Resources

Free Easy Piano Arrangements for Students

Have you ever had a student who has a particular interest for learning familiar tunes?  The internet is becoming a wonderful resource for easy piano arrangements – which you can commonly download and print for free.  One site in particular that I have turned to frequently for my students is a site called G Music Theory by Gilbert DeBenedetti.  His arrangements were perfect for a student I once had who wanted to be able to play some of her favorite songs.  So I assigned a few of these “just for fun” pieces for her to learn on her own.  It was a big hit – she loved them. 

When you visit his site and click on Free Piano Music, you’ll find that he has a large amount of music sorted by difficulty (from Beginning to Intermediate) – including some duet music.  What a great resource for those adults or little ones who want to learn to play their favorite tunes! 

Be sure to check out the rest of the site – there are a number of music theory worksheets and other resources available as well.

Music Theory, Printables

60 CHORDS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets

Chord Abmajor BAs promised, here is a continuation of the “Make your own Music Worksheets” series — this time, adding CHORDS image files.

Also in this series:

  1. Make your own music worksheets: Five-Finger Pattern image files – includes the original tutorial.
  2. [Currently Viewing:] 60 CHORDS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets

Remember, “Tr” means “treble clef” and “B” means “bass clef.”

Happy worksheet-making!   Continue reading “60 CHORDS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets”

Announcements

Welcome to Color In My Piano!

Hello, and welcome!  I’m Joy.  I love teaching & playing piano, as well as sharing music resources & ideas with others.  Join me here at colorinmypiano.com as I strive to keep a little color in my piano.

  • Home – the blog page — scroll down to see the latest posts!
  • Printables – view listings of free music worksheets, sheet music/arrangements, and other resources
  • About – learn more me and about colorinmypiano.com
  • Contact – feel free to send me a message
  • Links – explore some of my favorite links

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Resources

Link: PianoAccompanists.com

PianoAccompanists.com - The easiest way to find an accompanist

Looking for an additional way to earn some money?  Would you like to accompany musicians for recitals/rehearsals, but are looking for more ways to get your name out?  PianoAccompanists.com makes it easy for musicians in your area for find you.  Simply create a login and profile, and then musicians can easily find you by searching by zip code.  Check it out!

Music Theory, Printables

30 FIVE-FINGER PATTERNS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets

5FP Abmajor Tr

Also in this series:

  1. [Currently Viewing:] 30 FIVE-FINGER PATTERNS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets – includes the original tutorial.
  2. 60 CHORDS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets – click here

Ever find yourself wanting to make a music worksheet for your students, but don’t have easy access to any music notation software?  This tutorial will get you on your way to creating your own music worksheets using a word processor on your computer — without purchasing an expensive music notation software. Once you’ve created some worksheets, you can print as many worksheets as you need and send them home with your students.

Using Finale software, I have saved tons of image files of chords, five finger patterns, arpeggios, etc. on my computer over the last couple years.  I’d like to share them with you, so you can make your own music worksheets using just a simple word processor like Microsoft Word.

Here’s how it works: Continue reading “30 FIVE-FINGER PATTERNS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets”

Performances, Resources

Making Grab Bag Gifts for Music Students

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Need ideas for what to give all your music students this year for Christmas or to reward them after a performance?  Trying to stay within a budget?  How about making grab bags full of music goodies! Your students are bound to be thrilled with this music-themed gift.

First, buy a package of cellophane favor bags – music-themed ones if you can. They are usually located in the party favors/decorations section at the store. Dollar stores often carry them as well. A good deal will cost from $1.00 to $3.50 for a package of 20 bags. If you cannot find favor bags, you can also use small gift bags – but it will probably cost you a little more.   Continue reading “Making Grab Bag Gifts for Music Students”

Resources

Link: ClassicCat.net

Picture 3This site is a great place to send your students who are working on Classical repertoire.  Personally, I’ve been able to use the NAXOS site to listen to pieces I’m currently working on, but I’ve always had free access as a college student.  (Otherwise you have to pay to use it.)  But ClassicCat.net is free, plus it often allows you to not only listen to the mp3’s, but often to download them also! Continue reading “Link: ClassicCat.net”

General

Link: Pno-Ped-L Studio Policy Website

Yesterday, I came across this great resource for reading other teachers’ Studio Policies!  It’s called the Pno-Ped-L Studio Policy Website.  The website is not fancy, but there’s a lot of good information there.  

This site has a collection of Studio Policies submitted by teachers all across America and Canada.  (Names, tuition rates, and locations have been omitted for privacy.)  What a great way to see how other teachers handle absences, payment, cancellations, etc!  To see my other posts concerning Studio Policies, see here and here.  

In other areas of the site, they have examples of parents letters, game and camp ideas, and other teaching ideas.  Check it out!

Announcements, Games, Group Classes, Resources

Music Bingo

One of my favorite blogs I follow is Susan Paradis’ Piano Teacher Resources.  She does an amazing job creating colorful worksheets, games, etc. on her computer and she puts them up on her website to share with other teachers.  A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to try out her Music Bingo game (complete with boards and calling cards) with a group of my students.  This version is suitable for elementary level students.  For even younger students, Susan Paradis has created a simpler version, available here.

Continue reading “Music Bingo”

Announcements, Resources

Free Weekly iTunes Downloads

the iTunes storeDid you know that iTunes offers free downloads each week?  If you use iTunes on your computer (you can download it here) and if you have an account on iTunes that allows you to download, you can access free mp3’s to add to your music library.  They usually showcase a different genre of music each week (sorry, Classical music doesn’t come up very often) and often showcase a new up-and-coming artist.  

Here’s how:  Visit the iTunes Store (available right inside of iTunes) and scroll down to the box called, “FREE on iTunes.”  Click there.  You will see (usually) three songs near the top that you can click on, and listen to a 30-second clip of the song.  Decide if you like it, and then download it!  Happy listening.  🙂

Click here to visit my eHow article on this topic.

Studio Business

Studio Policies

As a fellow piano teacher, I can’t stress enough how important it is to have written Studio Policies.  They’re great for letting new students know about how your studio is run!   It will help improve the level of communication between you and the parent/student, because it becomes more clear what you each expect of each other.

Things to include in your Studio Policies handout:
  1. Studio name.  This may seem insignificant, but it’s surprising how much more professional you will look just by naming your studio.  It doesn’t have to be fancy; just try something like Piano Studio of Joy Morin or The Morin Music Studio.
  2. Yearly Calendar.  It doesn’t have to be detailed by any means.  Just state when lessons will be beginning and ending (e.g., September 1 – June 1) and when the holiday breaks will be Continue reading “Studio Policies”