Spicing Up Piano Lessons

This page was sparked by an invitation to teach a class "Spicing up Piano Lessons" at my local music store.  It includes links to fun ideas and resources from this blog and other talented bloggers that I have especially enjoyed using with my students. 

You can see additional ideas on this video or blogpost of the more recent workshop I taught about "How to Maximize Music Learning in Music Lessons."  

 Fun Lesson Starters

• Knock-Knock Rhythms(Tape a rhythm card to the door for them to knock to enter lessons)
• Trick or Treat (Layton Music)
• Magnet Melody Dictation (Music Matters)
• Don't Eat "Pete" (Piano Keys, Note Names, Theory Terms or Listening Bingo:Opposites )
• Piano Safari Rote Memory Technique "Challenges"
• Musical Minute to Win It Challenges (Sharp Stacking, Stepping up the Scale, etc.)

Teaching Theory Through Games

• Toss a Note
• Snackmats and Dice
• Whole/Half Step Scale Patterns 

• Major: We Were Happy When We Were Home
• Natural minor: When Harry Went West He Wore White
• Harmonic minor: We Have Watermelon With Harry WhenHe's Home)

• Bang!
• Many More....  Game Resource List Page (Organized by Concept and Level)

Technique and Rhythm the Fun Way

• Rhythm Cups (ComposeCreate)
• Silly Putty Beat Boards (Pianimation) 
   or Bed Bug Hotel (Heidis Piano Notes)
• Rhythm Bug/Candy Bar Circle Game
• Rhythm Aerobics
• Lego Rhythms (Pianimation)
• Tonic, Subdominant  to Dominant - "What Makes You Beautiful" or "Zootopia" Duet Improv

Practice Incentives/Group Piano Parties

• Piano Olympics
• Piano Point Challenge
• Pianimation Mission Music
• Pianimation This is Your Brain on Music
• Pianimation Musikopoly
• Monster Candy Guessing Jar
• Piano Ice Cream/Pancake Party
• Mining for Goals
• Practice Tune-up Skills
• Mountains to Climb
• All Star Scales (Students move around the bases as they pass off Scales

Stretching Your Teaching Tools

•  Chord Progressions with Familiar Folk Songs or Pre-Time Fun Favorites 
• Use Teacher Duets with 2 siblings/students at different levels
• Adapt Game Rules for Multiple Purposes.   For example 1 deck of Interval Cards could be used for Don't Eat "Pete", Interval Towers, Over the Edge, War (Slow Paced Naming Intervals), Slapjack, Speed Sorting (Fast Paced Interval Matching), Interval Bingo (Slow Paced Interval Ear Training), Swat the Interval (Fast Paced Ear Training) BANG!, or Minute to Win it Sightreading Challenge (Notereading and Intervals)

Supplementary Book Recommendations:

Pattern Play by Akiko and Forrest Kinney
Discover Blues Improvisation by Faber/Edwin McLean

Alfred's Famous & Fun Series (Classic Themes, Familiar, Pop, Fun Favorites) by Carol Matz
Faber Gold Star Performance Books with online audio (Gold Star 1, Gold Star 2A, Gold Star 2B
Faber Pre-Time to Big-Time (Children's Songs, Favorites, Classics, Popular, Ragtime and Marches)

In Recital with Jazz Rags & Blues or Classical Themes by Helen Marlais
Piano Safari Technical Exercises and Rote Pieces by Katherine Fisher and Julie Knerr

Other Helpful Piano Teaching Ideas

Piano Teaching Binders -(Notes in the Fast Lane, Sightreading Challenge Sets, Rhythm Drills, Picture Scales etc.)
Piano Online Lab
Piano Teaching 101

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