It’s not often that you encounter a genuinely original resource, so it’s worth celebrating when it happens: Blitz! Rote Repertoire is genius!
Created by Samantha Coates — who I first got to know as the author of the amusing theory workbook series How To Blitz! Theory — Rote Repertoire is a fantastic downloadable resource that develops musical memory, aural skills, notation-comprehension and creativity.
It’s built around a clever four-level structure that makes rote learning a springboard to musical independence.
Unsure about getting creative in piano lessons?
The Four-Level Approach
The basic concept is really powerful, and I think it’s unique! Certainly I’ve never come across anything comparable. Here it is: students work through the same piece in four different difficulty levels.
Level 1 begins with rote teaching: by ear, via the demo videos, or your own demonstration, allowing pre-readers to absorb patterns and phrasing without the immediate pressure of notation.
Levels 2 and 3 introduce notation with variations—changes in rhythm, harmony, or articulation—that connect aural sense to the score. Reading becomes a sensible next step, not a chore. It mirrors language learning: we mimic sounds first, then link them to symbols. Indeed, I find that my students are noticably more engaged when reading Blitz! Rote Repertoire compared to any standard method book.
Level 4 aligns perfectly with the Piano Creativity philosophy: students compose their own version. Having seen the piece evolve, this feels logical and normal—making creation at the piano feel accessible.
Who is it for?
I’ve used these with children in their first couple of years, transfer students, and intermediates as quick studies or ‘dessert’ pieces. They serve reliably as core repertoire (over several weeks) for beginners or fun one-lesson challenges for advanced pupils. Both my students and I have enjoyed them thoroughly.
Practical Considerations
The scores are clearly laid out with useful teacher guides for implementation and progression. High quality videos give clear demonstrations for teachers and I sometimes share these videos with students as a reliable home practice reference.
This is a downloadable resource, so you’ll probably need a printer or tablet to use it. The scores are only available on a studio license. I find the pricing for individual pieces a little high — although to be fair, with all the video demonstations you do get a lot of content for your money — but the bundles are about 1/3rd cheaper, and I would recommend starting there.
Final thoughts
This is really smart pedagogy uniting aural skills, notation, and creativity — while being genuinely fun. I highly recommend checking it out: free sample pieces here, superb quick-start guide here.
Bravo to Samantha Coates for creating such a wonderful resource!
Find out more
Recently Samantha did a webinar where she showcased her Rote Repertoire series from scratch. It contains some wonderful teaching demonstrations and really gives you a clear idea of how it can work for your students.
20% off for Piano Creativity teachers
The discount code given in the webinar has now expired, so Samantha has generously created another special code just for Piano Creativity fans. Go to roterepertoire.com and enter the coupon code PC20 at checkout. This will work during February only!
What do you think?
What do you think of Rote Repertoire’s four-level approach? Have you tried it in your studio, or do you have a favourite rote resource for sparking creativity? Share your experiences (or questions) in the comments below.
