Proper Hand Position with Nile the Crocodile

As a child I became a master at the learn-regurgitate-forget method of acing tests and earning perfect grades in public school.  But unfortunately, much of the knowledge I was exposed to did not truly sink in to stick with me much after the test was done. As I teach piano to children, I want the learning process to be memorable enough that the brief interaction we have each week will stick with them easily enough for them to recall it at home.

Music Studio Bulletin Board

I'm a big fan of a bargain, so when I saw this bulletin board at the thrift store I was excited to snatch it up to display on my piano studio wall to add even more memorable teaching moments at every lesson.  Following are a few of the things I plan to feature on it.

• Theory Teaching Posters  - I have one student who now checks the board first thing each week because he got a good laugh after seeing my "You're under a rest" poster depicting a stick figure standing under a quarter rest.  Enjoy Piano has another fun free downloadable version with a half rest here. On the ColourfulKeys blog I love Nicola's tempo teaching posters  "A leg grow's quick" poster. Susan Paradis's Noteboys, Key Signature Chart and Inversions Posters are sure to take their turn on my board too.
• Composer Posters-  The right side features a composer poster that D'net Layton at Layton Music has available as free printables on her website. I love how they list the music period associated with each composer.
• Inspirational Quotes- The Quest for Monthly Virtues Quotes/Art go along with a practice incentive I did in the past and are available here.
• Practice Incentive Tracking Chart- We just finished  "Mountains to Climb" over the Summer and I'm excited to be starting a Pirate Themed Incentive this fall.  I found my inspiration from the JoyTunes Piano Teacher Facebook Page where Lorie Burningham shared her Pirate Treasure Map Incentive as a free download in the files.
• Student Achievement Recognition - Each week I post the name of student who practiced the most on piano maestro and the student who earned the most home challenge stars (another free file from the Joy Tunes Piano Teacher Facebook Page. I also like to recognize students when they reach certain milestones like completing a method book, becoming a rhythm master (all levels of Rhythm Swing complete), or finishing a scale level chart.

Playground CDE Improv

A few weeks ago one of my new beginning students was having difficulty mastering the concept of directional notereading so I pulled out my whiteboard and magnets and had her construct "magnet patterns" for different playground activities.
Jumping Rope - "Jump" on the same key over and over
Teeter Totter - Move High and Low alternately
Climb up the Slide - 3 stair steps up
Slide Back Down - 3 stair steps down

Then we tried an improv duet (in Hal Leonard Lesson Book 1) with her selecting any pattern to play on any group of CDE on the keyboard.  Eventually she was able to combine several patterns to make a fun pleasing melody on the spot.

DIY Piano Room Photo Collage

 I recently completed my dedicated piano studio room and have been searching for the perfect piano themed decor to adorn my bare walls.  I wanted a photo collage with something personal and inspiring, yet versatile enough to change up to fit my studio themes. 

I began my project with this scrap board which I painted white with spray paint I had on hand(FREE-YIPPEE!).

Summer Piano Group Synergy

Group lessons are one of my favorite aspects of piano teaching!  I love the synergy of gaming and the sense of accomplishment students exhibit as they perform for each other on a regular basis.

This month our group lesson included Caterpillar Crawl, Music Candyland, Music Jenga,  Toss Note and Technique Pattern Bingo.  Following are some at home activities that students can try to extend the learning of the concepts we introduced or reviewed at group lessons.

Hear See and Feel the Fun- Music Games and Activities

I put together this handout full of fun game ideas for a Round Table presentation I did at a UVMTA event for the music teachers in my area.  With so many fun game and activity resources, it was difficult to choose which ones to highlight.  But fortunately, the links at the bottom can take you to my organized games list so you can pick your favorites for yourself or add a note in the comments to share your favorite off the bench activities!

Why Games and Activities?

·         Engage – Games appeal to visual, tactile auditory and kinesthetic learning styles.

·         Solidify – Repetition with appealing adaptations solidifies learning without boredom.

·         Assess Mastery – Games provide a non-threatening avenue to “test” skills without the fear of failure.

·         Isolate Concepts – Gradually introducing isolated ideas prepares for mastery without frustration and is a useful tool in tuning up trouble spots.

Sample Music Games & Activities

Rhythm Tag Group Game

Rhythm Bug Circle


The  Let's Play Music method of introducing rhythms with bugs my favorite. It makes learning the more difficult eighth and sixteenth patterns seem like a cinch because the bug analogy provides both a visual and auditory memory aid.
As a parent of a Let's Play Music student and as a Connections teacher I have been amazed at how very young students really get a firm grasp on rhythm relationships.
For this group lesson game I used the Let's Play Music rhythm cards and had students sit in a circle of five and each selected a rhythm bug card equivalent to 1 beat (no Slugs allowed!).  They clapped and chanted their rhythm 3x and then "tagged" another person's rhythm to clap and pass the beat to.  (Bug, Bug, Bug, Grasshopper - Grasshopper, Grasshopper, Grasshopper, Beetle - etc.).  After they were comfortable with the sounds of the "bugs" we flipped the cards and reviewed the traditional rhythm symbols & their names.  I love how this combines the Sound-Feel-Sign-Name learning sequence all into one short activity.

At Halloween time I like to do a similar Rhythm Circle Game but instead I use some of the Candy Bar Rhythm Cards from Layton Music that have the same number of beats in a measure. With these longer patterns, students have to repeat their measure 3 times before clapping out another person's candy bar rhythm.