ABRSM Encore Plus | Piano Sheet Music Review
Since the original series of ABRSM’s Encore books were published over 10 years ago, they have remained a mainstay of my teaching. Popular with both children and adults alike, the series of four books have continued to offer music in a broad range of styles - something to suit everyone.
I was excited therefore, to see ABRSM announce publication of a second series of books, Encore Plus, bringing together a selection of much-loved pieces from recent piano syllabuses. As before, the series comprises four books covering Initial to Grade 2, Grades 3 and 4, Grades 5 and 6, and Grades 7 and 8.
Compiled by renowned music educator Karen Marshall, ABRSM states that the new Encore Plus series will offer learners ‘the opportunity to rediscover familiar favourites alongside new repertoire’. ABRSM goes on to assert that the Encore Plus series has been curated ‘using exam statistics, consultation with the piano-teaching community and practical teaching experience’.
All musical styles are represented in what Marshall describes as comprising ‘real crowd-pleasers’, with a mixture of original works and arrangements, as has become the norm in ABRSM’s recent piano syllabuses.
As with the original series, Encore Plus includes practical activities to support musical development, with QR codes linking to recordings of all the pieces. The footnotes for each piece - a much-loved feature of the original Encore series - continue to offer links between the repertoire, and technical and musicianship skills.
Activities which relate to scales and arpeggios, sight-reading, theoretical knowledge and stylistic awareness offer students and pianists a useful starting point, not only for understanding the works more deeply, but taking their exploration of them further.
One development since the publication of the original Encore series has been the introduction of ABRSM Performance Grades. It is clear that the Encore Plus series has borne this in mind, and the covers of the books state that they are an ‘ideal resource for Performance Grade own-choice pieces’.
Inevitably, with the popularity of the original Encore series, expectations are high, so does Encore Plus live up to its predecessor?
ABRSM Encore Plus Repertoire
In many respects, Encore Plus does what it says ‘on the tin’, offering a range of pieces in different styles and genres. Perhaps inevitably, we’ll all have our favourite ABRSM piano exam pieces, and we might feel a certain disappointment that they weren’t included here; however, it’s worth noting that these books represent a selection of ‘favourite’ pieces - and of course, favourites of ours might not be favourites of others!
It is, perhaps, inevitably the case that as pieces become longer, notably in Books 3 and 4, the choice is a little more limited. On balance, Book 4 felt weak in comparison, with choices a little more conservative - Mozart’s Alla Turca, Clara Schumann’s Prelude and Fugue in B flat, Handel’s Allemande and Courante and Beethoven’s Bagatelle in E flat. I felt this book in particular could have been more adventurous, especially given these pieces’ ready availability elsewhere.
That said, it was a joy to rediscover some favourite pieces - many of which deserve a ‘second look’ - notably Arakelyan’s Daydream, Lasko’s Tarantella (both Book 1, Grade 2), Paul Harris’ Indigo (Book 2, Grade 3), Estévez’s Canción para dormir una muñeca (Book 2, Grade 4), Mike Cornick’s Film Noir (Book 3, Grade 5), and Merikanto’s Valse lente (Book 3, Grade 6).
ABRSM Encore Plus Publications
As with the original Encore series, the footnotes at the end of each piece are well-conceived and useful. These coupled with the short introductory notes for each piece offer a quick-reference guide to the repertoire - especially useful for teachers looking for pieces which focus on particular skills.
It took me a while to get the QR codes to scan - perhaps I’m just not tech savvy enough - but when I did, they linked to a single page allowing you to listen to all the pieces on major music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes and YouTube. This is a useful feature, not least as many of the pieces and arrangements were ABRSM commissions with no other professional recordings available.
Of particular note, is Karen Marshall’s aim to avoid duplication of pieces from other major compilations, and so far as I can see, this seems to have worked. This makes ABRSM’s Encore Plus series distinct from other similar collections.
Overall, the publications are of an excellent quality, as we would expect from one of the world’s major music exam boards.
Final Thoughts
In the promotional material for ABRSM’s new Encore Plus series, the focus on their Performance Grades is notable. I think this is a collection which has been specifically designed with that in mind. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it perhaps explains why some of the later grade choices feel somewhat conservative. As I mentioned above, this was particularly noteworthy in Book 4 covering Grades 7 and 8 - but as ever, that is only my personal view, and I know that many teachers and students will be happy with the repertoire selected there.
The books offer excellent value for money, Book 1 including over 20 pieces for an RRP of just £11.95, and the fact that duplication with other similar compilations has been avoided where possible, this only goes to strengthen the case for their popularity.
Overall, just like its predecessor, ABRSM’s Encore Plus offers a wide selection of pieces which will appeal to children and adult learners alike. I know many of my adult students will enjoy getting stuck into these books having previously completed the corresponding book in the original Encore series.
These books will be undoubtedly popular - and justifiably so!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Encore Plus was published in 2026 by ABRSM. 4 books are available covering Initial Grade to Grade 8.
I was sent a review copy of these books free of charge; however, this review is my honest opinion as a teacher. You can find my Reviews Policy here.
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Star ratings reflect my personal opinion based on usefulness, creativity, presentation, and appeal for teachers and players. I only review publications I can genuinely recommend (3 stars and above):
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Worth exploring - A solid and dependable publication with moments of interest.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommended - Thoughtful and well-presented; many teachers and players will enjoy using it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommended - Beautifully written, inspiring, and one I’ll return to often.
Inevitably, with the popularity of the original Encore series, expectations are high, so does Encore Plus live up to its predecessor?