Chasing the Turkey Board Game

Chasing the Turkey

After we finish taking the state theory test, I give my students a theory break. I don’t assign formal theory work to complete at home and bring back. This makes everyone happy, including me, because by now we’re all kind of “theory weary.” But there is the problem of forgetting everything we carefully learned. So I like to play theory games to keep everything fresh in my students’ minds. They don’t mind reviewing theory in a game. In fact, they like it!

If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving game, I hope your students love this one as much as my students did. I don’t know if it was the farmer with his ax, using dice, or if it was the fact that they all beat me. (I must be the most unlucky person in the world!)  This game meets my criteria for a music lesson game. It is fast and over quickly, so it doesn’t take much lesson time.

There are several levels of cards included in this printable. Look at all seven pages in this PDF, and only print what you need. If you don’t know how to do that, see my last post for instructions. The last page in this set is an optional back to the cards, but I didn’t use it!

The nice thing about this game board is that you don’t have to print out the cards I made. I also played this game using note flash cards to review note names, and for beginners, keyboard flash cards. If you want to review all the major and minor key signatures, check out my key signature flash cards on my website.

Objective

• To review previously learned musical symbols, intervals, key signatures, and vocabulary.
• To enjoy a seasonal game.

Ages

• Grades 1-5, using the appropriate cards for the concepts students have learned.

Materials

• Game board.
• Cards with musical symbols and terms, or use your own cards.
• One die.
• Tokens. (I used milk carton tops.)

Directions

• The game can be played with two or more players
• Print the game board and cut out the cards or use your own cards.
• Each player puts his token on the game board. The first player draws a card and answers the question.
• Then he rolls the die and moves the number of spaces on the die. If he lands on a circle with instructions, he follows the instructions, such as taking a short cut, or moving back to Start.
• The game continues in the same way with the other players.
• The first player to reach Safe is the winner.
• Optional: Write the instructions on the back of the game board for future use.

Why I like this game

• My students loved it and didn’t want to stop playing.
• It really helped them remember their theory vocabulary and terms.
• By using flash cards I already have, I can modify the game for all ages.

Firefighter Finger Numbers

Firefighter Finger Numbers

This is an activity for those of us who teach young children or for parents who want to give their children a head start in learning piano.

I made this for a 4-year-old who loves anything related to firemen. I wanted an activity he would enjoy that would be a good way to reinforce finger numbers. Thanks to this game, his confidence has soared because it is now easy for him.

In addition to finger numbers, this activity helps children learn the meaning of the symbols RH and LH as well as to learn to distinguish their right and left hands.

I printed my cards on  magnetic printer sheets but you can also use card stock. The magnetic sheets are kind of pricey, so shop around and see if you can use a coupon. Mine came in a sample pack, so I wanted to try them out. You might want to try printing them on card stock and using magnetic strips you can buy at craft stores. Disclaimer: My magnetic cards are a little difficult for young students to use until they get used to how thin they are. I remove them from the cookie sheet and hand them to the children until they learn how. Standing them up on the sides of the cookie sheet helps.

Material

• The free Firefighter Finger Numbers printable, printed on card stock or magnetic printer sheets
• Cookie tin or magnetic surface, optional

Directions

• Print out both pages of Firefighter Finger Numbers and cut them into individual squares.
• The student will match the finger with a dot on the “glove” with the correct number on the firefighter “hat.”
• Place all the cards in view, so that the young child can see them and select the correct card.
• The student will learn faster if he says the finger number out loud as he works.
• If the student is capable, (older) play a memory game with the cards. If you do this activity, do not use all the cards,  because otherwise it is too difficult for the intended age group.

Objectives

• To visually match a finger number to the correct finger on the left or right hand
• To recognize the printer symbols LH and RH as right hand and left hand
• To identify a picture of a hand as a left or right hand.

Ages

• Early childhood, age 4 to first grade

If you need more material for learning right and left hands and finger numbers, check out Colorful Hands, Finger Numbers for Beginners,  and Colorful Fingers.

I am working on a Bingo Game of some sort for finger numbers as well as some other early childhood printables. Sign up for email updates of my blog so you won’t have to keep checking. Your email will remain anonymous. Click Follow Susan’s Blog by Email at the top right of the page.

