The resources for creativity at the piano seem to be endless. Here are a few winter and New Year-themed activities to try. It's never too late to start or expand your skills with some creative fun! The framework of these activities help get the creative juices flowing, but the real fun comes when you can throw out some of the "rules" and let your imagination explore new possibilities.
Composing
January is a time for me to reset and contemplate my goals. This chant I learned at 4H camp makes me think of kicking off the new year with the best start which includes setting personal goals for physical, intellectual, spiritual, and social improvement.
Good Better Best Dice Composing provides an easy framework for composing for students who may feel overwhelmed by a broad range of choices. The dice do the "choosing" for you, although you can always opt to choose your own pathway if you don't like how the dice roll!
Clean up the clutter in your house with this fun Trash to Treasure Composing. The trash provides the rhythm and composers get to choose the melody!
Improvisation
Snowman Improv
Teach Piano Today's Free Printable "McDrip the Slushy Snowman" includes rhythm pattern improv exploration using the C Pentascale with a teacher duet. To ramp up the difficulty, intermediate students could use the same rhythm cards and add their own variation of left-hand chord accompaniments to create an improv solo.
Create First Winter Blues
For me, January can feel a little blue. Typically I'm shoveling snow over the 3 feet hills on my driveway but this year has been blessed and I can actually see the grass! The Create First Glimmer of Hope and Endless Road and Journeysample improvs represent my winter mood when the temperatures plunge.
Arranging
Snowman Blues
Create your own "Snowman Blues" by adding a B Section to "Once There Was a Snowman." Use the notes from a minor scale to express the sad mood of a melting snowman.
Simple Gifts
When I find a piece that I enjoy, it's fun to create a new arrangement, bridge or adaptation. Here's a quick sample that I created to demo for my students last month after playing Simple Gifts from a lead sheet. I love the simple chord progression and just adapted the melody choosing my own notes as I sang the lyrics in my mind.
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