Invert These Triads

Invert These Triads!

Now that your students have used  my funny posters to learn how  to invert triads,  they need a worksheet to try it themselves. I agreed, plus I love to draw these things. I am very attached to my NoteBoys™, although, I have to admit some of my younger students don’t “get” it. My middle school and older students love them.

I suggest you laminate this worksheet so students can practice drawing more than once. Younger students or students who have difficulty with the concept can use colored dry erase markers. I found a nice set with felt erasers at WalMart.

What are some of the more difficult music theory concepts that the NoteBoys can help by using humor to get the idea across to students? Send me an email if you have any ideas. Thanks to Wendy at Compose/Create for this idea!

Inverting triads in the bass clef

Inverting Triads in the Bass Clef 

Back in March I posted a humorous poster to teach students how to invert triads.  If we use color, we find that students understand the concept a lot better because they can see the notes move up and can understand inversions better.  I like to use humor  because when students later “forget”, and they usually do, I remind them about the NoteBoys  and  it all comes back to them. When they have a piece with inversions and are having trouble, I pull out these posters.  Also they have to learn inversions for the Texas Theory Test and these help with that, too.  

 Wendy, from ComposeCreate , suggested I post another design in the same series with the triads in the bass clef. If you use both posters with a student, you can show them how the fingering is different in each clef. You can ask the students to write in the fingering on each post and they are more likely to remember it.

In my studio, these posters are laminated and are sometimes on the table so the students can read them while they wait. This way they sometimes they learn about inversions before I formally introduce them. I also have some fine point dry erase markers and ask the students to write in the fingering. This way I don’t have to use so much printer ink and paper.  Besides, they look so nice when they are laminated.

You might have to try several dry erase markers to find one that erases well on your laminated sheets. I use some very inexpensive ones with little felt erasers that work perfectly.

 To print this new poster, click on the link under the picture above and when you get to the next window,  select download.

You can find the PDF for the March post here. Another poster in the series is here.

Rhythm Memory Game

Rhythm Memory Game

I am back from the TMTA convention and I have a lot of new ideas and music reviews to post. I’ll try to do that as I have time, but let me just say that I am very excited about some of new music I heard as well as new ideas for composing and improvising with our students. The Texas convention is 4 days long and it is huge because we are such a big state. 

I went to as many sessions as possible and one I went to was on teaching group lessons. Our presenter was Dr. Lesley Sisterhen McAllister and she had some great ideas for group lessons. Even if we teach private lessons, most of the teachers who read this blog also have groups at some point. One game she mentioned seemed like something my students would enjoy.  It is a memory game and she kindly gave me permission to post it here. I don’t know if I made it exactly like she makes hers, but here is my version for beginning students who have at least learned the basic notes and rests. There are no 8th notes so it can be played with young students.  

I made a PDF with 2 pages. You need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to print it.  Using sturdy card stock, print one side; turn your paper over and print the other side.  The program will allow you to specify which page you want to print. To print, click here on Rhythm Memory Game and when it opens, click “preview” and you can print it to enjoy with your students. Laminate it and cut on the dotted lines.

In case you do not know how to play Memory, here are the directions. Arrange the cards with the notes and numbers face down in a 4 X 4 grid. The object of the game is to match a note to its rhythm value in 4-4 meter. The first player turns over two cards. If the note and rhythm match he keeps the cards and plays again. If not, it is the other person’s turn. Play continues until all the cards are gone. The winner is the player with the most cards.

I think this will work in a private lesson, too, with the student either playing the game with you or alone. Personally I’m not very good with this type of  game but I think it is good to help with visual memory. I think I’ll practice before I play it with my students!

I always have teachers ask me how I make the graphics.  I drew these in PhotoShop using 3 layers. The hard part was getting the back and front pages lined up correctly.

Keyboard Labels

 

The other day I was drawing a tiny keyboard on my younger student’s assignment book and I had her draw  dots on the correct keys. As we worked together looking for whole and half steps,  I casually said that my drawing was kind of sloppy, and it would be a lot easier to read and more fun if I had some keyboard stickers. So I sat down at my computer and designed some!  Actually they were easy to make because I’ve been designing my own labels for years and I drew the keyboard about 10 years ago.  You probably recognize it from my pre-reading solos and my picture scales! However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this, so for your whole and half step pleasure, I’m offering  Keyboard Labels.  Please let me know what you think!

Now all I have to do is peal one off and stick it in my student’s assignment book. This will give students a  handy reference,  plus it will encourage them to look in their assignment book.  

