It’s starting to feel like spring here in Kansas… which means that our annual theory exams are just around the corner! At last week’s group lessons, we pulled out LOTS of fun theory games to review the theory concepts we’ve been learning all year. Here’s a look at a couple of new BINGO games we tried out: Flashcard BINGO – Letter Names This … Continue reading
Just in time for fall lessons… here are a couple of new games to play with a floor staff to drill note and interval recognition (these are way more fun than flashcards!). If you don’t have a floor staff, check out this post and this post for some inexpensive ideas for making one. Grand Staff TWISTER What kid doesn’t love Twister? This musical version … Continue reading
Last week, I shared some thoughts on why I believed that games and structured play are so important in private music lessons. This week, let’s take a look at how we can incorporate them into lessons on a regular basis. If there’s one downside to using games, it’s that they’re time consuming. Some weeks we’re hard pressed just to hear the pieces our students have practiced, … Continue reading
If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know that I use a LOT of games and teaching props with my students. Thanks to a few wonderfully active students who came through my door a handful of years ago (and drove me nearly to the point of exasperation), I’ve come to embrace a very multi-sensory, “hands-on” approach to elementary piano lessons. We … Continue reading
Meet the newest member of my studio! At our state conference a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful workshop by Betty Todd Smith titled “You Like to Practice? Why???” As a part of the presentation, she discussed fun and creative ideas to help students learn to repeat tricky passages. The one that grabbed me? Mr. Potato Head! Students start with … Continue reading
It’s finally summer in my studio. Not that you could tell by looking at a calendar – the “official” June 21st start to the season is still a week away, and I’ve already been on summer teaching schedule for 2 weeks. Nope… It’s finally summer because my to-do list has been cleared to the point I can work on some creative projects I’ve been putting off … Continue reading
Has anyone met a piano student who doesn’t LOVE sheet music? There’s something especially exciting and motivating about the stuff. My students love to play it… and some of them also love to MAKE it. During summer lessons, I make an extra effort to encourage creative projects in my studio. Many students opt to compose a piece or two (or three…). Once they’re satisfied … Continue reading
Does anyone else remember watching this scene from the movie “Big” and wishing for a piano like this??? I’ve always thought that it would be REALLY fun to have something like that in my studio, so was very excited to run across this smaller 6′ version in a catalog earlier this year: I ordered one immediately! This is called a “Big Keyboard Fun” mat, and … Continue reading
Already a little scared by the title of this post? I’ve used this new game at group lessons for the last 2 months, and hadn’t really settled on a name for it until a student pointed out this month that the gameboard was “really, really, really long!” Don’t let the title intimidate you – this is a super-versatile game that can pack a LOT … Continue reading
Get out your scissors…. This new game definitely falls into the “some-assembly-required (but your students will love you for it)” category. It’s almost springtime here in Kansas, and I’ve been in the mood for some new, fun spring-themed activities for the studio. One of my students’ favorite ways to drill note-reading is a game I picked up from a workshop a couple of years … Continue reading