Lesson Book 1 is pre-reading. Concepts taught are: How to sit at the piano; Correct hand position; High and low; Loud and soft (forte and piano); Keyboard topography; Bar line and measure, Quarter, half, whole notes and rests; and Repeat signs. The first pieces in the book are played on the black keys. Later in the book, C D E for the RH and C B A for the LH (Middle C position) are taught with letter notes (the name of the note is written inside the note head).

Characters introduced: Mozart Mouse, Beethoven Bear, and Elgar E. Elephant.