List of St. Patrick’s Day Material

Some teachers asked for a list of my St. Patrick’s Day material. I’m listing it today in case you need something quick for next week. This material is designed for elementary age children.

To use these printables do not click on the picture. Click on the link below the picture and when a new window opens, click on the download link. Make sure you have the latest (free) version of Adobe Reader.

Shamrock composing activity   I recently put new graphics on this because I like the softer look. Let’s Go Marching is a pre-reading activity that even beginners can do. Use either finger numbers or note names.

Let’s All Go Marching, a composing activity on-the-staff  Young students write notes in the staff for this composing activity. It is suitable for students who have learned a five-finger position.

Shamrock Keyboard Game   This is the one I posted recently. It is teacher vs. student in this fun game on the piano keys!

Shamrock Notes for St. Patrick’s Day    This is good way to review all the notes on the grand staff.

Shamrock Rhythms Game   I recently completely re-made the graphics on this game to save a lot of green ink. Students draw cards to find missing rhythm values in a measure. There are some circle shaped cards to cut out. It is game for older elementary students who are comfortable with note values. It can be used as a theory class game. Print on cardstock and laminate for durability.

Clover Full of Notes Rhythm Worksheet    I posted this a few days ago, but here it is again! You can print one copy of this and either laminate it or place it inside a sheet protector and use dry or wet erase pens. I made this as a review for students who have already learned rhythm values.

St. Patrick’s Day Card for your students   I’ve been passing these out to my elementary students and I they really like them. (I tell them a little leprechaun dropped them off!) I ask them to guess what the card turns into when they open it. They also like the little chocolate coin!

Have Fun!

Valentine “Card” Hunt

It’s Valentine’s Week, and if you’re looking for a last-minute quick and easy activity for young students, here is a Valentine’s Day game  you still have time to print  and use today! There is not much planning, the rules are simple, and all you need is a few minutes to cut out the cards . This activity is a re-post from January in case you are a new reader, or didn’t see it the first time I posted it, and I’m posting it here today as a reminder. Also some teachers wanted to see a photo of the folded cards. If you are a parent, this a fun game to play with your children to introduce rhythm names.

The printable cards look like this:

Valentine Card Hunt

Click on the link under the picture above. That will take you to my website where you can download the free printable. Print the pages on sturdy card stock and cut them out. Do not laminate the cards. Fold in the middle so the heart is on one side and the notes on the other. (Cardstock is easier to fold if you score it lightly using a ruler and a dull point, such as a dull butter knife. Leave a comment if you need more directions.) After folding, the cards sit up like a tent. Hide them around the room with the Valentine heart facing out. Do not hide too well, or students will not find them and next Christmas you will still be finding Valentine cards in little hidey-holes in your studio!

Directions

Tell your student that you have hidden little Valentine “cards” all over the room. The cards have different rhythm values on the back. The student’s job is to find and collect the ones with half notes (or whatever note you want to work on) as fast as possible.  Depending on how much time you have, you can play again, collecting different rhythms.

This is also an excellent activity to introduce a new rhythm to beginning students.

Objective

• To quickly learn to recognize rhythm note names
• To learn that stems can go up or down
• To introduce rhythm names to beginners
• To play a fast (under 3 minutes) Valentine’s Day game

Ages

• Early childhood to grade 2 or 3

This is a variation of a game idea from Cecilly called Quarter Note Hunt, and it has been a long time favorite in my studio.

Hearts and Clubs – Intervals

Hearts and Clubs Interval Game

I really meant to post this earlier but it is a busy time of the year. This is an interval game using my Hearts and Clubs theme. The hearts make it a good game for Valentine’s, but it can also be played any time of the year. This is another fast learning game that will not take up very much lesson time.

Objective

•  learn to identify intervals quickly by sight
• review intervals if the student already knows them
• quickly identify intervals under pressure

Ages

• Suitable for elementary and older students who have learned intervals up to octaves
• Some younger children can play if given lots of time

Materials Needed

• Printed game board with the interval flash cards
• Sand timer or stop watch
• Bingo chips

Directions

Give the student a set of interval flash cards. Set the timer. The student quickly draws a flash card and places a bingo chip on the corresponding interval degree.  The object is to cover all the interval degrees on the game board in the fastest time possible. Beginning students might enjoy a non-timed game better.

