Monthly Piano Challenges

Select a monthly challenge below to access the online games and activities that accompany each topic. 

September: Note Naming Challenge

The Girl and Her Bunny - National Composition Contest Winner!

Being a piano teacher makes me happy! My new student Clara, is just one of the delightful children I get to spend time with each week. It made my day today to hear that she was recently featured on the news for winning the National Let's Play Music Composition Contest.

Click the link to hear her perform her piece and learn the storyline that goes with it!

8 Year Old Earns Top Honors at Music Composition Competition

or  Download her free piece "The Girl and Her Bunny"  and other student composition winners.

Surprise Me Creative Challenge Links

This post includes online links for some of the activities students can choose from for the "Halloween Don't Scare Me Surprise Me" Challenge Sheet.

Elementary

Music History

Listen to the Classics for Kids Stravinsky Halloween podcast to hear spooky music from composers throughout time.

Composing

Compose a melody to go along with the words from a book.

Sample Book Melody: The Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything

Choose a song you know how to play and disguise it by changing it to minor.

Sample Video:

Improvisation

Watch the 4 sample improvisation videos below from Leila Viss's Halloween Hocus Pocus at the Keys.

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.

Caramel Apple Jack

Grumpy Jackson

Jack on a Wicked Ride

Jivin' Jack Blues

4 Types of Scales Video

Intermediate

Improvisation 

Explore the improvisation videos and activities below to get inspiration for creating your own improv.

Spooky Halloween Improvisation Instructions and Videos

Create First Moonrise

Create First Secret Dance

Create First Twilight Zone

Create First Shark Music

Rhythm

Addams Family Triplety Tap Music Video

Visit the Halloween Bach Toccata and Fugue Listening Lab to hear Bach's famous spooky music and learn more about Baroque-era music styles.

Watch a Pianote "Halloween Song" Tutorial Video to help you learn to play this piece with an unusual time signature.

Composing and Improvising: Free Resources for December

December is such a perfect month to inspire imaginative creating and composing!

Piano students are eager to play their favorite Christmas songs and this provides a perfect springboard for ideas as they arrange, improvise or even compose music that creates the magical feelings of snowfall or Christmas wishes and giving. Which one will be your favorite?

Composition and Improvisation Free Resources for November

Elementary Level: Thankful Composing

I love finding a seasonal piano activity that I can use with all of my students at the same time. It definitely simplifies lesson planning!  

The simple "I am Thankful" fill-in-the-blank free printable composition created by Kristin Yost can be used by young beginners, but it can also be expanded into a more difficult project for more advanced pianists or other instrumentalists.

Halloween Piano Group Lesson Plans 2023: Late Elementary

This post includes plans for my Halloween piano group lesson for late elementary piano students. 

 Late Elementary Halloween Piano Group Activities

Begin with "Don't Scare Me Surprise Me" student performances with ear training questions for listeners.

Minor Scale Ear Training

Play Songs in Disguise guessing game and demo some examples for the  "Little Lamb Composing" take home activity.

Halloween Piano Group Lesson Plans 2023: Elementary

This post includes plans for my Halloween piano group lesson for elementary piano students.

 Elementary Halloween Piano Group Activities

Note Naming Video and Game

Review Treble Spaces with Treble FACE Video. Move your hands up in the air on an "imaginary staff" as you chant F A C E.

Spooky Halloween Piano Improvisations "Moonrise" or "Twilight Zone" inspired by Create First!

Choose one of the improvisation activities below to learn to create spooky-sounding music that is perfect for Halloween! 

Moonrise Improvisation

If you prefer a more calm haunting mystical mood for Halloween, watch the sample improvisation "Create First Moonrise."

Create your own melodies on the black keys exploring some of the options below. 

How to Create Spooky Halloween Music Piano Lab Activity

THIS RESOURCE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE😞 

How To Create Spooky Halloween Piano Music Level 1 from Rebeccaspianokeys

Watch the elementary tutorial about how to use spooky intervals (minor, tritone) to create spooky music.

Pause as needed to try creating your own spooky music on the keyboard.

1- Left Hand:  C minor Add 2 Broken Chord

2 - Right Hand: Minor 3rd, Minor 6th, Tritone Major 7th

3- Alternate Hands

4- Ending: Alternate C Minor Add 2 Chords Bass Drop

5- Optional: Add Damper Pedal

Piano Student Halloween Music Favorites

I love revisiting seasonal music year after year and sparking piano students' love for music by letting them explore music beyond their method books.

In addition to the free Halloween music I have compiled in leveled folders for students to check out each year, there are a few supplementary books and sheet music pieces that I come back to again and again because students just love to play them. 