I used Avery White Address labels, product number 8160. I printed my labels directly from the PDF I’m posting here and my graphic fitted on the labels  perfectly, so I hope you have the same luck. In case you can’t find this particular Avery product, the label  size is 1″  x  2  5/8″ and there are 30 labels on each page. Before you print on your label sheet, try printing on a regular sheet of paper and hold it up to light to see if it aligns with your particular labels. I’m posting a picture of one of the sample ones I made.   Your copy will not have the green border because it didn’t seem necessary.

Third set of Notes in the Fast Lane

I’m posting the next set in the speed reading series,  Notes in the Fast Lane  Levels 9-12. There are four pages and this set each contains all the notes on the grand staff from bass G to treble F. They are  arranged in a different order on each page, but all 4 pages are of equal difficulty. Please note that this is different for the previous sets I published. This set was specifically made to  work on speed. I plan to use levels 9-12 by requiring a faster time to complete each level.  For example, the last level, Level 12 would have to completed in  35 seconds. This would be something the older students can do, and a challenge for the younger children to work toward.  It might be fun to have them work several years to complete all the levels.  Young children simply cannot write as fast as older children and what is a simple matter for a teen is quite difficult for younger child.

One way to use these sheets would be to devote a few weeks to doing them now and then do it again in April next year.  Keep a chart of each level and  next year they can see how they improved. I am going to make a 4 certificates for completion of each set and some kind of chart to help keep track.

I left this series very open ended so you can do whatever works with your studio. I’m sure every teacher will do it differently. If you have used them successfully in a different way, send me an email and I’ll post it here to share with other teachers. Let me know if I can use your name.

If you want to see the other sheets in the series, you can find Levels 1-4 here and Levels 5-8 here. Each set of four has a different colored border.

Many teachers have downloaded the Mother’s Day composing activity on the staff. I have had many teachers ask me for a Father’s Day activity. I’m putting a poll here to see if the majority of teachers prefer a composing activity or an Elementary level song with no composing. If you would like something for Father’s Day, please spend 2 seconds to answer this poll.

Notes In the Fast Lane – levels 5-8

Notes In the Fast Lane Levels 5-8

I am finally getting around to adding the next 4 levels of Notes In the Fast Lane Levels 1-4.  Teachers have written me saying how much they like these activity sheets and asking for the next levels. I didn’t have an internet connection for a few days so I am behind in my posting.

You might notice that I changed the color for these 4 sheets. I decided that if I change color after every 4 levels, it will be easier for me to keep track of them.

Some teachers have asked me for a chart to help keep track of the level of each student. I think that is a very good idea, so I am working on it. If you want a chart, just hold on and I promise to get it up by this weekend.

Don’t forget that a lot of teachers are laminating these sheets so they can use them over and over. Other teachers may want to put them in their student’s folders or send them home so parents can see what their child  is doing. Of course, you will probably find them in the bottom of their music bags, which is why teachers always ask students to get papers signed if they really want the parents to see them! That is why a folder with each students’ compositions, papers, etc. is such a good idea if you use a lot of activity sheets.

One more thing. I don’t think Notes in the Fast Lane works well with my preschool students. I did not intend these for young students, but I tried the first sheet anyway with one of my kindergarten students who is very bright. While they did help him remember the notes, the staves are too small and they are too close together.  I’m going to make a set for pre-school children that are more child-like, but I would appreciate help from any of you (especially if you use My First Piano Adventures) as to what notes should be on each page.   I will consider what each teacher says and then try to make some pages that will work for most of us.

Let me know if these are helpful in your studio!

Inverting Triads

I believe humor helps students learn, as well as making a subject that could be dry a lot more interesting. Such is the case with music theory.

Inverting Triads is another in my series of posters about triads. The little note people are back, and if your students saw the Mighty Dot poster they will recognize him in the corner rolling his eyes. At least in my mind that’s what he’s doing.

If you laminate this poster, students can write the note names with an erasable pen on each note to help them more fully understand the concept. Then you can erase and use it with the next student. This really saves on printing costs and keeps the student from stuffing it in his book bag and never seeing it again. I keep these posters on the table in my studio so students can take a look and maybe learn something before they are actually taught the concept. Don’t forget you can laminate with clear self adhesive covering.

If you haven’t seen my other humorous instructional sheets  similar to this, you can click Traveling Triads, Circle of Fifths, Whole and Half Rest ,  and the Meet Mighty Dot poster where Mighty Dot is introduced. 

Enjoy!

Game Board for Measure Mania

measure-maniagameboard_green   

You really don’t need a game board to play Measure Mania, but if you want one, you can print it out if you click the link above.   I thought it would be more interesting for the students if they had some lines to put their cards on, and this it what it turned into. This game board is not on my website, so print it from here if you’re interested. They can put each beat on one line, as my student did in the picture in my last post. I have 6 lines, in case you want to play the game with 6/8 time.