This game can also be played with student and teacher or at a group lesson.

Student and teacher: One player uses the hearts on the game board and the other uses the clubs. Players take turns drawing flash cards and covering the corresponding interval with chips on their game board. The first person who covers all their hearts or clubs wins.

In a group: Each player has a game board and bingo chips or you can put two students on each card. Students take turns drawing flash cards and covering the corresponding interval with bingo chips. Place discarded flash cards back in the deck or print extra if you have a large group.

Hearts and Clubs – Keyboards

Hearts and Clubs – Keyboards

A few readers wondered if I had some keyboard cards to use with the Hearts and Club Note game I posted last week. As a matter of fact, I did, but I was having a problem with what to do with the extra space on the page. I just hate to leave a space blank!

Jennifer Fox suggested I use an empty keyboard, similar to the Fly Keyboard cards, so that is what I did. You can either use it as a wild card, or take a red marker and make it whatever key you wish. Or use it for your student to draw the letters on the keys.If it is laminated, you can use it reuse it next year.

In order to play this game, you will have to use the game board for the Hearts and Club Note game. You will also find the rules for the game on that post. All you need to do is modify the game for use with the keyboard cards. You can also use these cards as flash cards, if you don’t want to play the game. And don’t forget the famous “run up to the piano and play this card as fast as you can” game!

Snowmen and Reindeer Games – Intervals

Here is the second game in a set of 3 Christmas games. This one is a review of intervals, thanks to a suggestion from another teacher.

Snowmen and Reindeer Interval Game

You will need at least 7 interval flash cards for this game. Below is the set I use,  but you can make your own set if you want to modify the game. Many commercial flash card sets include intervals, so check and see if you already have some.

Snowman and  Reindeer Interval Game Flash Cards

Students should be familiar with intervals from seconds to octaves or know how to count up the lines and spaces to identify intervals. The best way to learn intervals is to recognize the patterns of lines to spaces.  However, young children often forget this so I let them count the more difficult intervals until they can remember the patterns.

Sometimes I use this rhyme for 3rds: Line to line,  everything is fine. Space to space, everything is in its place.

Objective

•  learn to identify intervals quickly by sight
• review intervals from 2nds to octaves if the student already knows them
• learn how to count lines and spaces to identify intervals
• practice fine motor speed and coordination
• quickly identify intervals under pressure
• play a fun seasonal game in less than 3 minutes at an individual music lesson

Ages

• Children, ages 7-10  who like cartoon graphics
• Some younger children can play if given lots of time

Materials Needed

• Printed game board
• Interval flash cards from 2nd to octave.
• Sand timer or stop watch
• Bingo chips

Directions

Give the student a set of interval flash cards. Set the timer.  The student quickly draws a flash card and places a bingo chip on the corresponding interval degree.  The object is to cover all the interval degrees on the game board in the fastest time possible. Beginning students might enjoy a non-timed game better.

Tomorrow I will post the note version of this game.

I have a large set of interval flash cards (3 pages) that I made some years back. I was going to leave a link for these cards, but I discovered that I have never posted them! So I  made this smaller file instead.

Snowmen and Reindeer Games – Rhythm

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Every Christmas WordPress lets a little snow fall on their blogs. Hover over the picture at the top of the slide show and you will see snow begin to fall.

I designed these 3 Christmas games as timed games because students like to play against the clock and I haven’t done that lately.  Today I am posting the rhythm version of this set.

Students should be familiar with the rhythm values of notes and rests. Be sure to mention these are the values in 4/4 time.

Snowmen and Reindeer Rhythm Game

I have tested these games with students in grades 1-4 and they have liked them. As a matter of fact, we test  every game before I post it!

I have an inexpensive 1 minute sand timer  that I bought from a school supply store, but I also have been using the stop watch timer on my phone. Most of the time  we  use both,  because they love the novelty factor of the sand timer. In fact, I think that’s one reason they like this game so much!

You will need at least 7 rhythm flash cards for this game. I am posting the set I use, but you can make your own set if you want to modify the game.

