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Fall is a fun time to bring seasonal music into piano lessons. While Halloween music can be exciting for many students, not every student enjoys spooky themes and sounds. Sometimes it’s also nice to have seasonal pieces that can stay on the piano throughout September, October, and November.

I’ve collected some of my favorite autumn piano music for beginners below. The pieces are organized by approximate level, from pre-reading through late elementary, and include themes such as falling leaves, pumpkins, turkeys, and other signs of the fall season.

Levels are approximate, since method books and publishers don’t always use the same leveling system.

Pre-Reading

Leaf – Autumn Days

For students who aren’t reading on the staff yet, Autumn Days is a seasonal option that can be introduced early in piano study.

Beginner

Bastien – Pumpkin Party

Pumpkins don’t have to be just for Halloween! Pumpkin Party is a fun way to bring a fall theme into lessons with beginning students. The piece is in middle C position and features syncopated quarter/half note rhythms.

Bastien – Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Dinner is found in 1st Parade of Solos. This book contains 20 pieces that can be used throughout the year. Thanksgiving Dinner is a nice choice as you move from October into Thanksgiving music.

Costley – Turkey Talk

Turkey Talk is another selection for beginning students in middle C position. It features a teacher duet as well, which really helps bring a beginner solo to life.

Kowalchyk – Run, Mister Turkey

Run, Mister Turkey is in middle C hand position and combines quarter, half and whole note values. This can be a fun, first solo to use in the fall.

You can also find this piece in Kowalchyk and Lancaster’s Favorite Solos, Book 1, which can be a good option if you’d rather purchase a collection than an individual solo.

Elementary

Austin – Barnyard Strut

Barnyard Strut

A barnyard theme fits naturally into a collection of harvest and autumn music and gives students something a little different from the usual pumpkins and leaves. This piece uses all three accidentals (sharp, flats, and naturals) in middle C position.

Leaf – Autumn Leaves Are Falling

Autumn Leaves Are Falling is found in A Leaf Collection, Book 1. This is a lovely choice when you want fall music that isn’t centered around a holiday. The autumn-leaf theme makes it appropriate throughout the season, so students have plenty of time to learn and enjoy it.

Lewis – Pumpkin Patch

Another pumpkin-themed option, Pumpkin Patch works well for students who want seasonal music without necessarily playing something spooky for Halloween. Written in C major and 4/4 time, the melody is shared between the hands, giving students practice bringing out both right- and left-hand melodies. The piece also includes fun lyrics and an optional teacher duet accompaniment.

Weston – Perky Turkey

With its playful turkey theme, Perky Turkey is a fun choice for beginning students as Thanksgiving approaches. The piece is written in Middle C position and introduces flats and naturals. Students will also get to play a three-note cluster, adding a fun and unexpected sound to this early-level piece.

Late Elementary

Mier – Green Corn Dance

Green Corn Dance is found in Just Imagine, Book 2. This gives late-elementary students a seasonal option when they’ve moved beyond many of the easier fall pieces available for beginners.

Eklund – Turkey in the Straw

Turkey in the Straw is an easy piano arrangement of the familiar American folk tune and makes a fun seasonal choice around Thanksgiving. The piece uses C position as a home base with different intervals in the left hand. There are also some rhythms with eighth notes.

Vandall – Scarecrow Dance

Scarecrow Dance can be found in Vandall’s Favorite Solos, Book 1.

Written in A minor, Scarecrow Dance has a lively sound with quick eighth-note passages that make it especially fun to play. Students will move between different hand positions that shift by step, giving them practice moving around the keyboard rather than staying in one fixed position.

🍁 More Autumn Piano Activities

Seasonal repertoire isn’t the only way to bring fall into piano lessons. I also like having a few simple seasonal activities available to use alongside students’ regular lesson materials.

The Candy Jar Game is a free download that you can use for a studio-wide activity or contest.

You can also try my Autumn Fortune Tellers. These printable music games give students a playful way to review concepts including space notes, the musical alphabet, and music math.

🎃 Looking for Halloween Piano Music?

If your students do love spooky music, I have plenty of that too! You can find more seasonal repertoire in Halloween Piano Music for Beginners and The Best Intermediate Halloween Piano Music.

Whether your students prefer pumpkins and falling leaves or ghosts and witches, adding a few seasonal pieces to their regular repertoire can be a simple way to bring something different to piano lessons throughout the fall.