One Summer's Day Piano Duet

From Solo to Duet: Turning “One Summer's Day” into a Shared Musical Moment

This piece came to life because of a student’s simple request.

After she had fully mastered Golden, she asked what she could play next. Around the same time, both she and her sister were constantly humming the tune whenever they came to lessons. It was clear that this music had already become part of their everyday lives, not just something on the page.

I already had the score for the piano solo, but then another thought crossed my mind. Since both sisters play the piano, why not turn this piece into a piano duet? Instead of one person playing while the other listens, they could sit side by side, sharing the melody, the rhythm, and the joy of making music together.

So I decided to convert the solo into a duet arrangement. The goal was simple: to make the piece fun, collaborative, and musically meaningful for them. At the same time, it allowed me to add a new arrangement to my library—one that carries a personal story behind it.

What started as a student’s question became a small creative project, and more importantly, an opportunity for two siblings to connect through music. Moments like these are a reminder of why teaching and arranging music can be so rewarding: every piece can grow, change, and create new memories.

Here they are. 

One Summer's Day Piano Duet, music by Joe Hisaishi. 

Download One Summer's Day Piano Duet pdf 

You've Got A Friend In Me Piano Duet pdf

This piece has an interesting journey behind it.

It was originally chosen by the student’s previous teacher, and when the student brought it to me, she mentioned that it was meant to be a duet. However, after taking a closer look at the photocopied score, I realized something wasn’t quite right. The so-called “second part” wasn’t actually a duet part at all—it lacked the structure and musical independence a true duet requires.

Rather than abandoning the idea, I decided to rework it properly. I began by searching for the underlying chord progression and then wrote a genuine second part that would complement the original melody and create a balanced musical conversation between the two players.

With the new duet part in place, the piece finally became what it was meant to be. After rehearsing and refining it together, we were able to perform it successfully at SOTA Concert Hall for "Summer Recital" hosted by Melodious Piano Studio in early November.

Seeing the piece come together on stage was incredibly rewarding. What started as an incomplete score turned into a fully realized duet—and a meaningful performance moment for the student.

You've Got A Friend in Me easy primo

You've Got A Friend in Me secondo 

You've Got A Friend In Me Easy Piano with duet part full score

Download You've Got A Friend in Me easy piano primo part 

Download You've Got A Friend in Me easy piano secondo part

Download You've Got A Friend in Me easy piano full score