Category Archives: music theory

Musical Jenga!

I did it!  I created my own Musical Jenga game. I got the inspiration from the Sing A New Song blog, who in turn got the idea from someone on the Faber Piano Adventures forums. (To view a list of other favorite games with musical spins, click here.) I found an off-brand version of the Jenga game [...]

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Free Lead Sheets: Wikifonia.org

NOTE TO VISITORS: I am not the owner of wikifonia.org.  Like you, I am simply a fan of wikifonia.  When wikifonia.org is down, please do not leave comments or send me emails asking me when it will be back up.  I don’t know any more about it than you do. Thanks! I came across an [...]

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DIY: Musical AlphaGems

I recently have made what I have decided to call “Musical AlphaGems.”  These fun little gems have many uses: they fit well on my DIY Silent Mini Keyboards and also work well on paper printed of the staff (such as this one by Susan Paradis, which is pictured in the second photo below). I got [...]

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Just Added: Musical Terms Worksheet #2

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Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page: Musical Terms Worksheet #2 This worksheet is intended for elementary level students who have learned basic note values and musical terms. The first section of the worksheet, which is Fill In The Blank, reviews the 10 terms which were introduced in Musical Terms Worksheet #1. The second [...]

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Just Added: Musical Terms Worksheet #1

This worksheet is intended for beginner/early elementary students who have learned basic note values and musical terms. The student is instructed to match the musical symbol pictured on the left to each corresponding term on the right. Terms covered include: treble clef and bass clef, basic rhythms (quarter note through whole note), and dynamics (piano through forte).

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Top 5 Reasons to Learn Scales

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Why do we learn and practice scales? Is it just for tradition’s sake? This post discusses 5 great reasons for learning and practicing scales.

Also posted in memorization, practicing, technique | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Just Added: Five-Finger Pattern (b’s) Review

This worksheet is intended as a review of all the major five-finger patterns (5FPs) with flats; however, using the “WWHW” pattern template, students can easily figure out any 5FPs that they might not already be familiar with. This worksheet will help students become more familiar with the accidentals needed for each FFP and what each FFP looks like when played on the keyboard.

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Just Added: Five-Finger Pattern Review (#’s)

Just added to the page of free Printables: Five-Finger Pattern Review (#’s) worksheet This worksheet is intended as a review of all the major five-finger patterns (5FPs) with sharps; however, using the “WWHW” pattern template, students can easily figure out any 5FPs that they might not already be familiar with.  This worksheet will help students [...]

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Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference?

This post discusses the difference between the Italian musical terms “ritardando” and “rallentando.” After consulting an Italian-English Dictionary, a subtle but important distinction is proposed.

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Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 4 (DbC#GbF#)

Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page: Scales & Primary Chords 4 (DbC#GbF#) Worksheet This worksheet is a continuation of set of worksheets that practice writing out scales and primary chords on the staff (click here to view the first one which is for the keys C, G, D, and F, click here to [...]

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Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 3 (BbEbAbB)

Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page: Scales & Primary Chords 3 (BbEbAbB) Worksheet This worksheet is a continuation of set of worksheets that practice writing out scales and primary chords on the staff (click here to view the first one, which is for the keys C, G, D, and F, or click here [...]

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Music Theory at our Piano Mini-Camp (3/3)

In continuation of a description of the music theory activities at our Piano Mini-Camp a few weeks ago, here are more details concerning the activities we used: Rhythm Dictation Game This rhythm dictation game by Natalie was a real hit with the students!  I printed off two sets of cards and put the students into [...]

Also posted in beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, ear training, games, group classes, intermediate level, music camps, other resources, printables, rhythm, settings: | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
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