Away In a Manger

Thanks for taking my poll about what to post next. Since most voted to go ahead and start Christmas material now, I’m posting Away In a Manger.  Of course some of you may want it in pre-reading form and I’ll be glad to post that if I get some requests.

Originally I had a lot of finger numbers in this piece because my student had some learning problems and the fingering made it so much more helpful. We want our students to enjoy Christmas music and not dread working on it. I took out the extra finger numbers because it is easier for a teacher to add needed ones than to white out the extra.

If you are a new teacher, don’t be scared away by the dotted quarter like I used to be if I had not introduced it formally.  Just tell them to play it like they sing it and not worry about counting. If you’re a “by the book, everything has to be counted” kind of teacher, you probably won’t be reading this anyway. This blog is more for teachers who think outside the box.  New teachers, just be creative and have them tap the rhythm on the fall board, or a drum, or jump the rhythm, while you sing with them. They will get it! And if they also dot the 2nd and 3rd measure, let them do it. Trust me, it will not ruin them to Beethoven in the future or keep them from being drum major in the band. The main thing is we want them to enjoy Christmas music because they discover they CAN do it. Besides, good little musicians are going to put in the dotted rhythm anyway. When they tell me they don’t understand it, I tell them not to worry, they will one day. Then I say or do something silly and we go on from there. You will have plenty of other pieces where you can be the rhythm police and get out the foam board rhythm pizza.

I’m going to set up a new category called Holiday Music to make it easier to find all the Thanksgiving and Christmas music I hope to post. I have a turkey worksheet to post, also.

Christmas or Thanksgiving Activities?

I try to blog every weekday, but today I am having trouble with my eyes again and I won’t be able to do much at the computer.  However, I am wondering when to start posting Christmas and Thanksgiving activities and music. Stored in my computer are some familiar early level Christmas and Thanksgiving hymns, carols, and worksheets I can post and I have some ideas for some new worksheets. I can also change the carols into pre-reading if I get any requests for specific titles. 

If you like my to download material from my blog, please take a second to take this poll so I can help you better. I have no way of tracking these polls, so you will not ever be contacted by me unless you email me.  

Kandy Keys

Kandy Keys

Linda suggested a fun way to practice key signatures. She gave her students a bag of candy corn and they would use them to place key signatures. I like the way she said she would magically change them from sharps to flats. Teaching children is so much fun!

At first I thought I would make this up for next year because it’s kind of late for Halloween, but I notice that teachers are downloading my Halloween stuff like mad this week, so maybe this will reach a few teachers who would like one more Halloween activity. Besides, you can do it next week when candy is on sale.

I want to do a Christmas worksheet like this, and maybe also one to put notes on the staff.  Does anyone have an idea for candy that would fit this size staff and is not too messy?

Two Hundred and Fifty Degree Chicken Recipe

This blog is about ideas for piano teachers and that includes all aspects of teaching, such as what do you fix for your family.

If you teach piano in your home and have a family like a lot of us do, you probably have a staple of quick things to fix for dinner. Or maybe you have a spouse who does it for you. Maybe it’s just you and you want to eat healthy. No matter, this is a great recipe to put in the oven before you start teaching, and it’s done when you are. When my children were little I fixed this a lot and my husband never got tired of it.

Take a whole chicken ( about 3 pounds) and salt well on the outside and inside. It is important to salt well on the inside because the salt will permeate throughout the chicken while it cooks.  You can sprinkle whatever spices you want on the outside. I’ve used black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, paprika, rosemary, ground mustard, but not all at the same time. Add whatever you want or just salt and pepper if your family likes it that way.

You can stuff the cavity with chopped onions or not. I usually do not because I’m always in a hurry.

Place in roasting pan breast side down. Roast uncovered at 250 degrees at least 5 hours. It can go longer, but you want the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees, which it will in 5 hours. The chicken will be golden brown, soft and tender.

