After Year One:
Piano Music Downloads, Free!

These piano music downloads for your young students who are moving from primer music to levels 1 & 2 involve both hands, or add chord symbols for a made-up left hand.  

Most of these pieces will fit inside a 5-finger position.  Left hand parts are fairly slow-moving, or repetitive.  However, new challenges arise - sharps!  and flats!  Rests, and unexpected rhythms!  

See examples in the song below, "The Little Man Who Wasn't There."

Easy piano music for after year one, with some sharps and flats introduced.  Melodies with lyrics, mostly.
Ants Go Marching lyrics and sheet music

Ants Go Marching lyrics, chords, & melody

This is a song all your students may know!

The fingering is tricky, but if they really like this song, they'll get it.

baby shark music for piano

Baby Shark sheet music

There are just a handful of lettered notes in this very easy arrangement of Baby Shark.

Familiar and fun!

Blow Ye Winds, a sailing song from early America, for piano

Blow, Ye Winds in the Morning

An old song about sailing, and whaling. 

You will probably recognize this tune! 

On this page are several versions, and I admit that the one shown here is too hard for younger students "After Year One," but not a problem for older beginners.

The famous Can-Can music, energetic but easy for piano

Can-Can

Can-Can uses a full C scale. 

The left hand is easy, with just two blocked chords.

A famous and energetic piece!

Canoe Song for piano, a fun song from Canada

Canoe Song simple piano sheet music

This fun melody uses a simple repetitious left hand, but has the added complication of a right hand fingering that tucks under!  

Perfect for learning along with the full scale pattern.

Easy piano sheet music

Cat Came Back lyrics and sheet music

This fun song with silly lyrics has a repetitious bass line.  I like to start this song like a duet, with students playing just the descending bass note.

Some kids are initially dismayed at the words, which are over-the-top exaggeration.

Chopsticks music, for beginning piano players

Chopsticks music

Several arrangements (with more to come eventually) - the one shown is a duet primo, for students with small hands.

A simple song for piano

Cowboy Song free beginner sheet music

You may think your second-year students can't do this left hand pattern, but the repetition of the same pattern over and over will eventually kick in! 

The only tricky place is where right hand half notes must coordinate with left hand quarter  notes.

Darth Vader music for piano

Darth Vader's Theme, Imperial March

This is the exciting music that almost every little boy wants to play - and a lot of little girls, too!

Piano sheet music for Deep in the Heart of Texas

Deep in the Heart of Texas sheet music

What a fun duet this is!  

A very short melody, with lots of energy, make this song a blast to play.


Beginner piano sheet music

Deep Inside the Mountains beginner sheet music for piano

A mostly-5-notes melody, and a simple alternating octaves bass part make this piece easier to play than it looks!

Mysterious lyrics go well with the tune's minor feeling.

A song for improvising with C chords, and a melody scale that uses a lowered second interval for a mysterious sound.

Desert Sounds free kids sheet music

This interesting piece is for IMPROVISING.

With a lowered second interval (Db), these little patterns have an eastern, exotic sound.

No name on the page - students can add their own title!

The Eensy Weensy Spider for beginning piano

Eensy Weensy Spider, or "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Just two chords in the left hand to accompany this well-known melody! 

Hopefully your student has already been prepared by playing Mary Had a Little Lamb with the C and "pinch G" chords.

Erie Canal for piano

The Erie Canal Song

This song is still popular with kids!

On this page you'll find the Erie Canal in the key of Am (shown here), and Dm, and several arrangements.


Piano music for beginners Frere Jacques

Frere Jacques

With lyrics both in English and French.

This is an excellent piece both for sight-reading and for transposing from one key into another.

This song is also very sweet as a round!

Chopin's Funeral March for young pianists, an arrangement with low ominous left-hand chords

Funeral March, scary Halloween music

Those left hand chords look a bit intimidating - but they are the same two chords over and over again.

There is also a Middle-C version of the Funeral March on this page, and a big-sounding arrangement as well.


An easy version of the main Fur Elise theme, set in Middle C position. Just the melody, for piano.

Fur Elise sheet music, easy

This is ALMOST the Fur Elise theme; near enough to make it recognizable to your young students. 

There are also more difficult arrangements of the Part 1 theme on this page, as well as an alphanote (letters-in-the-notes) version!


