Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means I will earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you choose to make a purchase. Read my full disclosure here. Organization & Planning Evernote – I sync Evernote across my computer, tablet, and phone. I use Evernote to keep […]
Here is a roundup of free printables for piano teaching. These are all guides that I've made for my own piano students.
Where should we begin? It's the age-old question we ask ourselves when we sit down with a new (beginning) student for the first time. What should we talk about first? Hand position? Finger numbers? Letter names? Where's Middle C? I like to get the student playing as quickly as possible. We explor
Are you looking for some more teaching inspiration? Check out my top piano teaching resources of July and see what's lighting my fire this month!
Piano teacher resources to make your lessons extraordinary & build a thriving studio business. Click here for essential tips, lesson games & free printables.
I’ve been taking advantage of some summer down-time to work on studio planning for the upcoming school year. My big project this week was putting together a new studio incentive program to kick-off in the fall. This year, I really wanted to do something with music money. (Thanks to Cecilly and Susan on the Piano Teacher Resources site for a great post … Continue reading →
Rhythm Pizza Today I decided to put my 4 pages of Rhythm Pizza on foam board. Since that has been one of the most downloaded pages, I thought I’d share my attempts. My young students love to …
I struggled with a poem to go with my alligator drawing. It was so much effort to draw Mr. Alligator that I guess I had nothing left for the poem. Also, I wanted a very easy melody with lots of A’s; something that a 5-year-old can sight-read. And then, when I was least expecting it, the …
My district is one that is implementing Student Learning Objectives...which are basically large-scale goals for each student in class based on their ability levels. Teachers have to set target scores/learning outcomes for lower level learners to higher level learners. That means there has to be some sort of pre-assessment in order to determine the level of the students. I really have struggled in attempting to create pre-assessments for orchestra. It has been hard to wrap my head around giving a test to see what I know students don't know yet...since I haven't taught the skill, yet. Anyway, I am focusing my learning objective on rhythm. I want to be sure my students are fluent note-readers and rhythm readers. For my pre-test, I will use the 'I Got Rhythm' form that I created. This can be used many different ways and can be a useful tool in a variety of rhythm exercises. For my pre-assessment, I will perform the rhythm from one box on each line...and I will have students circle the rhythm that they think I played. This will help me see if students are already recognizing these rhythms. The rhythms get progressively more difficult as you move down the page, so I will be able to set some learning targets for individual students. Eventually of course, students will demonstrate the ability to perform these rhythms on their own - by the end of year 1. I can also use this form as a rhythm exercise...students can perform the rhythms across and down each line. They can cut them up to make flashcards. You can use the different rhythms for warm-ups and scales.
This beginning of the year second grade unit teaches or reviews so, mi, la and do. Using an apple theme, students will sing, say, move and play with apple songs to teach the concepts. Included are interventions and a manipulative. Also included is our lesson plan Snapshot. This is a one page view of a days lesson. It's condensed and quick to look at while you're in front of a class. It's also a Word document, so it can be modified! Newly added is our "Today in Music Class" section. This is a manipulative you can show or give to students each class that need to know what is coming next or struggle to have activities sprung upon them. This is great for students with special needs, students that have anxiety, students that need routine and many others. THIS UNIT INCLUDES: Three Instructional PowerPoints Three Lessons Lesson Plan Snapshots Manipulatives Interventions Directions to turn PowerPoints into Google Slides files Finished with Apples? Next up: Frog Unit This unit is also available in our Fall Into Music Bundle and our Second Year Orff Exploration. Some resources can not be included due to copyright, but can be easily obtained. TPT tip: You can get TPT credit for future purchases by reviewing our products! Click on My TPT and then My Purchases. Then click on the Leave a Review button, answer a couple of quick questions, and submit your review. TPT gives you credits for each review which you can put toward future purchases. We value your feedback as it helps us understand what works and what we can do to improve our products in the future. If you need to contact us, please email us at [email protected] or find us on Facebook. If you want to know about our new products and sales, click on the green star to follow us!