ABC Guidenote Worksheet

 

We always have students who need some extra help in note reading. I created this worksheet to see if learning all the A’s on the staff will be easier way of learning guide notes. I printed this out in black and white and I think it will work for those of you with black and white printers. The red comes out as grey. The graphic at the top is kind of muddy. I always appreciate feedback, so let me know if you would like some more worksheets of this type.

Late Elementary Sheet Music

Today I am posting some more sheet music that my students have enjoyed over the years. This post will discuss several late elementary pieces, level 2 in a lot of method books.   These pieces will have eighth notes,  accidentals, and changing positions.  The articulation will be more challenging, often with one hand legato and the other staccato. The pieces I am listing do not have lyrics.

At this level students want to play something that sounds impressive because they been in piano for a while. They are often in 4th or 5th grade and don’t want to sound “babyish”.  However,  their technical skills are limited. The older students in this level usually tell me they don’t want a piece with lyrics.  As a former music ed teacher in elementary school, I know that boys, especially, in about grades 4 and 5 are very embarrassed if their pieces sound babyish. But they will play for others if they think it sounds hard. Sometimes their piano teacher is the last to know, but it was easy for me to figure that out when I would ask students to play for their classmates.

A lot of time when teachers list favorite pieces they list *their* favorite pieces. These are definitely my student’s favorite pieces.

March of the Gnomes by Martha Mier is a fun piece.  One time at a convention an Alfred  rep told me this was one of their best selling pieces. This was several years ago, so it might not be true today. This piece is more suited to a  younger student because of the cute gnomes on the front. The measures are nicely spaced and not too small. The left hand plays staccato 5ths throughout, but beware the right hand plays legato at the same time, so this can create problems for some students. Don’t give it unless you know your student can do this or he will get very frustrated and it will spoil the fun. I’ve used this piece up to 9 or 10 years of age.

Camilla the Camel is the companion piece to March of the Gnomes. There is an adorable female camel with long lashes on the cover. This is the same level as the previous piece, but I think the articulation is a little easier. It also has left hand staccato broken fifths and a legato right hand, so you also have to be sure your student can do that.  A lot of accidentals give it an “Arabic” sound that students like. They say it sounds like Aladdin.

Thumper by Robert Vandall is a great piece that most students love. It is very easy, mostly blocked 5ths that move up and down. This is a good pupil saver piece, as it sounds harder than it is. Students of all ages can enjoy this because it has no words and looks grown up.

Trumpet Fanfare by Vandall is the same kind of piece. It is great for older beginners who want to sound more impressive as they learn it partly by rote. Level 2 students can read it but may need a little help changing positions. This is another pupil saver, good for festivals and recitals. One older beginner learned it to play for her Grandfather’s birthday. Yet younger students like it, too. I’ve never hand anyone who doesn’t like it. Like Thumper, this was originally published by Myklas and had a very plain cover. Alfred has republished it with a spiffy color cover.  

Somersaults by Vandal is a new piece that my students love. The hands move around and there are a lot of fun staccatos. My students get high ratings when they play this piece at festivals. It’s not hard and students pick it out over other pieces when I play if for them.

 Computer Print Out by Jane Bastien is an older piece, but not real old (in my terms) with a cute cover. There is a smiling boy on the front with big glasses. The dot matrix print out on the picture is a little out-dated, but it’s fun to discuss the “old day’s of computing” with your students. It is an easy, fun piece, with great rhythmic energy. It is not technically difficult and makes a good recital piece for elementary boys. Some coordination is involved. Boys especially love this piece and I tend to give it to them because of the boy on the front, but girls like it, too. My daughter once told me not to give all the fun pieces to the boys and the (what she called) dull pieces to her.

 

Blue Windmills by the wonderful, late David Glover is sometimes labeled an elementary  level piece and for an older student it may be, but I consider it late elementary.  This piece was written in 1969 so I can officially call it older than I’ve been teaching, but just barely!

