Here’s a list of 30 theme ideas for music studio events! Themes can be used as the studio theme for the school year, or for summer music camps, or for studio recitals. If used for the studio theme for the whole year, there are a number of ways the theme can be incorporated: the incentive program, group lesson activities, worksheets, games, food, decorations, dress, recital repertoire, etc., can all be coordinated to fit the theme.
- Medieval Times | castles, knights, princesses
- Fantasy | same as above, plus dragons, wizards, etc.
- Mystery |detective, private eye, clues, magnifying glass, footprints, fingerprints, evidence
- International / Around the World | choose a specific country, or give a survey of a few different countries (Egypt, Africa, etc.) world music, cultures. For example……
- Fiesta | sombrero, maracas, dances
- Tropical | surfing, luau, grass skirts, steel drums, Caribbean/Hawaiian music, palm trees
- Winter | snow, icicles, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, cold, mittens, scarves, snowmen
- Carnival / Circus | ringmaster, tightrope walker, elephant, tickets
- Art | colors, brushes, make connections between art and music. Activity: compose songs named after colors.
- Roller coster park | use this theme to study musical forms (e.g., ABA), or musical styles.
- Animal Planet | animals galore! Activity: try matching animal characteristics to how different music sounds.
- The Great Outdoors / camping | campfire, singing, woods, lantern
- Under the Sea | ocean, waves, fish, jellyfish, dolphins, sharks, seaweed, treasure, sunken ship, scuba diver
- Barnyard | farm, farmer, animals, fields, crops, harvest, tractors, seeds
- Construction | bulldozers, dump trucks, CAUTION tape, hard hats, orange cones, STOP, GO, workers
- Jungle Safari | lions, giraffes, jeep, binoculars
- Wild West | cowboys, saloon, ghost town, cowboy hats/boots, bandanas, sheriff, horses, saddles, lasso
- Pirates | pirate ship, pirates, buried treasure, treasure maps, scavenger hunt
- Desert Oasis | cockroaches, oasis, palm trees, sand
- Olympic Games | fitness, games, exercise, practice
- Going Green | recycle, be efficient (with practice time)
- Splish Splash | water bottles, droplets, river, brook, ocean, puddle, rain, hydration, summer, squirt guns, pool
- Outer Space | stars, moon, sun, rocket ships, astronauts, aliens, ufo’s. Natalie is doing a space theme in her studio this year and it looks fabulous!
- Futuristic / Time Travel | contemporary music, technology in music
- Race cars | finish line, car, tires, gasoline, checkered flag, trophy. Activity: do timed worksheets for naming note on the staff.
- USA / Patriotic / Stars & Stripes | USA history, fireworks, wear red, white, and blue, or wear stars/stripes! Activity: learn about American composers.
- The magic of music | magician, magic tricks, deck of cards, top hat, magic wand, rabbit, gloves. Activity: discuss how music has the power to affect your emotions, change your mood, influence you to do something, etc.
- Blast from the Past | choose an era of music history: Classical, Romantic, Baroque, etc. Dress old-fashioned, eat popular treats from back then, etc.
- The Great Composers | choose a specific set of composers, and focus on one each day/week/month.
- Musical Instruments | learn about the parts of the piano, or the instruments of the orchestra. Discuss timbre, register, range, tuning, etc.
Please share any additional ideas you have, or any resources you’ve found to be helpful for planning a themed event for your music studio!
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/ / CC BY 2.0
Just thought I’d show off my recent find – I was at a outlet store a couple of weeks ago, and I found these laminated boards for students to draw music symbols using a dry erase marker. One side has the symbols pictured…. 
Many piano teachers subscribe to Clavier magazine, and some even subscribe their students to Clavier’s Piano Explorer, the music magazine for kids. I recently found out that their site contains some great resources for teaching about various composers and concepts in music history. This month, there have some great resources about Beethoven, including: