Sight Reading Challenge and Tips

This month at group lessons we will focus on sight reading strategies For the studio challenge, I invite students to level up their sight-reading skills by choosing a challenge to complete below. 

Sight Reading Challenges

• New Beginners: 90% Piano Key Names on Tonic Tutor & Flashnote Derby Landmarks
• Play PedaPlus Notes or PedaPlus Intervals 5 minutes a day for 15 days.
• Sightread new music 5 minutes a day for fifteen days in a row. (Students can choose a new book for sight reading each week from my library).
• Play Piano Maestro Journey Mode until you complete the next "10" level (10, 20, 30, 40, 50).
• Sight-read 50 measures in a row with accuracy at lessons with your teacher. You choose the speed. Slow is better!

Teaching Note Reading Games and Free Posters

 Sometimes cleaning out my piano files pays off! 

This week I browsed through old files and found some treasure ideas that will be great for our September group lesson focused on note reading. 

There are many approaches to teaching note-naming to music students.  I've found that although the "Every Good Boy Does Fine" approach worked for me, it is not ideal for a lot of transfer students who come to piano lessons with confusion about which sentence goes with treble or bass.

These fun posters and activities can help clear up that confusion!

I prefer to focus on landmark notes, musical chants, intervals and games to really help piano students to have strong note recognition skills.

BASS Lines Music and Movement Game

I'm eager to try this mashup of Bingo, Simon Says and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes at group lessons next week. Start by singing the lyrics below to the tune of Bingo while you and your students chant the bass lines and touch their body "head shoulders knees and toes" style, but backwards.  

PA Primer: Let's Play Ball and Bass B

 This post includes activities that correlate with "Let's Play Ball" in Piano Adventures Primer.

Music Sample

Click the links below to watch the Adventure Learning Videos play along with backing tracks or try the super student challenges. 

Al page 46

Dangling Dog and Music Staff Landmarks

 I created this poster to display on my music bulletin board after learning a quick tip from a local workshop about how to help beginning students who experience confusion with Treble D and Bass B on the music staff. 

Because both are a space note next to the 5 lines of the music staff, young students sometimes fail to distinguish the difference. Can blue balls roll along the ceiling? Not likely!

PA Primer: Mister Bluebird and Staff Steps

 This post includes activities that correlate with "Mister Bluebird" in Piano Adventures Primer.

Music Sample

Click the links below to watch the Adventure Learning Videos play along with backing tracks or try the super student challenges. 

AL page 43

PA Primer: Middle C March and Grand Staff

 This post includes activities that correlate with "Middle C March " in Piano Adventures Primer.

Music Sample

Click the links below to watch the Adventure Learning Videos play along with backing tracks or try the super student challenges. 

AL page 36

Games and Theory

M&Ms Stepping up Staff  with CIMP Staff Paper Free Printable

Supplementary Music

Listen to the Grand Staff Song Grand Staff Song (track4). Can memorize and chant the treble and bass line notes?

Related Posts

33 Alouette and Rhythm Ear Training

How to Sight-read by Paul Harris - Helpful Tips, New Book and App

Sight-reading has never been something I feel is my musical superpower so I am always eager to find more tips on developing this skill.

Today I was so excited to watch a piano webinar hosted by the Curious Piano Teachers featuring Paul Harris to learn some new ideas regarding this topic. I also hoped to pick up some practical tips to help my piano students sight-read with fluency and confidence too. 

Online Games for Note Naming and Music Reading Fluency

This month's piano studio focus is on note-reading fluency. When piano students can quickly identify landmark notes, intervals and chord patterns they can sight-read new music more easily. Piano students can get a lot of fun practice using TonicTutor.com, but the following is a list of other fun online music games they can practice for variety to help them achieve this month's note naming challenge.

Piano Pronto Movement 1: #3 Love Somebody and Parallel/Contrary Motion

This lesson plan has supplementary activities for Piano Pronto Movement 1 Love Somebody.

Theory

How Quizlet Can Help You Master Piano Theory Terms and Signs

Using Quizlet in the Music Studio 

Music Flashcards have a been a familiar tool in piano lessons for me since I was a child.  I loved the satisfaction of beating my personal record time identifying note names chords and music terms. Quizlet allows you to create free flashcard sets to learn almost any topic from Spanish vocabulary to human anatomy.  You can also tap into the existing sets others have created. There are several different ways to study that make this online flashcard tool even more effective than traditional paper flashcard sets.  I love how the various options allow you to study in the way that works best for you including starring a small number of cards to review, playing in flashcard, game or quiz mode with varying formats (multiple choice, match, type answer, etc.).

One Minute Club

 For our March Group Lessons the studio challenge is for students to level up their note naming skills "One Minute Club" style. Each time they earn an award, students get to add their name to the studio challenge board and select a prize. 

Fluent music reading involves more than just naming the letter names of notes on staff flashcards.  When students make a connection to the keys and also can quickly identify intervals they can more easily sight read new music. 

One Minute Club Awards

Bronze- Bass F to Treble G

Silver - Bass C to Treble C

Gold - Bass G to Treble F (All lines and space on grand staff)

Master -Low Ledger Line C to High Ledger Line C

Doctorate- Master + Speedy Interval ID (30 in one minute)

In my studio I use the Flashnote Derby and NoteRush Apps,  Susan Paradis Notes in the Fast Lane pages  to assess note recognition. Here are a few tools to help students practice at home as well
Susan Paradis's Free Mini Staff Flashcards - How many can you name and play in 1 minute? 
Teoria.com Clef Reading Exercise (Bass and Treble, Spaces and Lines, Visual Keyboard, No Tempo)

For a challenge add leger lines or accidentals!

Interval Games

Pianimation.com Over the Edge Interval Game- This game is great for groups or a buddy lesson starter or for a fast paced Slapinterval variation, but students can also use the cards solo for a minute to win it challenge practice.

Slapinterval Music Game

This week  I repurposed Jen Fink's  Pianimation Over The Edge interval flashcards in my music studio to play this quick group game that helps music students to increase their speed at identifying intervals in a  fun way.

This game is played similar to slapjack.  Select a target interval to slap for each round (6th, 4th, etc.).  The goal is to win the most cards by being the first to slap each target interval as it is played in the center. 

Deal cards to the players.  Players take turns placing their card face up in the center. If they are first to slap their hand down on the target interval, they get to take the pile of cards.  If they slap an incorrect interval they give one of their cards to the player of that card.  Once all the cards have been turned, the winner is the player with the most cards.

Related Posts

For more fun games organized by concept and level visit my 

Piano Games Resource List

Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 1 Unit 4 Assignments and Supplementary Activities

Piano Teaching Lesson Plans: Introducing Intervals

Using online piano lesson assignments including virtual links allows my students easy access to learning videos and song samples all in one place.  By sharing a google doc with the parents and students, students can access the document from week to week as I add their newest assignment to the top of the page. This post includes specific instructions for pieces in the Piano Adventures Lesson Book 1 but many of the activities could also be used with other pieces for introducing intervals.  Scroll to the bottom to view lesson plan links for other concepts.

Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 1 Unit 3 Assignments and Supplementary Activities

Piano Lesson Plans: Teaching Landmark C's on the Grand Staff

Streamlining my piano lesson assignment plans to online documents including virtual links allows my students easy access to learning videos and song samples all in one place. This post includes specific instructions for pieces in the Piano Adventures Lesson Book 1 but many of the activities could also be used with any method book to introduce the 3 C's on the Grand Staff.  I like to use the names Leila Viss suggests for the different Cs on the grand staff. 

Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 1 Unit 2 Assignments and Supplementary Activities

Quick Music Games for Online Piano Lesson Teaching Starters

Has switching to online piano lessons due to social distancing gotten you scrambling for games and activities that will work with virtual lessons?  In the past I've used off bench games and activities for nearly every lesson from my Piano Game Resource List.  Here are just a few that could be adapted to  work well to keep your online music students engaged in a fun way.

Note Naming

Grand Staff Battleship - Screen share some short Music Alphabet Words.  Teacher and student draw a treble of bass staff on a piece of paper and then guess specific notes (Treble Line G, Treble Space C, etc.) until they can guess their opponent's word.

Flashcard Bingo -Ask student to draw a 9 square grid on a paper and fill with letters from the music alphabet. Then the teacher displays music staff flashcards and students identify the letter name and cover their board until they get 3 in a row.

Intervals

Fast Hands (adapted on the keys)- With a little variation the concept from this fast hands game can be played on the piano keys.  Teacher calls out the starting note (Middle C) and then gives a series of directions for the student to move up/down the keys (Step up a 3rd, Down a 4th, Up a 2nd,) What key did you land on?

Crazy Keys Students could print the cards from home or you can place the cards in 2 piles and they select which pile they want to draw from "virtually"and then they place their marker on their piano keys, while you move on yours up towards a designated "end key." 

Terms and Signs

Silly Sentences (In the Manner of the Music Term)- Say a silly sentence "in the manner of the music term" (piano, staccato, accelerando, etc.) and have your student guess the term. Then trade roles.
Musical Twenty Questions - Adapt by just playing with teacher and student.

Group Activities (via Zoom or Marco Polo)

Music Scattergories- Students race for 2 minutes to write one musical term or symbol that fits in each of the designated categories and hope their answers are different from the other players.

Music Cloodle (from Piano Cranium)- Players take turns sculpting music symbols from play dough as the other players race to write or call out the name of the symbol they see.

Call It
Have your student look at a piece of their music or the music dictionary at the beginning or end of their method books and choose a symbol.  Both the teacher and student draw a picture of a symbol and then try to guess what the other person was trying to represent.

Online Piano Learning Activities Organized by Concept and Level

The online piano activity list includes a variety of links to online games, listening activities, theory/technique videos,

Is Your Piano Teaching Curriculum Comprehensive?

Planning a well balanced piano teaching curriculum can be difficult because there are so many elements to consider as students began learning to play the piano.

Foundations of Piano Curriculum

When organizing my curriculum as a new piano teacher, I started making leveled checklists with the basic foundation ingredients that I received in my own piano lessons as a child such as Notereading, Rhythm, Theory, Technique, Ear Training and eventually organized preparatory materials in Piano Teaching Binders

Piano Lessons: Would you rather exam or excite?

I prefer to assess student's progress regularly through games rather than to have formal tests for my music students. Although a "test" is a useful means of gauging the progress, and I use a pre and post theory test for them to earn their spot on the theory leader board, more often I prefer to use games to assess the various skills of my students in a more playful relaxing environment and achieve the same goal of discovering what they know and celebrating their accomplishments in a fun way.  Games take off some of the pressure, and in a gaming environment students are more likely to"consider failure as a tutor, not as a tragedy, and to not fear failure but to learn from it" (Lynn G, Robins, Until Seventy Times Seven). 

One Minute Piano Lesson Challenges

For the month of March, I'm kickstarting each piano lesson with a one minute challenge for my students each week when they arrive at lessons and ending with some creative improvisations as they tour the world!