The only problem is the use of legato pedaling, which older students can master for this piece, or you can adjust the pedaling to help the student out.  It really needs pedal! This is a very pretty waltz-like piece that I have never had a student not like, especially girls. It sounds more difficult than it is and makes a great recital piece. The lower register notes with pedal and arpeggios divided between the hands create a full sound that just impresses everyone at this level! Get this piece, if you’ve never used it before. It is a classic.

  A  jazzy piece that I use for young students who say they like jazz is Jazz Pizazz by Nancy Faber. A few measure have to be taught by rote, usually, but the rest the student can easily handle if he is in the last part of a level 2 method book. This is a fun, fast moving piece that is an audience favorite. It goes will with Book 2B of Piano Adventures.

Land of Dreams by Nancy Faber is for that dreamy, expressive child who wants to take his time and reflect. Also, anyone in Piano Adventures 2B can play it without difficulty. It’s a pretty piece and if a student at this level says they want something slow, I give them this piece. You can preview the first page of this piece in several places on the web.

 Rhythm Machine by the late Lynn Freeman Olson is another golden oldie. You can buy this as a sheet or in a collection. It’s hard to find sometimes because it is published by Fisher. Everyone loves this piece. The rhythmic, syncopated chords appeal to all and sound harder than they are. It moves around the keyboard. I think it was a ground-breaking piece, in a style which has influenced a lot of pieces in the same vein. I know it certainly influenced me to try composition in this style.

 Speed Zone by Robert Vandal is a fun piece every student loves. The Myklas cover was the no nonsense kind which made it good for older students. I hope Alfred keeps it in print. The hands stay in five-finger positions as it moves around with a syncopated rhythmic pattern. This is more challenging than the Vandall pieces at the beginning and does require some speed and flair.

  Spirit of the Stallion by Gutierriz is a fun, easy to learn piece that everyone likes, especially good for students who like pieces that are exciting and move around.  I like pieces like this so I give them a lot. This is a NFMC chosen piece, and for good reason. This is not too difficult, so it might be a perfect pupil saver piece.

 

 I have only touched the surface of pieces at this level, of course. There are many more and in fact, your students may have some favorites you would like to add.  I’ll just remind you that your students my have different tastes than mine,  so preview before you buy.

Autumn Bookmarks

These are different from the ones with the ghosts I posted yesterday. Some students prefer bookmarks without scary stuff and we have to respect that.  So here is a page I call Autumn Bookmarks. Thanks for the suggestion!

These are not on my website; you can only get them here.

bookmarks_4_fall

Halloween Bookmarks

Over the last several years I have made a collection of bookmarks in Photoshop and today I am posting some Halloween theme bookmarks. You might notice it is the same ghost I drew (not so well) for one of my Halloween piano songs. I really love pretending I’m a graphic artist…

There are several ways you can use these. If you are looking for students, pass these out when children come to your door for Trick or Treat. Put your name and phone number or email on the back. This might be a good way to let neighborhood children know you teach piano. Be sure and give them candy with the bookmark or they will never come back! You can also print these out to give to your students next week with some candy wrapped up with an orange curling ribbon.

Print them on card stock and be sure and laminate them. Otherwise the ink-jet color will run and ruin them. D’net, who has a wonderful piano site that in in my links, has suggested to use mailing tape to laminate. I have some Scotch Tear-By-Hand tape that I get at the grocery store and it is the perfect size for these book marks. Or you can use my suggestion of the clear book covers that I buy at Wal Mart. Also, if you are in Texas and near a Mardels, they laminate using the real stuff for a very reasonable price. I find it way to expensive to go to a printer and have things laminated.

In the pipeline and coming after Halloween at Susan’s Piano Teaching Resources are some Thanksgiving and Christmas piano songs at a very easy level, an extension to the flash cards, and some Christmas book marks. I am also going to finish posting my favorite piano sheet music solos and review some piano books.

Thanks for taking my poll. BTW, there is no way I can track who responds to the poll, so don’t be afraid I’ll track you down!

Now I can take a poll!

Isn’t this a cool feature? Now I can find out what kinds of teaching materials you like to download! Please vote so I can see how this feature works. I haven’t quite figured it out.

