Tag: worksheets

repertoire / methods, Resources

Great Resources for Teachers with Beginner Staff-Readers

Joy Morin

Susan Paradis from the Piano Teacher Resources blog has written has excellent review of the The Perfect Start for Piano by Kevin & Julia Olson, a series of books intended for reinforcing note-reading on the staff for beginners and elementary level students.  They look great – I love that fact that they are designed to work with whatever method books you are using with your student!  To learn all about it, read her review here.  Thanks, Susan!

The Perfect Start for Piano also has a corresponding website, theperfectstartforpiano.com, which provides additional FREE resources for the teacher and student.  Check it out and you will find:

  • a variety of printable flashcards
  • note naming worksheets
  • audio files which correspond with the book
  • and other resources, including practice record sheets, keyboard stickers, and posters to post in the studio.
Music Theory, Printables

Just Added: Reference Sheet for Reading Music

Joy Morin

This free printable is a handy reference sheet to give out to students who are just learning to read musical notation from the staff.

What it contains:

  1. notes and their values, eighth through whole.
  2. rests and their values, eighth through whole.
  3. word mnemonics for figuring out the letter names of notes on the staff:
  • Treble staff lines: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
  • Treble staff spaces: FACE
  • Bass staff lines: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals
  • Bass staff spaces: All Cows Eat Grass

There are many different word mnemonics for remembering the lines and spaces on the staff.  Which ones do you use?

CLICK HERE to view the Reading Music | Reference Sheet printable now!

Group Classes, Music Theory, Printables, Teaching Piano, Worksheets

Just Added: Write In The Barlines #2

Joy Morin

That’s right, a new free printable worksheet has just been added to the Printables >Worksheets page:

Write In the Barlines #2

This worksheet is for use after using the Write In the Barlines #1 worksheet.  This time, students must draw the barlines through both staves of the grand staff instead of through just one staff.  This worksheet has 4 examples in four different time signatures, including 6/8.

This worksheet is designed for the late elementary / early intermediate level student, to reinforce the following concepts:

  • measures
  • barlines
  • ties
  • meters (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8)

Click here to view and print it now!

Group Classes, Music Theory, Printables, Teaching Piano, Worksheets

Just Added: Write In The Barlines Worksheet #1

Joy Morin

That’s right, a new free printable worksheet has just been added to the Printables > Worksheets page:

Write In the Barlines #1

This worksheet is an one I created a few years ago, and I thought I’d share it here for any of you to use!  My students LOVE taking home “extra credit” worksheets (outside of their weekly assignment from their theory books) to earn extra stickers.  =)

This worksheet is designed for the late elementary / early intermediate level student, to reinforce the following concepts:

  • measures
  • barlines
  • ties
  • meters (2/4, 3/4, and 4/4)

Click here to view and print it now!

Group Classes, Printables, Worksheets

Just Added: Hands & Fingers at the Piano Worksheet

Joy Morin

Just added: a new free worksheet, available on the Printables > Worksheets page:

Hands & Fingers at the Piano

This worksheet is suitable for use with new young beginners, either in the private lesson setting or in the classroom piano setting.  (I would not recommend using this worksheet with older students, because there is only room for little hands to be traced on this worksheet!)  In this worksheet, the student is instructed to trace their hands, and label the finger numbers on each finger.

Worksheet Objectives:

  • The student recognizes the left hand versus the right hand.
  • The student learns the abbreviations “LH” and “RH.”
  • The student understands the fingering numbering system for piano (1-5), for both hands.

Click here to check it out now!

Group Classes, Music Theory, Printables, Worksheets

Just Added: Sharps and Flats Worksheet

Joy Morin

Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page:

Sharps and Flats Worksheet

In this free worksheet, students will practice…

  • drawing sharps and flats in front of notes on the staff.
  • identifying sharped and flatted notes on the staff.
  • locate sharped and flatted notes on the keyboard.

This simple worksheet is a great way to check whether a student understands the concept behind sharps and flats.  I often send this sheet home with private students after introducing accidentals for the first time.  They are instructed to complete it on their own at home, and to bring it back the next week to earn a sticker.  =)

To download, visit the Printables > Worksheets page and scroll down to the S’s for “Sharps & Flats worksheet.”  Enjoy!

Announcements, Music Theory, Printables, Worksheets

“Printables” page has been updated

Joy Morin
Picture 6
click image to enlarge

If you head over the the Printables page, you will see that it has undergone a complete makeover!  I was having a great deal of difficulty with the WordPress plugin I was using to organize and display my printables, so finally I scrapped it totally and found another one.  Although it is not as fancy as before (i.e., there are no longer any preview thumbnails of each file), it gets the job done!

The following posts have been updated so that the links to each pdf are now working:

You can also simply visit the Printables page to see a listing of all the pdfs currently available.  Enjoy!

Music Theory, Resources, Technology

Resources @ makingmusicfun.net

Joy Morin

Have you seen makingmusicfun.net yet?  This site is full of free resources for both teachers and students.  All the materials available at Making Music Fun have super-cute graphics in an “under the sea” theme.

Picture 5

For teachers:

  • Sheet music (both arranged and unarranged, organized by level)
  • Composer worksheets
  • Music achievement certificates
  • Practice charts
  • Manuscript paper
  • Intervals worksheets
  • and more!

For kids:

  • Music theory arcade games
  • “Meet the composer” section
  • “Meet the orchestra” section
  • Children’s songs

There’s plenty to explore at the Making Music Fun website.  Let me know what you find!

Group Classes, Music Theory, Printables, Worksheets

Music Theory Review Tests A-J plus a Guide

Joy Morin

If you navigate over to the Printables > Worksheets area, you will find some new worksheets listed.  This set of Review Tests was originally created for group keyboard classes of various age groups, but they may easily be adapted for other uses.  The set is basically a set of progressive worksheets testing in the areas of basic piano skills and music theory.  They may work well for group lessons, or just for single students to brush up on their theory skills.

  • Review Test *GUIDE* — This chart provides the teacher an easy guide for what concepts must be introduced to the student in order for them to successfully complete each Review Test on their own.

Concepts covered in each worksheet:

  • Review Test A — finding the keys A – G on the piano; finger numbers; quarter and half notes.
  • Review Test B — naming notes on the staff (treble clef: middle C to G; bass clef: F to middle C); whole and dotted half notes;  terms & symbols: treble clef, bass clef, staff, barline, double barline, repeat sign, forte, piano.
  • Review Test C — C, G major 5FPs (five-finger patterns);  terms: slur, staccato, accents;  drawing barlines in rhythms in 3/4 and 4/4 time;  intervals: unison, 2nd, and 3rd.   Continue reading “Music Theory Review Tests A-J plus a Guide” →
Music Theory, Printables

60 CHORDS music images – Make your own Music Worksheets

Joy Morin

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” →

Music Theory, Printables

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

Joy Morin

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” →