Give your students the joy of learning Beethoven's famous Für Elise in an easy-to-read format... every note from the ORIGINAL piece is here  in this beautiful new setting


Piano music for beginners Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

This simple song actually has a very pretty harmony!

God is Good, or God is So Good piano music

God is So Good  or God is Good lyrics

This is a super-easy arrangement; see the page for other and harder arrangements of this sweet song.

How Doth the Little Crocodile, Lewis Carroll's poem, set to piano music.

How Doth the Little Crocodile, easy piano songs for beginners

This may be TOO EASY for second year students (in which case, check out the harder arrangements on this page), or it may be JUST RIGHT, for little ones. 

Featured as lyrics is the creepy little poem by Lewis Carroll, from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

Brahms' Hungarian Dance #5, a duet for easy piano

Hungarian Dance, one of Brahms' famous duets

Depending upon the skill level of your student, either the Primo or the Secondo of this duet might be just right for them!


Irish Wedding piano sheet music

Irish Wedding free printable sheet music

This is the easiest arrangement of Irish Wedding. 

There are harder versions on this page, too! 

This piece is a GREAT FAVORITE.  Don't miss it.

Notes for Jesus Loves Me

Jesus Love Me, This I Know

With some helpful fingering suggestions from their teacher, this song is do-able for kids after year one.

On this page is a harder version, in which I did place right-hand fingering, if you want to see my opinion!

Kum Ba Yah for piano

Kum Ba Yah

Easy left hand chords and inversions make this a good chord study and transposing song.

Very familiar.

Piano music for beginners, The Lake Pirates, in Dm

Lake Pirates

This is arrangement #2 of this popular piece - very simple, until page 2, when suddenly the left hand chords jump an octave, back and forth, creating much excitement!

See this arrangement plus one that is easier (with pirate lyrics) and one a bit harder, in the key of Cm.

This song is a favorite at my studio!

Lavender's Blue lyrics

Lavender's Blue, with the Cinderella song lyrics

Several different arrangements of this pretty song, from solid chords to elaborate broken chords, and arrangements for accompanying vocalists!

This is the song Cinderella was singing from the attic that helped the prince find her - at least in the Lily James' movie!

The Lily Maid, a piano song about the Lady of Shalott

Lily Maid, one of several Halloween songs for piano

Two pages long, this song about the Lady of Shalott has several arrangements. 

Shown here is a lead sheet, which invites students to add plain open chords (to give a medieval sound) to the melody. 

This song is part of a Halloween Song Collection for late elementary and intermediate students.

The Little Man Who Wasn't There - a jazzy little piano song that is very fun to play!

Little Man Who Wasn't There jazzy piano music

This fun jazzy piece has kooky words, but is irresistible!

Several versions, including a duet arrangement.

Louie Louie, rearranged for piano exercise! All major chords, unlike the original.

Louie Louie sheet music for piano

If this version looks too hard, check out the AlphaNotes version, which is larger and has letters inside the note-heads.

This "song" is something I use as a way to get very familiar with the I, IV, and V chords in each key.

When students have learned the original, they begin transposing it into other keys.

Medieval Bells, a piano piece with a feeling of monasteries and mystery.

Medieval Bells, free sheet music to print

In this piece, the hands alternate and copy-cat. 

After several phrases of alternating hands, the hands play chords together. 

With added pedal, this music has a mysterious, medieval sound. 

Good chord practice!

A pretty arrangement of the famous symphonic theme by Smetana.  This one has lyrics to sing!

The Moldau piano music

There are a couple of arrangements easier than this one, and a couple arrangements that are harder!

Take a look at the page...

This is a very famous symphonic theme from the classical repertoire.

Song for piano by Grieg

Morning Song by Grieg

A well-known and pretty melody, from the Peer Gynt Suite.

There is a span of an octave in the melody; your students may need help reading some of the notes.

Mozart melody from a Sonata for piano

Mozart alla turca pdf - the first movement!

This lovely melody from the famous sonata fits beautifully into each hand.

Both left and right hands require just five fingers, with no stretching.  

The reading, all around Middle C, is easy too!

Titanic music for piano

My Heart Will Go On (Titanic Music)

An easy version for younger students, with the timing doubled for simple counting!

