This post includes resources that I mentioned in my presentation at UVMTA about flipped learning in the music studio.
Click the image above to view the slideshow presentation for UVMTA on flipped learning in the music classroom, which includes hyperlinks or browse some of the resources that were mentioned below.
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn."
The Ninth Session in B-flat Major is a spinoff of Beethoven's classic Ode to Joy Theme with left-hand syncopated interrupting eighths that sound a bit like the Forrest Gump Theme.
Tap along with the rhythms as you listen to the performance to prep for the syncopation in the intro and outro.
While Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for people, it might give a turkey the blues! For this improvisation, imagine a turkey is singing his Thanksgiving blues song. Use these lyrics or come up with some of your own.
This month at group lessons piano students learned more about blues style and the 12 Bar Blues Pattern as we improvised melodies using some of the resources below.
Musical styles from around the world often have repeating chord and scale patterns that make them distinct. Most famous pieces include repeating musical ideas including repeating rhythms, chords and melodic sequences.
Clap the rhythm of the phrase "You think you own whatever land you land on." from Pocahontas's Colors of the Wind Song. Then create melodies on black keys in any order using the same rhythm.
Choose a theme and your own words if you would like. For example:
What's your dream vacation? "My dream vacation would be to Hawaii (or any other 3-syllable destination)"
What did you eat for breakfast? "For breakfast, I had yogurt and some orange juice."
What do you wish you could do after piano lessons? "I wish that I could go and eat some ice cream."
I signed up for Leila Viss's noodle challenge because I have loved hearing about and implementing her creative ideas in the past after attending her workshops and reading her blog for years. I hope to expand my own confidence in improvising. I got a late start after being out of town, but had a lot of fun creating this quick video of a jazzy version of "Are You Sleeping" that I created in less than 2 minutes. It is a lot of fun to play with energy but my kids might name it "The Rude Awakening" if I start playing it in the early morning hours!
To sign up and get some fresh and free improv ideas for this month Visit https://www.leilaviss.com/30day-noodle-challenge
Not every music student LOVES to compose or feels comfortable creating. In fact most are rarely invited to! I only recall creating one composition during all of my years of piano lessons as a child. When I thought about taking a songwriting class in college, I first attended the student songwriting recital at BYU and was both amazed and intimidated by the performances. Unfortunately, after hearing their songs I felt I could never create something that amazing, so I didn't sign up😢.
My love for improvising and composing came many years later as a piano teacher when I tried several "beginning" composing activities with my students and saw how much they enjoyed it. I also gained confidence and had fun as I explored improvisation in the comfort of my home using Forrest Kinney's resources. Hopefully, your students won't wait that long to FIND THE LOVE and learning that come from creating!
February Composing
Chrissy Ricker's Valentine’s Day Yay or Boo provides a fun composition starting point based on a familiar poem rhythm. I love the flexibility suggestions that can be used for students of all levels. In addition to the possibilities Chrissy mentions, students could try one of the following
Half the note rhythmic values and try composing a piece in 6/8 time
Add expressive dynamic and articulation marks
Create lyrics for a 2nd verse to tell a story about why you say Yay or Boo to Valentines
Adding a contrasting B section is another
Choose your own harmonic structure (Heart and Soul: I, vi, IV, V or quick V-I)
Composing Staff Paper, Prompts, and Styles
Joy Morin has many great composing resources like various sizes of printable staff paper and composing prompt pictures that can be used any time of the year. Near the bottom of this linked post is a Composing in Romantic Style activity. Since February is the month of "romance" it is a perfect time to introduce the elements of Romantic music using her guided worksheets the Prompts for Composing (p9) and Stylistic Traits of Romantic Music (p10). These resources can be used for individual or group classes.
Improvising with 2s
The Teach Piano Today Valentines Improv activity is a simple way to start with beginners that allows them to improvise on the black keys with quarter, eighth and half-note rhythm patterns.
For more of a challenge, intermediate/advanced students could try one of the Create First improvisation ideas below that include Add 2 Chords or Second Inversions.
Activity #1:Watch Create First Second ChanceSolo. Then create your own melodies using notes from the G Major Scale and Add 2 chords.
Activity #2: Watch Create First A Day Unbroken by Hours and then create your own improv using broken chords including root chords and inversions.
Activity #3: Watch the sample improv video CF Far From Home. Then create your own improv using right hand 2nd inversions patterns.
Activity #4: Watch the jazzy style Create First Gospel sample improv and then create your own improvisation including 2nd inversions.
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.
I'm excited to serve as the Assistant Composition Festival Chair for the Upper Valley Music Teacher's Association and plan to share a post about themed resources every month that music teachers can use with their students. While most activities are designed for pianists, I'll also include some resources that can be used for string players or other instrumentalists.
Beginning Composing with a Musical Motifs Game
Beginning to compose can be a bit intimidating for many students (and teachers😉) so I like to start with bite-size motifs using a game approach to take the pressure off. This Scale Degrees Gameboard Free Printable) can be used as a quick lesson starter when paired with any of the seasonal rhythm pattern cards from the Free Improvisation printables on the Teach Piano Today blog. For example the TPT Back to School Improv includes rhythm pattern cards like "leaky lunchbox," "make new friends," "running for the bus," etc.
To play, first choose a major or minor scale. The teacher and student (or 2 students) sit at the piano (or other instrument), take turns rolling a die, and move their marker around the game board (removable sticky flags) as they improvise short musical melody ideas on their instrument using notes from the chosen scale. To ramp up the difficulty more advanced students could also add chords for harmony.
For each spot they land on, they create a musical motif starting with the scale degree note and matching the rhythm. For example, if a player lands on dominant using the C major scale they create a musical idea that starts with G (dominant) as they say the phrase from the rhythm pattern card they chose.
This game cleverly introduces the intermediate concept of scale degree names, while allowing the teacher to model rhythms and musical ideas and let the student try them out in a no fear of failure approach. The winner is the first one to reach the end of the board. For a twist you could choose a "magic degree" and let players roll again if they land on that scale degree.
It's not polished or perfect. I didn't even know I was being filmed! But I love seeing her delight and the way she tried to mimic my flowing sounds.
The Forrest Kinney's Create First! Series empowered me with this idea to begin improvising on the piano for fun, and I love to see my students light up when they see how much fun it can be to create with simple patterns. I love to start with the For the Joy improv that even people with no music experience can do by just playing black keys. When Forrest was diagnosed with terminal cancer a few years ago, he generously posted all of his Create First! Videos on YouTube. The books provide written samples, left hand patterns and duets on the printed page that he demonstrates in his videos.
For the Joy Student Improvisation Activity
Watch Create First For the Joy Duet and Solo. Then Create your own melodies on the black keys with rhythms in 4/4 Time. Start with just quarter notes. Then add longer or shorter notes for variety.
I'd love to hear about your experiences using these or other creative activities with your music students. What are some of your favorite improvising or composing activities?
More Posts About Composing and Improvising in the Music Studio
Then choose your favorite style, follow the 3 boundary rules, and improvise your own short Halloween piece during piano lab. Choose a fun title that matches the mood of your piece.
Watch this performance of Novela. Note how his left-hand arm weight aligns in front of each broken chord note played instead of keeping a tense open-hand position. Imitate the same arc motion as you play.
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