Cards for Snowmen and Reindeer Rhythm Game

Students should be familiar with the rhythm values of notes and rests. Since note valued change depending on the meter, be sure to mention these are the values in 4/4 time.

Objective

•  review rhythm values in 4/4 time
• practice fine motor speed and coordination
• quickly identify rhythm values under pressure
• to play a fun seasonal game in less than 3 minutes at an individual music lesson

Ages

• Younger children, ages 5-9  who like cartoon graphics

Materials Needed

• Printed game board
• Flash cards with individual rhythm values to match the numbers on the game board
• Sand timer or stop watch
• Bingo chips

Directions

Give the student a set of rhythm flash cards. Set the timer.  The student quickly draws a flash card and places a bingo chip on the corresponding number of beats the note gets in 4/4 meter. The object is to cover all the numbers on the game board in the fastest time possible. Using a stop watch, let the student try 3 times to increase their speed.

The game is more challenging if there are more flash cards than there are spaces on the board. I’ve tried it both ways and for the younger children  I settled on 7 cards, enough cards to cover the board. My students wanted to play it several times as I timed them on my phone stopwatch. One of my students said he liked it because it was “different.” Sometimes my older students see my games and want to play, too, especially in a private lesson when they don’t have to act older than they are. I try to think of ways to make the game harder for them.

Tomorrow I will post the interval version of this game.

As a music educator, I know how important it is to know the objectives of educational games and activities. That is why I am going to try to post the objectives of each game from now on, if I have time. If you find this useful, please leave some feedback in the comment section.

Musical Memory Game 5B

Musical Memory Game Level 5B

I’ve finally found time to post the second half of the vocabulary words to the 5th level of the Musical Memory Game. The cards for the first half of the words (which I call level 5A) were posted last week and can be found here. Feel free to mix words and symbols from different levels to suit the needs of your students.

It is not necessary to print the back of the cards to play the game. Please go to last week’s post for more information. If you want an easier game, check out levels 1 – 4. To make it a little easier, I have posted the links to the earlier levels here.

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Note-Go-Find

Note-Go-Find

I designed this game for my youngest age group, because they told me Quarter Note Hunt  was their favorite group lesson game. It is also a quick game at an individual lesson.

This black and white printable looks great printed on different colored cardstock. After printing both sides and cutting them out, score each card in the middle and fold like a tent card. It is better if you do not laminate it, because that makes it hard to fold.  If you’re worried about smearing, spray it with a fixative.  A few of my cards did get a little smeared, but it only slightly.

Hide the cards around the room. Now you can play several different games:

• Play it like a scavenger hunt. Give students a list of the notes they should look for. I made a list for every student, and each one was  different.  There was a check off box on the sheet. If a student finished, I asked him to help a younger student.
• Give each student one specific note to look for. This way a beginner can look for an easy note he knows, such as middle C.
• Play it at an individual lesson when you introduce a new note. After introducing E, for example, tell the student to find all the E’s you have placed around the room.  Since there are other notes hidden as well, the student quickly learns that E is on the first line. There is nothing like a game to learn notes. It is much more effective than flash cards!
• Use the blank card for you or a special student to draw and hide a challenge card.
• If you have a student who doesn’t know the notes yet or has learning disabilities,  make up an answer sheet or give him some flash cards with the names on the back.  It might be good to have something on hand in case you see a student struggling in a group situation.
• I found that I can’t hide the cards too well. They have to be easy to find! 

Thanks to Cecilly for giving me the tent card idea.

If you use this game in a creative way, consider leaving a comment here so we can share with other teachers.

Don’t miss the new blog, PianoAntics

Anne’s logo [used with permission]

Anne Crosby Gaudet can do it all. She is a fine composer, artist,  crafter,  web designer,  computer animator, video maker,  piano teacher, and performer. She is also extremely creative. I’ve loved looking at her videos, music, printables, and tutorials on her website for a long time and I’ve always intended on blogging about it, but you know how time seems to get away from us.  

Anne and I have more in common than our French Canadian last names. Anne shares my passion that teaching music is more effective and fun if students use manipulatives and hands-on activities. Her material is so colorful and creative that I want to move up to Canada so I can take lessons from her!