Still pretty.

O Susannah piano sheet music

O Susanna

Block chords make this left hand easy

Ode to Joy for progressing beginning piano.  The chords are getting fancier.

Ode to Joy

Numerous arrangements of Ode to Joy on this page, but the version shown here might be just right for your second-year student!

Piano sheet music Oh How Lovely

Oh, How Lovely is the Evening

A pretty round that makes a nice piano solo, this song also is good chord practice!

Old Joe Clark, a silly American song that makes you want to sing along. A feeling of "bluegrass".

Old Joe Clark piano

A little bit of harmony is what this version of Old Joe Clark is all about. 

See the page to look at different arrangements.

Thanksgiving Song for beginner piano

Over the River & Through the Wood Thanksgiving Song Lyrics

This is a VERY EASY SONG after the first year, but it will be very fun for your students to pick it up almost instantly.  

A duet secondo makes this a satisfying song.


An easy but pretty arrangement of the Pachelbel Canon for early piano

Pachelbel Canon (in C)

The famous canon by Pachelbel, with some broken chords to make it fancy.

Chord symbols over the melody line make it easier to read.

A fancy beginning arrangement of the Pachelbel Canon that uses lettered notes to enable a more complicated version to be  conquered!

Pachelbel Canon in D sheet music, long & fancy for early readers

There are AlphaNotes - letters inside the note-heads - inside some of the versions on this page of music.  

You are looking at page 3 of a simplified arrangement for music readers whose love for this piece exceeds their note-reading ability!

Rain, rain, go away.  An arrangement for piano.

Rain, Rain, Go Away beginner keyboard music sheets, free

Several arrangements of this song from childhood. 

Check them out!

Sakura, the Japanese song about cherry blossoms, arranged for piano.  Very pretty.

Sakura

This is an elegant arrangement of the Japanese song about "Cherry blossoms."

Another harder and fuller version of this song can be found on this page, but it is more well-suited to a stronger piano player.

Seek Ye First music for piano and voice

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

A very pretty Bible verse song in 3 pages.  You may know this song.

The main melody uses just 5 notes, making this an easy conquest!

The Snake Charmer for piano, with new and more polite lyrics that are fun to sing, about a snake in a basket and its master, the snake charmer. Mysterious sounding.

Snake Charmer easy piano sheet music, free

Kids love this serpentine melody. 

I have updated it with polite lyrics about a snake in a basket and a man with a pipe. 

Just one chord in the left hand to worry about!  Don't miss this one - it also makes a great transposing song.

Vivaldi Spring piano sheet

Spring, by Vivaldi

This is an easy arrangement, which is also available with lettered notes.

An additional arrangement on the page features more of the melody.


The Streets of Laredo, an old-fashioned cowboy song that will put a tear in your eye.  For piano.

Streets of Laredo free piano sheets online

This piece may be a bit of a stretch for your young second-year student; there are many tricky elements.

However, the story about the young cowboy is sad and draws children in.  I myself spent many hours playing this doleful  but sweet tune as a young girl.

Sweet Hour of Prayer music

Sweet Hour of Prayer hymn

Three piano arrangements (& one guitar version) of this lovely old hymn, from easy to late elementary.

Tarantelle, an early piano song about tarantulas.  In a minor key, fun to play.

Tarantelle, the Spider song

The melody of Tarantelle is outside the ordinary reading range of many second-year students, but not all. 

An inviting feature of this fun piece is that the entire right hand stays in the same Am scale hand position.

Another nice thing is the new lyrics, all about a tarantula!

The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that's the book for me! An easy piano arrangement.

The B-I-B-L-E - yes, the famous Sunday School song

The left hand split chords of the accompaniment don't go far away; they are just chord inversions. 

Pretty easy!

Titanic sheet music for beginning piano

Titanic music "My Heart Will Go On"

A simple arrangement that still manages to be pretty!  With slow-moving chords in the left hand.

Toccata in Dm by Bach, just the main theme simplified for beginning piano.

Toccata in Dm by J.S. Bach


This is the famous "scary organ piece" that most kids have heard somewhere-or-other at least once. 

There are three different arrangements on this page.

Toccata by Monteverdi, arranged for 4 instruments or an ensemble of keyboards.  Very fun!

