“Showpieces” provide opportunities for pianists to display their skills and elicit the “Wow!” response from an audience. The anticipation of acquiring virtuosity is highly motivating for piano students because there is a special thrill in experiencing the sound and feel of playing showpieces, as well as having the admiration of listeners! The music of Ovation, Books 1 and 2 was selected with this in mind.

Book One, for the intermediate grades, provides initial experiences for developing a virtuoso technique, with music by Schubert, Burgmu¨ller, Heller, Schytte, MacDowell, Pieczonka, and Villa-Lobos.