 If you didn’t see my last post with the cards and directions for this game, you can print out the little cards and the directions here. This is a game for students who have a fairly good knowledge of dotted eighth and sixteenth notes.

Below are two different game boards that students have been playing on. I had to decide if I wanted to post the green or the blue. I decided on the green because it matches the wild card better. 

Measure Mania

Measure Mania is a game to reinforce sixteenth notes and dotted eighth notes. I made it for my students who are studying for the Texas State Theory Test, but I think it will be an interesting way for any teacher to make sure her students understand the concept. This game  is meant to be played with students who have a fairly good understanding of dotted eighth notes.  Here are the directions for one student to play. The game can be modified for more than one player.

 Using card stock, print, laminate, and cut out the cards. For individual play, one card will be enough. 

Put the cards in a container. Chose a time signature for the students, such as 4/4.

The student will draw one card at a time with the goal of completing  one measure. However, each beat of the measure will be completed individually on its own line, so the student will not get confused.

This picture shows how the cards are placed. 

If a student draw a cards he cannot use, he discards it. However, he can use them later if he needs them.  As he draws cards, he can move them around the board to use his cards more productively.

After one measure is complete, add up the cards. Each card is worth one point. The cards in the discard pile are worth 2 points, which are subtracted from the total.

Play the game several times and total up the score.  At first they are happy to choose a quarter note, but quickly see that if they draw more 16th notes and rests they have a higher score.

This game can be adapted for group lesson use, but you will need to print out more cards. I used *guided play* with some students so they wouldn’t get frustrated, but I think after a while they will be able to play by themselves.

I used a plain piece of paper as the game board, but I plan to post a game board tomorrow, if all goes well. You don’t really need a game board, but it helps to have a defined place to place the cards. [Update, the game board is posted here.]

You can play this game in 6/8, but you will want to make some cards with more 6/8 rhythms such as a dotted quarter note.

Let me know if this game works for you!

Meet Mighty Dot

Ready for something different? Today’s post, after my serious post yesterday of Keith Snell’s new books, is quite a change. But as piano teachers who teach students from preschool to adult, we’re used to quick changes in directions, aren’t we? If you think of an AP calculus teacher trying to teach a group of kindergarten children numbers, you can get an idea of the range a piano teacher usually has! I spent many hours doing theory at my university, but trying to explain it to children is an art.

Meet Might Dot is another in my series of humorous posters that I made to reinforce a concept:  the dot. This is not a poster for beginners,  but for students who have finished about level 2 or 3. You can also use it with transfer students.

We all know that 6/8 time  is usually felt with 2 beats in the measure, the dotted quarter getting the beat.  We want to explain that to our students in due time, but for the purpose of this poster, I find this works well as an explanation in my studio.

Before I made the poster I did some reference work in the Oxford Dictionary of Music. There actually is an entry called “dot”.

Circle of Fifths

I updated my Circle of Fifths poster to add some color and a little humor.

I’ve also posted a black and white Circle of Fifths Worksheet that you can print out for each student.

Shamrock Rhythms

Shamrock Rhythms is a game to find the missing rhythm value in a measure. There are two pages to print out, a game board and the circled shaped cards. Each measure in the cards has a note left out. There are two measures for each note value, but you can play a quick version and use one card per note.

Print both pages on card stock. Laminate and cut out the circle cards. They would look cute printed on green card stock, but the light green shamrocks will not show up. Laminate the game board.

Place the cards upside down in the middle of the shamrock on the circle.  The student will draw a card and place it on the note or notes that are missing in the measure. (Notice that in 4 of the cards, one beat is missing and the student may put it on  either 2 eights or the quarter note. It doesn’t matter which one.) When all the cards are placed, the game is over.

.Of course, there can be many variations. Maybe you can print out 2 or more game boards and play this at a group lesson. You could use a stop watch and let students race. Or you could see who can cover their notes first. There are endless possibilities, which is how I like piano games to be because we have students with so many different ability levels.

FYI, you may notice that I have 2 cards  that have empty measures. Those are for the whole note and since they are the same, you can omit one if you wish.

On the Texas State Theory Test, there is a question for students to fill in the missing note. I hope this will give us some early extra help for that on next year’s test.

If I get a good response to this game, I will make one for the next holiday using rests.  I am also working on one in 6/8 time.

Traveling Triads

I have a group of students who take the Texas State Theory Test at the high school level, and each year forget how to quickly figure out the name of inverted chords. I’m not sure why it seems so hard for them to remember, but it could be that there is just so much new material to learn every year, they forget the old.

