Stingers and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
🎹 “Nut Rocker” Beginner Solo with Duet:
4. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” Originally recorded by Darlene Love
A Motown classic that will get your beginners introduced to swinging eighth notes!
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
🎹 “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” Beginner Solo with Duet:
 - Darlene Love - Beginner with Duet/images/Cover--comehome-BG-w-DUET-MN.png)
5. “Christmas Canon” Trans-Siberian Orchestra
I know you piano teachers out there just can’t get enough of the “Canon in D.” At least this version is highly stylized and abridged 😉.
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
🎹 “Christmas Canon” Beginner Solo with Duet:
 - Beginner with Duet/images/Cover--canon-BG-DUET-MN.png)
6. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” Albert Hague & Dr. Seuss
I get asked about beginner versions of this tune every year and I think I finally hit the right notes and balance! This version is abridged and stylized, but hits all the main aural components to satisfy beginning level students.
🔎 Sheet music sneak peek:
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