Spooky Halloween Piano Tunes from Will Baily

 I've been prepping Halloween folders for my piano students and decided to add a few new options in addition to many of the free music Halloween music that are listed on my Free Halloween Piano Resources Page.  When I compiled folders to send home last month with Will Baily's Piano Tunes, so many students came back eager to perform their favorites at group lessons.

Following are a few "spooky sounding" pieces that I'll be adding to their Halloween piano folders although they aren't necessarily made for that holiday.

Leila Viss Halloween Improvisation Jack Activity

Piano Halloween Improvisation Ideas

Watch the 4 sample improvisation videos below from Leila Viss's Halloween Hocus Pocus at the Keys.

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.

Caramel Apple Jack

Grumpy Jackson

Jack on a Wicked Ride

Jivin' Jack Blues

More Posts About Halloween Piano Teaching Resources

Halloween Themed Free Piano Resources

Halloween Piano Challenge: Don't Scare Me, Surprise Me!

Halloween Piano Group Fun

Halloween Composing

Bach Halloween Music Listening Lab

Will Baily Free Spooky Halloween Piano Tunes

Piano Composing Tutorial Videos: Melodies

By following a few simple steps you can combine notes to create effective memorable melodies for music in multiple styles. 

Watch the videos below to learn simple tips about how to compose melodies and hear and see them in action.

Mr M How to Write a Melody

Eighth Note Rhythm Videos and Games for Piano Teaching

Rhythm-tapping videos are a great way to introduce music students to new rhythm patterns in private or group lessons. They can focus on hearing, seeing, and feeling the rhythms before adding the complexity of also playing correct pitches on the instrument.

Eighth Note Rhythm Tapping Videos

 Musical Minds Tingalayo

Count, Tap Clap, or Stamp along with each rhythm sample in the videos.

Remember to count aloud using the smallest note pattern found in each example. 
Quarters: 1,2,3,4
Eighths: 1 & 2 &, etc.

Musical Minds: Quarter, Half, Eighth Notes and Rests

Mr Henry Single Eighth Notes and Rests

Watch this video to learn how to count single eighth notes and rests.

Eighth Note Rhythm Games

Tone Savvy Rhythm Dictation Practice

Click the link to practice rhythm dictation. You can adjust the difficulty by choosing from different types of notes (quarter, half, whole, eighth).

Theta Rhythm Puzzles

Music Tech Teacher Rhythm Sound Match

Click the rhythm pattern that you hear. It may help to echo the rhythm bug language that you hear  (quarter=bug, 2eighths=beetle).

TPT Don't Catch Cats - This fun free printable Eighth Note Ear Training game is great for private or group lessons.

Eighth Note Improvisation

Creative Challenge: Watch Create First Agree to Disagree Duet and Solo. Then create melodies in your right hand that include eighth notes and quarter notes while your L.H. plays the steady quarter note beat.

Related Posts:

12 Days of Halloween Rhythm Dictation

Classics for Kids Composer Podcasts and Coloring Pages

Introducing Children to Composers and Music Styles

The Classics for Kids Podcast links below help music students learn more about the composers of their pieces and various musical styles and forms. I love how they include interesting kid-friendly facts about composers with music samples intertwined throughout brief episodes that are less than 5 minutes.

Free Simplified Piano Easter Arrangements

As I opened my inbox this morning to discover this powerful Easter message of inspiration from Russell M Nelson, I realized that I had missed the opportunity to send my piano students home with their favorite Easter music arrangements before spring break.😞 But they can click the links below and print from home if desired.  

12 Days of Halloween Piano Free Printable Rhythm Dictation Activity

Listen to the 12 Days of Halloween.

12 Days of Halloween with Lyrics

12 Days of Halloween Piano Version

Print the 12 Days of Halloween Free Printable.

Can you dictate rhythm patterns below each picture? Hint: 3 Black Cats= 3 Quarter Notes

1-Owl in a Rotten Oak Tree

2-Two Trick or Treaters

3-Three Black Cats

4- Four Skeletons

5- Five Scary Spooks

6- Six Goblins Gobbling

7- Seven Pumpkins Glowing

8- Eight Monsters Shrieking

9- Nine Ghosts a Booing

10- Ten Ghouls a Groaning

11- 'leven Caskets Creaking

12 Bats a Flying

Challenge: Can you change the "12 Days of Christmas" into the "12 Days of Halloween" by transposing it to the Relative Minor key? (Music on "Making Music Fun")

1- Add a flat to the 3rd and 6th notes of the scale.  Remember to check the key signature!

2-Change the melody rhythms to match the Halloween lyrics. For example "Halloween" has more syllables than "Christmas" so change the quarter note in the first measure to an eighth note.