Thanks to ComposeCreate, my friend Wendy Stevens’ blog, I discovered that Anne has started a brand new blog,  PianoAntics, where you can see more of her creativity in action. Everything she does is top-notch, and if you have never checked out the material on her website,  you’re really missing out. In addition to all her games and on-line tutorials, she has a complete beginning piano method for pre-school available for download.

Recently she blogged about a  new recording gadget for an iPhone, complete with an audio of her performance of a Bach prelude.

Enjoy!

Easter Season Games and Printables

Front                                                            BackEaster Egg Hunt

You might have seen this game last year, but I am posting it again for teachers new to this site. You will have to print on both sides, so be sure to adjust your printer settings carefully before you start. Cut them out and hide the eggs around your studio. Your younger students will be so excited when you tell them they are going on an Easter egg hunt!  When they find an egg, they clap or tap the rhythm. If your students can’t clap 8th notes, print only the first side and write in the rhythms you want to use. It is a fun diversion and a nice treat at the end of a lesson. Plus, students get to practice reading rhythms! If Easter eggs are not appropriate for your students, give me a suggestion and I might be able to come up with something else.

As an aside, and coming from a music education specialist,  *quarter, quarter, two eighths, quarter*, is the easiest rhythm pattern for children to clap. It is the first rhythm clapping pattern I start with. Just because eighth notes are not in beginning piano books doesn’t mean you  have to wait for the second or third year of piano to learn them.  Students can learn all sorts of rhythm patterns before they actually play them in their music, using syllables or words to clap the rhythm.

Here are some more Easter season activities from my website, including two composing activities for beginners. In the Music section of my website, www.susanparadis.com you can also find some beginning hymns you might be able to use. I also have a Mother’s Day composing printable.

• Easter Egg Notes
• Easter Egg Find the Notes
• See the Bunny - a pre-reading composing activity
• See the Bunny - an on the staff composing activity
• Follow the Bunny Trail

Note Spelling Bee from Cecilly



Music Alphabet Words

Cecilly sent me a new activity she is using with her students and I made some cards to go with it. I like the way Cecilly has included identifying intervals in this activity because that is very important in my studio.  

There are 8 pages of words in this printable PDF, ranging from 3 to 7 letter words. When I made these cards, I carefully designed them for the smallest amount of cutting necessary. If you don’t have a large staff, there are many to choose from on my website and some more here (scroll down).  The following was written by Cecilly.

Spelling/Interval Bee

Materials: A Grand staff board with up to 7 plastic transparent discs (bingo
chips) and file cards with as many spelling words that you can think of written
on the cards (BAG, CAGE, DEAF, FEED, ACE, CABBAGE, EDGE, etc.).

Set Up: I have laminated my staff board and placed a little blob of poster putty
on the back of each bingo chip so they can be positioned on the staff and not
slide off, but this isn’t necessary to do the activity. Using a table or the floor, sit across from the student. The staff board and
chips are for the student and the spelling word cards are for the teacher.

To Play: Shuffle the spelling cards and place face down on the table. Draw the
first card and call out the word, showing the word to the student. He in turn is
to spell the word using the bingo chips and placing them on whatever line or
space corresponds to the letters in the word. However, use only one clef at a
time. The chips should be placed in order of each letter in the word and in a “melodic” fashion on the staff. Repeated letters should be represented by different note locations. Allow a few moments for the student to spell the word. Once spelled accurately on the staff, ask the student to dictate the interval path of the melody created by the chips to you out loud (F down a 2nd E, up an 8va E, down a 2nd D: FEED). Then have him play the interval path on the piano if desired. Remove the chips and cont. with another word to spell. Make sure to play on each clef. Play as long as you wish.

Objective: There are really 3 objectives to this activity: 1) Identifying basic notes on the staff, 2) Melodic interval recognition and tracking, and 3) Playing the notes where they live intervallically on the piano.

Variations: Play with multiple students just like a spelling bee.

Enjoy!

Cecilly

Steal a Heart Note Reading Game for Ledger Line Notes

Steal a Heart Game

 The purpose of this game is to reinforce note names with an emphasis on the really difficult ledger line notes like the ones below. Your older students will shudder in mock-dread when they see these little puppies!

