The nature of leveling piano repertoire can be very subjective. While ASAP strives for an equitable standard across all pieces, we realize that there may be discrepancies and varying opinions. Some standard resources that we consulted during the leveling process include Jane Magrath’s The Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, Maurice Hinson’s Guide to Pianist’s Repertoire, and the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Piano Syllabus.

 

Each leveling system has its own method of labeling the difficulty of pieces, such as using numbers (1-10) or categories like “Easy” and “Moderately Difficult.” ASAP has adopted the system of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced, which is further divided into subcategories of early and late, if necessary.

 

The following elements were considered when leveling: structure, texture/contour, tonality, rhythm, articulation, dynamics, pedaling, and musical maturity.