Bless Us O Lord For Thanksgiving

Bless Us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts that we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.

I wrote some music to go along with this traditional Christian blessing as a hymn to learn for Thanksgiving. Many families grow up saying this blessing before meals.  And I think this time of the year is a good time to give thanks for our bounty.

I actually wrote the melody  with guitar chords, but I decided to post this pre-reading version first. If you have a student who knows this blessing and they have a Mom or Dad who plays guitar and can strum along, this might be a fun Thanksgiving activity. C is a terrible key for guitar (IMO) so transpose as needed. Check back in a few days for an easy on-the-staff version, guitar chords, and a slightly more difficult version for level 1 or 2 students.

From a teaching standpoint, I made the hands different colors as help for students who get their left and right mixed up.  This also makes it a good piece for special ed students. Actually, the left hand only plays one note, but the RH has some skips that might cause a little trouble. Practice going 2 -4 in the air with “skipping fingers” before they actually play.

Grand Staff for Musical Battleship

I called this worksheet the Grand Staff for Dimes when I put it on my other web site a while back. For some reason it never made it over here. (I think I forgot about it.)

I wanted a staff large enough so we could use a dime as a note and move it around. Specifically I was having trouble with a very young student who could not see the “big picture”. The nice thing about this homemade staff is that you can print it out (I used card stock) and send it home with the student. I like to show it to the parent and ask them to use it at home with the student. I tell them the bottom line note is G and just go up from there. Even some adults who have had music never realized how the staves are connected.

Since then I’ve seen teachers use jelly beans in the lesson and if the student gets the note correct they get to eat it! I saw that idea at Nicole’s website. Thanks, Nicole. I can’t wait to try that. It will give me a good excuse to buy some of those fancy jelly beans. I guess you can use M&M’s, too.

You can also make extremely LARGE flash cards with this staff, LOL! That might be good for the preschool crowd.

At the Yahoo piano teacher board this week, Lisa and the very creative teachers who post often came up with a game of Battleship using a large staff.  You have 2 players and give each one a grand staff. Each student draws some notes on the staff and they take turns guessing which notes to “sink”. For example, one student guesses C, third treble space, and if the other student has written that note it is “sunk”. Teachers suggested various ways to indicate a note is hit. You can laminate the staff and use an erasable marker. One teacher used push pins. If you have bingo chips you can use those. Place  the students so they don’t see each other’s cards and you can give them another blank staff to mark which ones they have guessed so they won’t guess the same ones over and over. I hope I’ve written the directions correctly. If not, you can just improvise.

Colorful Fingers

A reader asked if I would make a worksheet like this to give young students more reinforcement. It helped that she sent me an attachment of her idea. I turned it into Colorful Fingers. If you are a former or  present elementary education teacher, like many of the readers of this blog, you know that we have to reinforce, reinforce, and then reiforce some more. 

Since most private piano teachers have color printers, I made this one in color. I use colors to catch children’s attention. If you need a black and white version, send me an email and I’ll send one to you. I’ll have to change the title!

Sneaky Sneakers

I wrote Sneaky Sneakers for a teacher on one of the piano teaching boards for her student whose story really touched my heart.  I am posting this today to share with everyone because I want to get it up before Halloween. I think it sounds like Halloween music but you can use it with older beginners, students who don’t celebrate Halloween, and you can keep working on it after Halloween. When I first wrote it there were no L.H. fifths. If your student has trouble with them, tell them to omit them. Also the teacher suggested they be played as whole note 5ths, so try that, too. If your student is stuck in C position, this piece might help.

The sneakers are clip art that I manipulated in Photoshop. The title was also done in Photoshop using layer effects. I was trying to get a blue jeans effect. If you want to use graphics in Finale, save your picture as a TIF file and you can add it directly to your Finale document.

