This music method is the result of years of trying to teach adults with existing published juvenile music methods. Understandably, juvenile methods take a very slow and rudimentary approach to teaching music because they try to allow enough time for very young students to absorb learning materials that can be very foreign to their young and developing minds. Also, to promote faster learning to the very young, these methods will often use juvenile pictures and illustrations in an attempt to get this information more readily digested by the young mind. Although older students and adults do not typically admit it, as a teacher, I often see the awkwardness and embarrassment of having to carry these juvenile method books to and from lessons and/or showing family and friends their progress because of the child-like illustrations contained within the books. This is especially unfortunate, because nothing spawns learning more than sharing one’s knowledge and newly learned skills with family and friends.

Over the years, as I tried to apply these juvenile methods to teaching older students and adults, those method books often failed me because older age groups tend to get bored if the material is not moving quickly enough. Adults often learn at a much faster pace because they have experienced so much more of life and understand the complexities of language and conceptual learning that are typically not well-developed in very young students. Therefore, I set out to create a music method that moves at a pace that is quicker yet much more comfortable for older students and adults.

My new Adult Accordion Method also comes with a 63-track CD that includes each and every exercise and musical selection in the book. Although it is always wise to find a good teacher to assist and expedite a student’s learning process, this method is written with the self-learner in mind as well. Therefore if a student is in a remote area where access to accordion teachers is not readily available, a student can use the method book and its accompanying CD as an effective self-teaching tool. Both are designed to give the self-taught as well as the instructed student the ability to make as much progress as possible. If a student is fortunate enough to have found a teacher, then think of the accompanying CD as a way to take the teacher home to help practice the other six days of the week!

[Joe would like to remind remote students however about his article that appeared in AccordionUSA a few months ago concerning remote teaching via the internet. Joe has been teaching students very successfully in all over the US and in Europe via the internet and it is working out wonderfully. Therefore any remote students who may want to consider this option are welcome to contact Joe at janpresspub@yahoo.com.]

Another important but often overlooked feature of the Adult Accordion Method is that it is bound with plastic comb binding. This subtle feature means that the book will effortlessly remain open on the music stand without the student having to perform gymnastics to do so. The center staple bound music books that have been the norm for years in the music publishing industry require way too much effort, bending, and babysitting. All of JANPress music is produced with comb binding because its publications are written BY musicians FOR musicians who all understand the frustration that center staple bound music creates when trying to keep it open on the music stand.

After years of teaching the accordion on all levels, I hope that this new Adult Accordion Method will close gaps in the existing literature for the adult accordion student. The Adult Accordion Method has already been test marketed and sold in various venues, but the official “unveiling” will be at the National Accordion Association (NAA) event in Dallas this year in mid March. Volume 1 will be succeeded by two more volumes which will complete the series. Volume 2 is anticipated for production by August 2010.