Rhythm Challenge and Activities for Group Lessons

The online resources below include some options for this month's Rhythm Challenge and activities we'll try at group lessons.

Rhythm Practice Videos

At group lessons, students take turns choosing the movement for each of these rhythm practice videos.

Stomping your feet with a steady beat while you choose a hand motion helps you keep a steady pulse. 

Do you want to 

• slide hands? 
• windshield wipers? 
• snap?
•  tap thighs?
•  chopstick finger tap?

Remember to count aloud using the smallest note pattern found in each example. 

Eighths: 1 & 2 &, etc.

Sixteenths: 1 e & a, 2 e & a, etc.

Elementary

Musical Minds: Quarter, Half, Eighth Notes and Rests.

Barbie Rapunzel Theme Piano Music

Today at lessons I asked a few students if they had any requests for pieces they'd love to learn. One teen mentioned they love the classical-sounding Barbie music... not from the new movie but from her childhood favorite animated videos. 

I'd never heard it.

So with a quick YouTube search, we found this beautiful piece posted by Emilie's Piano! I printed it immediately, and it was an instant hit. 

 I love it when my students introduce me to new music that I enjoy as well. 😎 The link to the free sheet music is beneath her post on YouTube. 

When a student is eager to learn a piece, their practice tends to increase dramatically and I love how this particular piece has a classical/pop sound and includes some unusual rhythmic patterns and key shifts based on familiar chords that will stretch her skills to new levels. 💪💓

The style of the music reminds me of a music book I purchased years ago for my own playing enjoyment called "Jane Austen's World."

Click the image to purchase Jane Austen's World on amazon or preview some of my favorite pieces from this intermediate level book that are played by various pianists.

The simplest piece is End Titles from Emma.  It includes repetitive broken chords and gives students practice playing cantabile in the easy key of G Major.

Frank Churchhill Arrives is the opening piece in the key of G Major, 6/8 Time. It includes a lot of repetitive, broken arpeggios in the left hand (what I call 1-5-8-5-8-5 based on scale degrees). The rallentandos and temporary swap to 9/8 time may be new for some students.

Excellent Notion is in 6/8 time, G Major with mostly harmonic 3rds and 2nds in the left hand giving good practice with legato 3rds and syncopated pedaling

My Father's Favourite is a bit trickier, written in the key of A flat major with a few dotted eighth + sixteenths. I love the slow, expressive style of this piece! It's my favorite to play in this book.

For more Intermediate Piano Music that students love, check out these reviews!

Wunderkeys Stolen Roses Review and Practice Tips

Wunderkeys Pop Performance 2 Review

Some of the products linked in my posts may be affiliate links, earning me a small commission on any products purchased with no extra cost to you.

Wunderkeys The Stoles Rose Solos Review with Practice Tips

 I have subscribed to a lot of piano teaching related emails for the past 20 years, but one that brings me the most value and joy is Teach Piano Today blog by Trevor and Andrea Dow. They have so many free games and song samplers that my students love to learn with. Clicking this free song sampler for the Stolen Roses led me to dive in and buy the book.

But their teen piano library is what has recently captured my interest. I previously shared thoughts about their Performance Pop 2 Book that my intermediate students are enjoying more than their method books.

Crazy Chord Challenge Videos

Being able to quickly identify and play chords is a fundamental skill that is used over and over in piano playing. 

I shared this Crazy Chord Challenge a few years ago. It is one of the options for the Keyboard Skills Challenge. This updated post includes some video samples. Students can choose the pace they want to play as long as they complete each challenge in less than a minute.

To prep them for the challenge, I demonstrate while chanting the chord categories as I play. "Va-ni-lla (C), "Or-e-o" (Db), "Ham-bur-ger" (D), etc.).  Being able to see the color patterns on the keyboard and feel them under their fingers quickly really boosts the ease of playing chords from written notation later on.

Challenge 1 

Can you play all of the Major chords Broken style Hands Separate (Left than Right) Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 2

Can you play all of the Major chords, Broken style, Hands Together, Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 3

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Separate (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 4

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Together (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Up the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 5

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style, Hands Separate (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Down the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 6

Can you play all of the Major chords Block Style Hands Together (Left than Right), Moving Chromatically Down the Keyboard in Less than 1 Minute?

Challenge 7

Can you play one of the above challenges but using Minor Chords instead?

Hint: move your 3rd finger one note to the left (flat)

Challenge 8

Can you play one of the above challenges with Eyes Closed?

For a more difficult challenge, students who have already mastered root chords could play inversions or I-IV-I-V-I chord progressions with a longer time limit!

Related Posts:

Try Every Key Challenge

Keyboard Skills Challenge

Dagda's Harp Improvisation

 The Story of Dagda's Harp

As you improvise "Dagda's harp" music, consider how to use some of the following musical elements to help you create a certain mood.

• Fast or slow tempo?
• Major or minor key?
• Sudden dynamic drop-offs or gradual crescendoes?
• Acccidentals or grace notes to surprise?
• High or low keyboard range?
• Use of repetitive motifs that mimic sleepy, sad or laughing emotions?
• A sound effect intro or outro?
• Legato, staccato or accented articulations?
• Thin (Broken) or  Thick (Blocked) Textures?

How can you create a "The Laughing Tune"?

The Crying Tune? 

The Sleeping Tune?

Related Posts

Composing and Improvising Free Resources for March

Practice Tips Schubert Waltz in B minor D145 No6

Tips for Schubert Waltz in B minor by Janna Williamson

Warm Up with Chords and Inversions in B minor 

• Label the V7-I chords in the music, Keys of B Minor, D Major, B Major

Target Shooting Left hand stride. Practice eyes closed or silent jumps.

St Patrick's Day Piano and Mixolydian

Irish Composing

The free printable CR Irish Jig Composing by Chrissy Ricker provides the structure of a simple rhythm pattern in 3/4 time that elementary students can choose melody notes to create their own jig.

Intermediate Students could use this same resource but add left-hand 5ths for harmony, create a contrasting B section, or convert their piece in  3/4 time into 6/8 by halving the value of each note and doubling the measure length.

But why are there no sharps when it appears to be based around the key of G?

The Mixolydian Mode

Watch this Mixolydian in Irish Music to learn about why Irish music uses this unique pattern of notes.

G Mixolydian Scale

Related Posts

Composing and Improvisation Activities for the Month of March