Love this!!

If you have photos of the valentines you’d made, please send them to me at admin[AT]colorinmypiano.com.  I would love see your creativity!

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Now that we’ve finished it, we’ve been playing a fun little sorting/quizzing game using the deck of instrument cards that came with my MiniMusic kit.  This competitive game has been quite a hit!

Instructions for Gameplay:

On his/her turn, each student draws a card from the top of the deck and has the opportunity to earn three possible points:

1. By correctly naming the instrument.
2. By correctly categorizing the instrument into its instrument family.  We make piles for each family on the floor as we go.
3. By stating a fact about the instrument (e.g., how the instrument makes sound, what the instrument is made out of, how the instrument is played, etc.).

I keep track of each student’s points on a piece of paper.  My students having been playing this game with a great deal of enthusiasm, and I’ve been impressed with how much it has helped them review / memorize the instruments!  They love the satisfaction of being able to name facts about each instrument and being able to sort them correctly.

Note: If you don’t have any instrument flashcards, here is a website that has some beautiful (and free) ones to download.  (The link in the post to download the pdf isn’t working when you click on it, but I found that it worked to copy and paste the link into my browser.)  To play the game I described above using those cards, you will need to cut off the instrument names from the bottom of the card so the answer isn’t there for the students to read!  :)

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The ladies in my Bible Study decided to hold a Craft Night last Friday, so I decided I to find a project to make music-y valentines for my piano students.  However, when I googled and checked Pinterest for music-themed Valentine ideas, I came up empty-handed.  So, I decided to design my own piano valentines.

I designed the grand piano shape and keyboard in Microsoft Word, and then printed the pages out on red, pink, and white cardstock paper.  After cutting everything out, I embellished the piano lids with foam stickers and felt stickers.  Using a glue stick, I glued the keyboard onto the piano shape, and then glued the whole piano onto the box of Sweetheart candies.

There is even a stick to hold the piano lid open!  That part is optional.  To make this project a little simpler, you could skip the stick if desired.

To download the free pdf for making these valentines, visit the Printables > Other Resources page and scroll down to P’s for “Piano Valentine Printable.”  Directions are included in the pdf.  Enjoy!

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On the other hand, as a professor at my alma mater once said, music is one of the few professions where perfection is not only expected, but it is considered the norm.  We have to admit, our goal is perfection in a way.

And so, I think a balance is necessary.

What are your thoughts?  What can we do about students who become too hard on themselves?  How do you help the perfectionist student become “okay” with making mistakes?  How do we help students achieve a balance when it comes to reaching perfection?  

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At each class, we begin and end with a “Hello Song” and “Goodbye Song.”  Students like having this routine, and they are very good at reminding me about the songs if I forget about them!  I have the students tap the beat on their knees (as we sit cross-legged on our carpet squares) while we sing.  That way, I can tell if they are engaged even if they aren’t singing all the lyrics for one reason or another.

When I lesson plan the evening before the next day’s class, I try to include the following things: 

• Some kind of worksheet or written activity that they can take home and show their parents or hang on the fridge.
• At least one kind of movement activity.   I believe that the best way to develop a good sense of rhythm in students is through movement-related activities.  Including movement activities in classes is strategic also because young children can’t sit still for very long.  I find it’s best to do a movement activity right before the worksheet time so they can get their wiggles out!
• At least one activity using the piano.  I use silent keyboards and other props/games to learn various pre-piano concepts away from the piano, but I also make it a priority to let them use the actual piano because 1) that’s the whole point: nurturing a desire to make beautiful sounds at the piano; and 2) they love it so much!

On my lesson plan, I organize each activity chronologically, with a note next to each activity of the approximate time that each activity will begin.  I usually watch the clock pretty closely as I teach and try to stay on schedule.  If an activity takes longer or shorter than I anticipated, I adjust the next activity accordingly.  I also plan an “if time” activity in case it’s needed.  It’s important to be flexible!

At the end of the lesson plan, I compile a list of needed materials, so that I can easily gather them the next day before class and put everything in a basket.

Since the Homeschool Music class is intended to be a more academic class (versus the focus on music-making and pre-piano skills of the Piano Readiness Class), we are studying a composer each week.  I let them color a coloring page of the composer while I read a simple biography.  Then we listen to a famous composition and complete a worksheet that I create about the composition.

Here’s a screenshot of a lesson plan from last October, complete with all the elements mentioned above (click the image to enlarge, and then hit esc. to exit from viewing the image):

Printables mentioned in this lesson plan: the Rainy Rhythm game, the Musical Instruments Workbook, and the Musical Alphabet cards.

That pretty much sums up my method of lesson planning.  If you have questions or your own tips about lesson planning, share them in the comments!