Toccata from "L'Orfeo" by Monteverdi, a 4-part keyboard ensemble

This is an arrangement that sounds rather splendid on keyboards, with a small ensemble of students!

The trick is to get them counting together.  Each part is easy in itself; it is putting them together that poses the challenge.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star for piano, with easy left hand chords

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Yes, your students need this simple song, for chord & transposition work!

This is a great song for figuring out by ear, and also for changing to minor.  

Sea shanty music The Wellerman

The Wellerman sheet music

This song may be a stretch for a younger beginner, but an older student who loves this sea shanty (which went viral not too long ago) may push hard and learn the melody well enough to add simple left hand bass notes.

What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor, arranged for piano students.

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor printable piano music

Or, with a GRUMPY sailor!

This tiny change in the lyrics might make this song more acceptable to your students' families.

If this arrangement looks too overwhelming, there is a one-page simplified version you can check out.

Easy piano White Coral Bells

White Coral Bells

A pretty song, with pretty lyrics!  See this arrangement and several others, including a lead sheet.

Winds in the Willow, a piano song with a Dm scale pattern in the left hand that never stops - just like the wind.

Winds in the Willow kids piano sheet music

Pretty minor scales disguised as a song.

This song requires more work than the young pianist's left hand is accustomed to!

Yo Ho Ho - a piano song with a pirate-like sound, about life at sea.

Yo Ho Ho - some arrangements with "made-easy" notes

A song about the hardships of life working at sea.  You know - swabbing down the deck, cleaning the slime!

Two pages of big root chords and strong minor melodic phrases.

You are BOUND to find a few songs on this page of selections that will satisfy even the pickiest little boy or girl.

It can be hard to decide, sometimes, if it is best to:

  • give them something they can conquer in a week or two - something super easy, in other words - or 
  • if it's worth taking a chance on giving them a song that will STRETCH them and take them to new heights. 

Usually, the best choice is to go with the song they really WANT.  Have several choices ready for them!

Interested in songs from the Bible for your students or church?  Check out my other website, SingTheBibleStory.com!

SingTheBibleStory.com clickable logo link

Recent Articles

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  4. Printable Piano Music What Do You Do With a Drunken or GRUMPY Sailor

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Songs Old & Songs New

All the first-year material I give my beginner students. 

Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!

The Story of Esther - a Bible opera!

Queen Esther in the Bible

This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This",  available as a digital downloadtells the riveting story of the time when  Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a  brave young queen risked her life to save her people.

A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!

This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.


Just the Black Keys, a piano song book for young beginners.

Just the Black Keys

This book is available as a digital download  from this site.  Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.

It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!

This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.

And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!"  They will be spending more time at the piano.

The Adventures of Tonsta, Volume 1, is a book about a young boy travelling over mountains and fjords from village to village, encountering trolls and helping folk in distress.

The Adventures of Tonsta

A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls. 

The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.  

With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.

Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!

Available at Amazon

Beth D:
Just wanted to say thank you so much for your huge resource of piano pieces! I greatly appreciate your work! I use your music with my students often. Ode to Joy (alpha note version) helped one of my students who was struggling with reading it. I love seeing them reading/playing something they wouldn't been able to do yet. Thank you for letting me/others have it for free. :) Hope you have a wonderful evening! God bless!

Favorite Classics Made Easy for piano

Charlotte:
Thanks for providing such a comprehensive music  teaching program with all the relevant tools.  

It will make it easy to introduce my 8 g-children and others to music.  You are truly a blessing.

Teaching Little Fingers to Play Children's Songs music book for piano

Debbie, Nashville, TN:
I have been looking for a very, very long time for a website like this! WOW! I have been teaching for over 20 years and it's nice to have a resource such as this!

Silly Songs for Kids piano sheet music book, 5-finger songs

John:  Hello-
I wish to thank you for this WEB SITE. I know it's for teachers, but there are things here that I can’t find anywhere else.  I am a much older beginner and like all the direction you have taken with your students.

All other web sites I have visited like to show you how to do it, but never write it down... Thank you for all the hard work that you put into this.  What a nice web site.

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Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...

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Do you have a simple solo arrangement of What Child is This for 2 hands 
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About the Author

Dana Thynes

Hi, I'm Dana!  (Say that like "Anna".)  I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.

Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.

You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.