Do you have new beginners in your studio this summer? This colorful new game is just for them! I like to give my beginning students numerous opportunities to work with the music alphabet and ascending/descending patterns before they are introduced to music on the staff. Diligent pre-staff preparation (especially on those pesky descending patterns) really pays off in the long-run. This game includes cards to drill … Continue reading
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
It feels like it’s been AGES since I’ve posted a new game! We’ve reached the time of year where my students and I begin preparing in earnest for spring theory exams, and that means it’s time for LOTS of theory games in our group lessons. This month, a couple of my elementary groups needed to review a whole list of concepts related to accidentals … 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
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
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
Earlier this spring, I posted a Simple Stems game that I used in group lessons to help students learn and drill correct stem placement. I was happy to hear from several of you who used it that my students weren’t the only ones who sometimes need reinforcement on those pesky stems! As a follow-up to that activity, I created this new worksheet to use with … Continue reading
If you haven’t already discovered this… there’s a great new ear training resource site on the web! Anthony from EarTrainingPro.com recently contacted me and invited me to try out the newly-launched site, and I’m pleased to say, I found it to be a notch above the other online ear training sites I’ve used in the past. Ear Training Pro includes exercises to work on all of … Continue reading
Here’s one more game from my February group classes. I posted this rhythm game last fall, but added 2 new sheets of playing cards to it this month. I have a number of students who are starting to play in simple compound meters and wanted a fun way to review those rhythms at group lessons (and what better way to get students to reinforce something over … Continue reading
Whole steps and half steps… is it possible to drill those concepts TOO much with elementary students??? We write and identify them each week in lessons as we work through our technique patterns and warm-ups, we play games with them in group lessons, we identify them in our repertoire pieces… and yet I still fear that under the pressure of a theory exam, some … Continue reading