3-For an easier version add primary chord symbols (i, iv or V) above each measure and play as a lead sheet instead of playing the left hand as written. 

Hint: Owl in a Rotten Oak Tree= i-iv-i-V-I

Motivate and Track Piano Student Progress with Free Printable Piano Challenge Sheets

With so many different elements to teach in music lessons, it can be challenging to fit it all in.  This year I've invited my piano students to complete a challenge each month that goes along with our monthly group lesson focus. 

Although these concepts are woven into lessons throughout the year, having a focus theme and deadline makes it more likely for them to boost their skills.  And it makes lesson planning simpler as the teacher! 

If they successfully complete at least 10 challenges a year from this Piano Challenge Chart they get a surprise reward at the last Spring Group Lesson.

Monthly Piano Challenge Focus Topics

Notenaming/Interval ID

• Pass off a new level for the One Minute Club Challenge by naming and playing notes quickly.
• Bronze: Bass F-Treble G
• Silver: Bass C- Treble C
• Gold: Bass G- Treble F
• Master: Grand Staff + Ledger Lines
• Susan Paradis Notes in the Fast Lane Sheets are gradually leveled and easier than flipping flashcards for this activity.

Seasonal Composing/Improvisation

• Complete a challenge from the Halloween Surprise Me Sheet.

Accompanist Skills 

• Prepare to accompany a hymn or Christmas song at the group lesson sing a long.

The "Teaching Basic Accompanist Skills" post and Accompanist Tips Free Printable include helpful tips for beginners.

Arpeggios 

• Can you play arpeggios in 12 keys?  

The Arpeggio Challenge Free Printable  includes fingering visuals for multiple levels.

Ear Training - Choose 1 challenge to complete

• Earn 90% or Higher on Listening Test
• Complete 30 levels on the bubble tones app
• Finish 10 Aural Games on TonicTutor.com free play mode.

The Expert Ears Challenge Free Printable includes links to activities students can try at home or during piano lab to prepare for their listening tests.

Theory

• Earn 90% or Higher on Theory Test

Use online practice links like Web Rewards, Teoria.com, Tonic Tutor.com, Heidispiano Quizlet to practice/prepare.

• Earn 90% or Higher on Theory Test: Theory Skills by Level

Terms and Signs

• Earn 90% or Higher on Terms and Signs Test

This Free Printable Terms and Signs Study Sheets includes terms and signs definitions and symbols for various levels.

Scales/Chords and  Chord Progressions

I love to use the scale level charts from Colourful Keys that help students track their progress of playing chord progressions and scales in various keys throughout the year.

This Keyboard Skills Challenge Free Printable includes a variety of options to boost students chord and scale skills including some fun creative improv examples. 

Rhythm

• Complete the next level of Rhythm Boss on the Rhythm Swing app or
• Count aloud and clap  a Music Progressions Rhythm Sheet correctly at your lesson.

Technique

Demonstrate the technique wizard skills on your level at piano lessons.

What other skills would you add to challenge your students?

Free Piano Resources for Halloween Composing and Improvisation

 Every year I love to revisit student favorite Halloween Piano Resources.  I was delighted today to discover and add several new spooky composing and improvisation resources to the list that I am eager to try out with my students.

Halloween Piano Composing Printables

Teach Piano Today just posted this Mummy Music Free Printable that is a  perfect quick win for beginning students.  It centers around middle C hands separate.  I love how students can gain confidence composing by just having to create a short motif to "fill in the blanks." Its the perfect activity for hesitant composers because of the guided process.

Halloween Piano Improvisation Tutorial Videos

I love these leveled tutorial videos for creating spooky music  at rebeccaspianokeys.com for more experienced elementary, intermediate or advanced students. They are perfect for piano lab or at home exploration because Rebecca gives specific step by step tips and instructions for success with musical samples throughout.

Level 1 introduces interval qualities including minor and tritones to be used in a hands separate "conversation" style spooky improv.

Level 2 includes more hands together playing including minor alberti bass style chords.

Level 3 describes the process of adding more expressive details including dynamics, tempo changes, pitch, etc.

Although Forrest Kinney's Create First Improvisation was not created specifically for Halloween, these improvisation video can be used to create music with a spooky Halloween flavor.

Create First Secret Dance Solo

Related Posts: 

Halloween Group Lesson Plans

Halloween Piano Challenge: Don't Scare Me Surprise Me!

Thanksgiving and Fall Themed Free Piano Teaching Resources

While planning for my Thanksgiving Themed Piano Group Lesson, I revisited many of the fun Thanksgiving Piano Activities my piano students have enjoyed in the past and was grateful to discover a few new ones listed below as well.