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For Preschoolers to Elementary School Children: Challenging Piano Pieces — A Curated Selection from Competition Repertoire

Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

What children find difficult in a piano piece can vary greatly depending on the benchmark: it might be the fast tempo and dense notes, the challenge of expressive nuance, or the difficulty of sight-reading.

Pieces that contain these elements in relatively balanced measure are the set pieces for piano competitions.

Because these selections are ideal for assessing and improving children’s performance technique and expressive ability, they can serve as helpful references when you’re thinking, “I’d like them to try something a bit more challenging than usual.” This time, we’ve picked out children’s piano works that are frequently chosen as competition set pieces.

Teachers and parents who are struggling to select studies or recital pieces, please use this as a reference.

Upper grades (1–10)

Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 “Fantaisie-Impromptu”Frederic Chopin

[Grade 4] Fantaisie-Impromptu [Chopin] Kazuo Seto [Fantasie-Impromptu Chopin]

Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 “Fantaisie-Impromptu”Frederic Chopin

Watch “Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 ‘Fantaisie-Impromptu’ by Frédéric Chopin” on YouTube.

Alongside Impromptu No.

1 in A-flat major, Op.

29, many beginners take on Chopin’s masterpiece Impromptu No.

4 in C-sharp minor, Op.

66 “Fantaisie-Impromptu.” Depending on the edition, this piece is known as suitable for beginners.

While it is beginner-friendly, there are several challenging points.

One of them is the rapid right-hand melody that follows the left-hand introduction.

For elementary school students with limited experience, this section can be a stumbling block, but if you practice the right and left hands separately and carefully, you will surely be able to play it.

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20 Little Etudes, Op. 91 No. 7Moritz Moszkowski

PTNA 2019 Competition National Finals, Class C, No. 39, Bronze Prize — Miran Shinozaki

20 Little Etudes, Op. 91 No. 7Moritz Moszkowski

Recommended for preschool and elementary school children who want to work on a classic-style étude is “20 Little Studies, Op.

91, No.

7.” While the main focus of this piece is on playing quickly, it also emphasizes expressive elements such as legato and non-legato, cantabile, and leggero.

Because it is packed with fundamental techniques, it will provide a significant learning experience for young learners.

Another strong point is that it offers more varied motion than traditional classical études.

Consider using it as a reference piece for a piano recital assignment.

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In conclusion

This time, from among piano works, we introduced challenging pieces that are often selected as required repertoire for competitions in which children from kindergarten and nursery school up through upper elementary grades participate.

The difficulty of the required pieces varies depending on the competition level, but in every case, pieces are certainly chosen that are ideal for assessing children’s technique and expressive ability.

Do try tackling them to help improve your piano performance.