Five Little Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins is a traditional song that I decided to use not only to have a fun, seasonal song, but to use it to transpose to other keys. Students can learn that the first part is just two pentascales put together to make a scale. If they haven’t learned full scales you can leave out that part. You can transpose it to other keys, starting with C and then more. It’s interesting  to do this by ear and see which students can find the black keys without help. Older students can use steps and skips. Or you can just play the song for fun and forget the theory!

For those interested in this sort of thing, this song should have 8th notes but I simplified it because the words are for young children who might not have been introduced to 8th notes yet. Also, all the repeated notes can be difficult for your youngest students, so this is more elementary than early elementary. I added a few finger numbers. Those adverse to them can white them out. Others can add more. I’m like the second pumpkin, I don’t care!

Teachers always ask, so for those of you how want to know, I wrote this in Finale and drew the pumpkins myself in Photoshop. I did it quickly, so if you find errors, please email me. My email address in on my website.

Edit: I corrected the spelling of the word “fourth”. If you printed it yesterday, you might want to fix it.

Spooky Spiders

Did I say no more Halloween pieces this year? Well, I was digging around and found Spooky Spiders and one other piece I’ll post if I can do add the art.

It’s not too late for one of my students and I hope someone else can also use it.  I plan to teach the rhythm first, and drum out the rhythm with our hands on the fall board. Then after we map out the steps and skips of the R.H., we’ll play some hands separate with me playing the other hand. By the time he goes home, he’ll be able to easily and can have fun with it. At least, that’s my goal!

For those of you who like to know, I did not draw the clip art. It’s old and from a old card program that is not on the market.

Favorite Elementary Sheet Music

A few days ago I wrote about the importance of sheet music and posted some of my favorite Early Elementary Pieces. Today I’m going to post some Elementary level pieces. Most do not have eighth notes, although some do, so keep that in mind. They may have some hands together and move around more. Remember, preview these before you buy. Your taste in music may be completely different from mine!

  Sleepy Cat (Alfred) by Mier is a piece I just couldn’t do without. I hope it never goes out of print. This is an  easy C Major position piece, very cleverly written in 3-4 meter in a slow blues style. Elementary age kids love this piece because of the jazzy feel. It has words, a cute kitty on the front and a slightly larger size of notes, so I usually use it with younger students. However, I have had 5^th graders love it, so use your judgment. There are plenty C major staccato triads, so don’t give it to young beginners.

 Gold Doubloons (Alfred) is also by Martha Mier and it is just broken chords in C minor that moves down an octave on the second page. It is a perfect piece for a first year student who wants to sound like he has been taking longer. Depending on the flair of the student, it can sound very impressive after a few months of lessons because you can almost teach it by rote. It stays in one position, but there are a few hands together measures. While it was written for the  Alfred Prep B book, it is listed as a best seller and for good reason. This is a long time favorite of mine and Martha Mier is my hero. She can do so much with so little!

Somethings Under My Bed (FJH) by Kevin Olson is the elementary piece most requested by my students when they hear another student play it. It has a playful but mysterious tune with fun words. Students love the unusual chords for this level! They tell me they “just like the way it sounds.” Although it is listed as an elementary piece, it is more late elementary. It has a lot of articulation, eighth notes, and some hands together that requires a lot of experience. To use with this with the appropriate age, a student should be at least in the middle of a Level 2 book. This is a NFMC choice piece and you can see a preview on the FJH website. I love all of Kevin Olson’s music because he is so original.

Swans in the Sunset (FJH) by Bober has a beautiful teacher duet. It is very peaceful and expressive. A surprising number of boys pick this piece, especially the more thoughtful.

At the Air Show (FJH) by Gutierrez sounds harder than it is and students like to sound impressive.

 The Baby Dinosaur (KJos) by Bastien has a very pretty cover and is good for a student who wants a sweet piece.

 Rambling Rails (FJH) by Bober is an easy fun piece.

 I have a few others that are on my student’s favorite list, but I can not do a good review because I don’t have them on hand. I’ll list them and later when I get a copy I’ll come back and edit this post.