Miss Frog's First Rhythms is an easy rhythm worksheet for beginning music students.
Aren’t the Olympics exciting?! I love how they bring people together – across nations – to recognize and celebrate hard work, excellence, and achievement . These are things I want to celebrate in my students. So, inspired by this year’s Winter Olympics and drawing on the five
Do your students think scales are fun? I promise you they can, it just takes a little know-how and some imagination on your part. But it’s so worth it!
Signing up for piano lessons means committing to practice, attending lessons and paying the fees on a regular basis. What should your budget be expecting to include when you sign up your child (or …
When it comes to teaching music theory, I’m much more of a hands-on teacher than a workbook teacher. In fact, several years ago I stopped using written theory books with my elementary students and transitioned to a games and manipulative-based curriculum, supplemented by some computer drills. But… I do have a handful of students, mostly older, who really learn best through a written, … Continue reading →
The Doughnut Mystery [Ed. All seven Animal Alphabets songs can be found here. AlphabetAnimalSongsBundle] I decided to make a series of songs, worksheets, and games focusing on one note at a time. Today I am posting The Doughnut Mystery, D for dog and D for doughnut. If you have ever played a one note song, I must mention …
Music theory worksheets are valuable tools for individuals who are learning or studying music. These worksheets provide structured exercises that focus specifically on note values. With a range of activities and exercises tailored to different skill levels, music theory worksheets help students grasp the concept of note values and their significance in creating rhythm and melodic patterns. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced musician, these worksheets are designed to enhance your understanding of note values and improve your musical performance.
These two barline worksheets give music students some practice understanding basic time signatures so they can comprehend rhythm structure better.
Students generally spend at least 95% of their piano time alone, so I'm always thinking up practice strategies to make that time count.
Students generally spend at least 95% of their piano time alone, so I'm always thinking up practice strategies to make that time count.
At the end of each year I schedule the last week of lessons as a Year-End Evaluation day with each student and their parents. Prior to the evaluation I send a questionnaire home for the parents and students to fill out and I fill out an evaluation of each student that I discuss with them […]
So, I've created my first concept specific packet for Teachers Pay Teachers. This is something that I have been debating to do. I want to make products that are accessible and usable for teachers, regardless of their training, experience or background. But I'll be honest that my products are created with the Kodály metholodogy and sequence in mind. That being said, I also don't want to undermine or sell products that you really need to create on your own when taking a Kodály level. I know, sounds kind of mean and selfish. Let me explain. I did my levels at Portland State (four years worth) and then two more (level II & III) at Colorado State University and I'm going to be teaching level II this summer at CSU. At Portland State I learned pedagogy from the brilliant, amazing Susan Brumfield. Then at CSU I had Sue Liethold-Bowcock and Ann Eisen, who, too were amazing and wonderful. Each of these teachers presented things in a different way. Some of the things that they taught me are amazing and I use them each and every year. There are other ideas that I pull out from time to time (you know what I mean. You go back to your notes or you go to a workshop and you recall something from levels and you say to yourself "oh yeah! I forgot about that activity or song!!") And other ideas flopped because either I was so overwhelmed with everything going in my brain that I forgot how to do the activity or I wasn't sold on it and in turn my kids didn't "buy it." Each of us are going to develop our own style and ways to prepare, present and practice melodic and rhythmic concepts. You get all these tools and ideas in levels, from your teacher and from your peers. Some are going to work beautifully and some need to be adapted and tweaked to meet the needs of your kids. When I started thinking about creating concept specific files I didn't want to give away my concept plans or some of my specific preparation and practice activities because I know that the plans HAVE to be specific to you and that some of the things I do you have to see in action because they are too complex or complicated to explain. You have to choose your song literature, you have to choose the activities that you like to teach (because face it, you won't sell it to your students if you don't like it). And with the activities, it's back to the old saying that there's more than one