The other day I tried to come up with a worksheet that would make such an impression, they will remember every year.  Since it seems that my answer to everything is humor, color, and big print, in that order, Traveling Triads is what I came up with.

Years ago when I was a college freshman , we had a music theory teacher who was one of the best professors I ever had. He used humor to teach a difficult subject and we loved him for it. That is when I realized the value of humor as a teacher and it has served me well. Thank you Dr. Josephson.

If you ever wonder what my teaching style is, this worksheet will give you a clue!

I have a lot of teachers asking me when I am going to finish the fish flash cards that I have been working on for several months. I am still working on them and I will eventually get them posted. If there is anything else I told you in an email I will post, feel free to remind me.

Bye the way, this first time I posted this, there were several errors which I have fixed. If you see anymore, let me know.

Up a 4th, Down a 5th

Yesterday I said I would post the companion to the sharp key signature hand-out, and here it is, Up a 4th, Down a 5th.

Many teachers have their students  take standardized theory tests such as the Royal Conservatory test,  the National Music Certificate Program,  and tests given by various affiliates of the Music Teachers National Association. My students take the Texas State Theory Test, and other states offer one, too.  In my opinion, this is a good thing for teachers to add to their studio. While it is extra work, it really pays off. You have the guarantee that your students are prepared for whatever musical path they choose. Even if you think your students are not that serious, how do you know what they will want to do with music in the future?

Down a 4th, Up a 5th – Sharp Key Signatures

I was discussing with a student how to draw Down a 4th and Up a 5th when writing sharp key signatures for the Texas State Theory Test. She looked at me in amazement and said, “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”  Well, I thought I had, but obviously I didn’t do a very good job of it. So I made this worksheet that I plan to use with all my students who reach this level. This is really more of a study guide than a worksheet, but there is a small treble and bass staff where they can do some supervised practice. You can also print out my worksheet Simple Sharps, which offers more help.

I actually made this on the computer years ago, but it was hand made, not on the computer so it didn’t look very polished. I’ve updated it to post here. If you see any mistakes, let me know.

Those of us who have students take standardized theory tests have to teach this at a certain time, which is not always the level of the students’ playing. Sometimes all the knowledge doesn’t click for the student at the same time and they need to be shown and told in several different ways. I hope this will help a little bit.

Hold on if you want a flat key signature study guide. I’m posting it tomorrow.

I’m also working on some step and skip flash cards in the bass clef, which  I’ve never posted before.  And I’m still working on fish flash cards for the fishing game. At the same time, I’m trying to come up with a *game*,  not a worksheet,  to teach key signatures. Suggestions are welcome!

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.

Drawing Flat Key Signatures

I’m posting a worksheet to learn to draw flats on a staff, Fearless Flats.  This is the workshet that goes with  Simple Sharps,  Notice I added a sentence about moving up and down by 4ths and 5ths. I don’t have that on the Simple Sharps worksheet, but it’s a good idea to mention it as you guide your students. Students who take the Texas State Theory Test have to be able to draw the first four keys in the 5th grade and all the keys in the 6th grade.

New Worksheet for Writing Sharps

 

 

This Simple Sharps worksheet  has “Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle” in small letters above each sharp. I wanted an easy way to teach how to draw the order of sharps to 5th and 6th graders who are taking the Texas State Theory Test.  I’m going to post it here, but it has been suggested that I make one where students could add their own sentence because there are several other sentences teachers use. Would that be be useful to you? I’m working on that now and will post it when I finish. I also have a worksheet with “simple flats” but it is old and needs to be updated in color. I hope to get it posted soon for all the teachers who have to get ready for theory tests in the fall.

Key Signature Chart

When I am checking my older student’s theory, I aways ask them if they used a chart. They  know what I mean because when you take the Texas State Theory Test, if you write out a key signature chart you are less likely to make careless mistakes.   If left on their own they write a chart so tiny they can’t read it, plus they lose it. So I give them this worksheet to fill out and we practice writing it many times before the big theory test day. At the test they are given a scratch sheet of paper with a keyboard on it, and they can write their chart on that. No, they can’t take their chart into the test! Of course the goal is to memorize them all, and students eventually will. I always tell my students if I can, anyone can!

I made this worksheet quite a few years ago for students taking the test in grades 7 and up. I originally made it in black and white and it was pretty dull. I added a little color just to brighten the day. It is amazing how a little bit of color can make something less intimidating.

I decided to post this because it dawned on me that other teachers might find a use for it, even if your students don’t take a formal test.

I have some other key signature charts for younger students that I will post if I get a request for it.