The Foundation Pianist is a set of two books by David Blackwell and Karen Marshall for students beyond the beginner stage who want to develop a technical and musical foundation to help them progress on to intermediate levels. Exploring piano technique through a variety of elements, the books include daily exercises, sight-reading, repertoire and musical time travel. This series not only develops students’ technique, reading, theory and musicianship, but also provides an invaluable insight into the world of classical music, from madrigals to symphonies and operas to concertos.The Foundation Pianist Book 2 forms part of the PianoTrainer series.The Foundation Pianist is a set of two books for students beyond the beginner stage, aimed at those who want to develop a technical and musical foundation to help them progress on to intermediate levels. Book 1 is suitable for post-Grade 1 level and Book 2 is suitable for post-Grade 2 level. They are not ‘tutor books’ as such, but both anthologies provide an excellent, thorough and highly enjoyable technical and musical curriculum for their target levels. There are pieces and arrangements (Türk, Gurlitt, Rebikov, Schubert, Bartók, Bach, Mozart, and so on, as well as traditional music and pieces by authors themselves), daily workouts (exercises, sight-reading, repertoire, a vast collection of musical training activities, and facts about the musical time periods. It is like having Marshall (an expert teacher) and Blackwell (an award-winning composer and arranger) at your elbow as you teach.Fiona Lau, Music Teacher Magazine, November 2018Outstanding. A very strong word with which to open a review, but Karen Marshall and David Blackwell really do go the extra mile to cover so much material in these books…..There is so much to help and encourage the students in these books, it’s almost a crime to not have them on your shelves!Liz Dewhurst, Piano Professional Magazine (European Piano Teachers Association), December 2018