way to skin a cat. There are a gazillion ways to prepare and practice each concept. Each are wonderful and amazing and quite frankly creating and selling a file of things that I do that are concept specific overwhelmed me because of how vast of a task that would be!! So, I decided to go to the bare bones of ways that each of us prepare and practice elements and make things that really exam at the critical attributes of that element. So, the meat of this file is 10 PDF files (that you can run like a PowerPoint, the instructions are included or that you can convert into a PDF) that are adaptable so you can use them for either preparing, presenting or practicing Ta & Ti-Ti: There is notation for 15 songs and chants and games, if applicable. And I included my ta & ti-ti flashcards. Here are the songs that are included (I know, three of the songs are in the Bee Bundle, and these are similar but made specific for ta & ti-ti): There are also worksheets (I'll show you a couple more down below): Here's an example of one of the PDFs, they are all set up exactly like this, so you can choose what to use out of the file. There is a lyric slide: Then a beat slide(s): Then a rhythm prep slide with iconic representation: Then the presentation slides. This notation presents ta and ti-ti written both with and without note heads: Then immediately applying this knowledge to the song: Then reading it, this can be for immediate practice (same lesson as presentation) or later practice: And then one more time with note-heads: For every PDF there are two matching worksheets (which are in color and black & white): There is one that is a rhythm chart: To go with this, for practice after ta & ti-ti I created rhythm strips. There are multiple rhythms. I suggest in the file to print each set of rhythms out on different colored papers. Cut along the lines and then I tell you how many of each rhythm pattern to have in each set that you will then put in an envelope. This way, you can use the same set of envelopes with all 10 songs (rather than cutting all these strips and tailoring them for each song) AND the color coded strips make it REALLY easy to assess. As you look around you class to see who has the correct rhythms all you have to do is look at the color: There is a writing worksheet for that goes with each of the 10 songs in PDF form: And then I included rhythm preparation cards. I have to say that these are one of my favorite visual ways to prepare ta & ti-ti. (There are cards that match each of the 10 PDFs and the hearts for the chart). The idea is that the hearts only are in the chart. The class (or you could use this as a station) derive the way the words go. This is an example of "Jean Jean": (this is my big chart, it can actually hold 16 beats:) After your kiddos know ta & ti-ti, we then use this in early practice to go from the iconic to the symbolic representation. As you can see, the first line has been replaced (I usually just stick the cards on top and then sort them later): And here the whole song has been replaced: I also use the hearts on a chart like this. There are paperclips that I inserts into slots that I cut using an exacto knife that hold the cards in place: Same idea, then the rhythms replace the icons: This is available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Have a GREAT weekend everyone!
At the start of the school year, my focus for beginners is to develop excellent, comfortable bow holds and perfect position. We played by rote for a couple of weeks and have since been learning rhythm and note names. I don't like to drag note-reading out for too long. All they have to do is learn 8 notes and they can play so many tunes! INTRODUCING THE FIRST NOTES Students are usually excited to begin understanding music and reading notes. I teach the open strings first. I introduce the staff by comparing it to a highway with lanes and lines to show that notes are drawn (they travel) from left to right across the staff. I then teach students that notes are 'parked' on the staff. Some notes park in a space, and other notes park right on a line. I tell a story about a person driving an expensive BMW who didn't want to get their car scratched, so they parked right on a line. I have found that some students new to note-reading need the explanation that notes can be drawn ON a line. This goes against all kindergarten/grade school coloring rules when they're told over and over to stay in the lines! Student learn open string notes so quickly - it only takes minutes. I use my dry erase packets equipped with a staff and a dry erase marker. I show each section of the orchestra where their open string D is 'parked' on the staff and tell them to memorize that spot. I tell a story about I time I went to the zoo and couldn't remember where I parked and was wandering the parking lot for 30 minutes before I found my car! I explain that open D will ALWAYS be parked in that spot. We also learn where open A is parked. Next I call out various patterns of D and A and students draw them on the staff. (D, A, D, D), (D, A, A, D), etc. Students