 Masked Rider by Bober

Creepy Crocodile by Rollins

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Gutierrez

Crown Jewels by Chris Goldston

Hide the Pumpkin

I made this  worksheet to test students on the names of the piano keys and I named it Hide the Pumpkin. I have a few students who need a little more practice to play Cover the Keys, and this is quick and simple. To save paper I put two worksheets to a page. I don’t think it’s too small for the average age beginner, but I didn’t really intend for it to be for the pre-school beginner. The little keyboards might be confusing to them. I’m trying to  design one for preschoolers and if anyone has any ideas, let me know. I’m thinking of making the keyboards an octave in length.

What do you think about putting some worksheets on half a page? Does it bother you to have to cut them in half?  I have done this a lot in my studio because I am thrifty and I want to save on my paper expenses. Let me know your opinion.

Early Elementary Sheet Music Recommendations

As a piano teacher, one thing I enjoy the most is a student getting a piece that he really loves and is excited about. I’m different from some teachers because I prefer to give a piece of sheet music for a special solo than a piece out of a book. In the child’s mind, it is so much more special if it is sheet music with a great cover.

 Occasionally a student will return their old books to me to use as loaners. No matter the age of the student, they will keep their special sheet music, even pieces they played years earlier. I think that says a lot about the importance of sheet music as a teaching resource.

 Today’s post will list a few Early Elementary Teaching Solos. These have larger notes, no eighth notes, no hands together except in a very easy way, and stay mostly in a 5-finger position.

 Here’s a warning. Over the years I’ve bought a lot of solos that were recommended to me by other teachers. Many times I have been very disappointed by a recommended piece and I wondered why in the world the teacher liked it. It would be a good idea for you to see a preview of the following pieces before you buy them. Some sites on the Internet have previews of these pieces.

 Golden Trumpet by Martha Mier     This is easy and has big notes that skip in an easy way. It becomes a favorite of young students.

 Pony Express by Nancy Faber     This is available as sheet music and I think it is also in the Primer Gold Star book. It is very well liked by students and is a great motivator.

 Sugar Cookies by Glover      An old favorite, it is very easy with big notes. Beginning students love it and all  old  *experienced*  teachers use it!

 I Thought I Saw a Dinosaur by Carol Matz      This piece has funny lyrics and  my young students, girls and boys, love it.

 Once I Caught a Fish by Nancy Faber      This is fun with great lyrics.

 Magic Pony by Mclean      The title and pretty cover catches their interest and then they love the piece.

My New Grand Staff White Board

 

This is a new teaching aid in my music studio. I was searching catalogs for a music magnetic board, and I found this, the E-Z Notes board, very cleverly designed by a piano teacher. It comes with small black, red, and blue magnets that you can use for accidentals, half steps, or anything else you can think of. It is also a dry erase board, and has a black marker and a cloth to erase. The back of the board is a blank grand staff.  There are several styles available for different instruments, so if you see one in a catalog be sure and get the one with the red border. I have a catalog from a well-known company that I’m glad I didn’t use because it was the string instrument version, so be careful. Eventually I ordered it directly from the source. 

All ages of students have been very intrigued with it. My older students can use the magnets as sharps and flats to make key signatures or draw triad inversions.  The youngest ones can show notes stepping, skipping up and down. They can make 5-finger scales and then write them on the little keyboard above the staff. I have also used the black marker to practice drawing theory terms such as treble and bass clefs. It saves on paper!

I took this picture with the E-Z Notes board sitting on my piano so you could see it is an individual sized board.  The cost was $22.95 plus $5.00 shipping, but it is very durable; unless I lose the magnets it will last the rest of my teaching career.

I ordered it using Pay Pal and received it in about a week.

Writing Finger Numbers for Young Beginners

I am starting some new beginners and I have been busy making some new worksheets. This one is to label the finger numbers on the right and left hands. They will be doing this in their new writing book, but I want to have some exra on hand for group lessons. I also made one for older beginners with the hands turned both ways and no teddy bear. If anyone wants me to post it, send an email or leave a comment. Write the Finger Numbers