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My First Piano Adventure is designed for young beginners, ages 5 and 6.  I suspect that 4-year-olds would also thrive using this book, and maybe even precocious 3-year-olds — but don’t quote me on that until I’ve had more time to test it out.

The Lesson Book comes with a CD full of fun songs and activities that teach the student about basic technique, how to make different sounds on the piano, and much more.  The CD alone is worth the price of the Lesson Book!!   Parents can play the CD at home or in the car so the student is hearing them all week long.  I bought my own copy to play during lessons — but I also plan to use some of the songs on the CD with my Piano Readiness Classes and Homeschool Music class because they are that good.  :)  Many of the songs involve some pretty creative activities for learning basic piano technique — which is great, because I am always on the lookout for finding effective ways to teach young beginners proper technique.

The accompanying Writing Book contains worksheets and activities that reinforce that concepts the student is learning about in the Lesson Book.  Both the Lesson and Writing books feature some “piano friends” who show up throughout the books to teach the student about different concepts, and show up in the pieces’ illustrations.  The piano friends are: Marta and Millie (the twins), Carols, Dallas, Katie, and Mrs. Razzle-Dazzle (the piano teacher).  Their pictures are shown on the cover of the book.  Students will be excited to meet these friends and learn about the piano from them.

After the student completes level A of the Lesson and Writing Books, there is a level B and C that follows.  Once the student has completed all three levels, they are ready to jump right into Level 1 of the regular Faber Piano Adventures method books (skipping the Primer level).

These books are so colorful and fun, I can’t imagine what young beginner wouldn’t find piano to be a blast!  I’m super excited to have (finally) discovered these and be trying them out with my students.

You can learn more about “My First Piano Adventures” on the Faber website.  The Video Lesson Guide section is fabulous — watching Nancy Faber teach in the videos is sure to get you inspired.  :)

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A Symphony chocolate bar, and a personalized glass ornament.

I found the glass ornaments at a craft store (Hobby Lobby).  On each ornament, I wrote the student’s name and “2011″ on the ornament using a paint pen.  I put colorful confetti and pieces of old sheet music inside each ornament.  I thought they turned out cute!

For my adult students, I bought music dictionaries.  The A to Z of Foreign Musical Terms is my favorite music dictionary.  I don’t mind spending a little extra on the adult students to get something they would really use and appreciate.  :)

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A few of my students in particular are really thriving on these Christmas pieces!  Once again, I am reminded of the value of learning familiar tunes.  I find that it gives students an extra boost in learning their pieces, since they can depend more on their ear for pitches/rhythms rather than their eyes.  This means they will learn the pieces quickly and more accurately.  I also find that playing familiar tunes is a huge motivator for students.  They love to be able to play tunes they know!

Hurrah for Christmas music!  :)

For a listing of free Christmas music arrangements on the internet, check out this post. 

Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks | CC 2.0

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This composing/rhythm game is appropriate for groups of about 8 or more students.  All you need are 4 pieces of paper with the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 written on them.  These sheets serve to mark the beats of the measure, spaced out on the floor.  One student is chosen as the Composer, who must select students and make them into quarter notes/half notes/whatever.  Once the measure is complete, everyone claps the rhythm and the teacher records the rhythm onto a whiteboard to save it.  A new Composer is chosen to compose the next measure.  In the end, everyone claps the entire rhythmic composition to see what it sounds like.

I haven’t tried out this game yet, but it sounds fun!  And it’s not always easy to find games that work for large groups of students.  I just might try out this game at my studio Christmas party coming up.  :)

Complete game instructions can be printed by downloading the pdf on the Printables > Resources page.  I thought the game needed a more specific title, so I came up with “Make Me A Rhythm!”

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Here’s how the game works: In advance, set up the circles into a chain around the room.  Students take turns spinning the spinner.  If they correctly identify the name of the note value they spin AND correctly state the number of beats that note value receives, they may move that many steps forward on the circles (I call it a “life-sized gameboard”).  If they answer the name or the number of beats incorrectly, they do not get to move forward that turn.  The first student to reach the end of the game board wins.  I call this game “Musical Hopscotch.”

My homeschool music class students LOVED playing this game, and it was a great way to drill the note values that they learned last week.  I’m always amazed at the effectiveness of any game that involve any kind of movement!!  I can’t think of a better way to drill note values with groups of young ages than with this game.

Since I had the circles set up in my living room already, I also used the “life-sized game board” with my other class, the Piano Readiness Class.  Students took turns identifying notes on the staff using flashcards (you don’t use the spinner for this), and we used the gameboard as a way determine the winner instead of keeping points.   I love that this game is so versitile!   (THANK YOU, SHERYL!)

If you are unable to find Twister Hopscotch in stores, you can order it on Amazon (click here).

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