race to be the first one to draw the notes and hold up their packets. After a few minutes of this, students are allowed to create their own arrangement of D's and A's on the staff and perform them pizzicato with their stand partners. MEMORIZING NOTES My favorite method to get students to memorize notes is to use the foldable flashcards from orchestrateacher.net: http://www.orchestrateacher.net/2013/08/13/foldable-music-note-flash-cards/ I copy a set for each student, but only pass out one string at a time. Students spend 10 minutes in class memorizing the D string notes and passing them off with their stand partners. For flashcard pass-offs, students must say the note name on the flashcard and pluck the correct note on their instruments. I require students do this in 10 seconds or less. After a week or so, we add the A string notes and students must pass off all 8 flashcards in 20 seconds or less. I try to pair up students with piano/note-reading experience with those who are new to note-reading. WRITING NOTE NAMES Sometimes we may underestimate how much a student can learn at one time. When I was seven, I begged Santa Claus to bring me a recorder for Christmas. I didn't know how to read music and had never tried an instrument before, but Santa delivered me a quality recorder and a book. It was easy to look at the diagrams and understand the notes and fingerings. I immediately wrote in all the note names for the first few pages and was able to play several songs. After that, I got sick of having to look up note names for each note, so I decided to memorize them. It didn't take long...in 10-15 minutes I had memorized the notes and no longer had to write them all in. Allowing students to write note-names in their music hinders and slows their progress. Unless a student has special needs, expect students to memorize the notes! USE THE FORCE Sometimes it can appear students do not know the notes when they struggle to play through a simple exercise. One day after some painful minutes working in our method book I became worried that my students were not fast enough at note-reading. After having them say note names I realized this was not the case. Students were slow at reading the notes because they were looking at their fingers instead of the notes on the page and they were getting lost. I joked that they need to 'use the force' to find notes and stop looking at their fingers! The next day, I did a lesson to help students learn how to find notes on their instruments using their sense of touch and hearing. They can't always use sight to find the note - it's a lot better if they listen and train fingers to land in the right place. To help students learn the skill, we watched a short clip from YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljybsB1LwVY) showing Jimmy Fallon and Taylor Swift attempt to draw each other without looking at the page. After the clip, student used blank paper and tried to draw their stand partners without looking at the page. They LOVED this activity and the pictures were hilarious. We began reading a few exercises in the method book and it was totally different from the day before. Students were more focused. They were following the notes on the page and not looking back and forth between their fingers and the page. They sounded so much better! ASSESSMENT Every week I have been given my students note-reading assessments to make sure they are on target with note-reading skills. Students must know that you are serious about them learning the notes! I have students play the exercises are far as possible with NO hints written in the music. After that, I allow them to label notes and fingerings to reinforce speed and memorization. Students also complete bellwork exercises each day during tuning to reinforce note-reading. I use my book, 'Be An Amazing Note-Reader,' 'Rhythm Packet,' and 'Rhythm Bellwork.' Here are a few assessments I have used in the last couple week. Happy note-reading!
It's important that piano students speak the language of music. And there's no better way to learn musical terms & symbols than with games!
Memorising music can often be a real struggle. For those music students, I like to have some memorisation strategies at hand.
Baby Shark easy piano sheet music is perfect for people of all ages who are learning to play piano or keyboard. This arrangement is also a great resource for piano teachers who are looking for easy piano music to teach their students. The sheet music contains large notes written on a large treble staff for easy visibility, letter names for every note making it easy to read the notes you’re playing, and song lyrics to help contextualize the melody. This beginner song will help you improve your skills of reading sheet music, all while experiencing the joy of playing a classic tune.
11 of the Best Sheet Music Sites This post was updated 3 December 2018 If you’re a music teacher on […]
Teaching piano chords doesn't have to be complicated. These powerful visuals will help you teach chords in a way that's accessible even for young students.