I don’t like them, either, but the thing is, composers actually USE these notes so it comes in handy to know them!

I also included the ledger line notes in the middle of the grand staff on both the treble and bass staves, such as these.

However, the you can choose the level to suit your students, because I also made a page with the easy notes! You can print out the cards you want and select cards for different levels.

To play the game, give each student a game board and stack all the little heart cards face down in reach of everyone. Students will draw a heart card (that you are going to have to cut out; oh dear), name the card,  and place it on an empty heart on their game board. The object of the game is to cover all the hearts on the game board. There are only 12 heart spaces, so the game goes fast. If a student draws a Steal a Heart card, he may take a heart from the game board of the person on his right, but he must name the note he is stealing. If he draws a Be Mine card, he puts it over a card he has already named on his game board to “protect” it, and then draws another card.  Another player may not steal a heart that is “protected.” (It is important to draw another card to move the game along and also so he can practice naming the notes.)  If a student draws a Give my Heart card, he gives one of his cards to the player on his right, who  must name the card before he can take it. You can modify this game however you want, but that’s how we played it and everyone thought it was fun, since I gave them time to figure out the note names.

Steal a Heart Cards

You will need to print out enough little cards so that there are at least 12 to 16 note cards for each student. You will need about 1 page of the written conversation cards  for every 2 students so there will be a good balance between note cards and conversation cards. Look at the 4 page PDF before you print so that you can print out what  you need. Use card stock and laminate everything, or spray with a clear acrylic spray coating.

To be honest, I had trouble cutting the hearts out, so I added cutting lines.  I took a look at all those hard to cut out hearts and knew my hands would never make it for my large group lesson. When you start to cut a lot of these cards, you will thank me.

Have fun and thanks to all of you who are supporting this blog. I very much appreciate all of you!

New Year Game Reminder

New Year Game

Game Pieces

I have over 300 pages of activities, music, and ideas posted, all available at no charge to music teachers around the world. With this much material, it is very time comsuming for a teacher to sort through it all. With this in mind, I am reposting a New Year’s game you can play this month.  This is one of those games that it is easy to forget about until it is too late! 

When I first played this game, it was with a group of beginning students.  This week I plan to make it a fast activity at a private lesson. I plan to put the star game pieces in a bowl and let the student draw a star, name the symbol, and place it on the hat. This is simple and it won’t take very much time at a lesson. With an even younger child or with a new beginner,  you can leave off the identification and let the student match the symbols to help with visual identification.

You can also play it in a group, but notice there is only one game board.  You can go here if you want to read the directions I posted several years ago for playing with a group.  Feel free to make up your own rules and post your ideas as a comment to share with other teachers. 

For durability, laminate the game pieces and game board. You can cut the game pieces into stars, or keep the circle shape. 

 

Ornaments and Lights make your own worksheet

Ornaments and Lights

Are you tired of seeing material that I make for my own students and wish you could make a quick worksheet for Christmas that suits your own needs? Now you can!  You can use this one to match vocabulary words, rhythms, symbols, and even non-music concepts. You can make a lotto or bingo type game and call out words or rhythms for students to cover with  magnetic chips and swoop up with a magnetic wand.  You can have students color various concepts. Print on the back what colors should be used. You make an individual worksheet for each student, if your students are at different levels.  My advice if you want to make one that you will put through a photo copy machine is to use a dark, not-to-thin marker, such as a sharpie. Otherwise it will not show up.

As long as you leave the copyright notice on the page, feel free to use this in your classroom. However, you may not make a worksheet out of PDF and post it on your own website, or publish it yourself, or put it in a collection for others to use.

Once you have made your worksheet, post a comment here to share your ideas with others. You might come up with something I have never thought of. Or take a picture and email it to me. You do not have to register to post a comment here, and your comments are anonymous.  However, I do moderate comments to make sure I don’t get spam, so you might not see your comment right away.

Have fun!

Holiday Worksheets and Activities

I have so much on my website, www.susanparadis.com, that I have trouble keeping up with it. If I posted it and  can’t even remember what I have, it must be really hard for someone new to navigate through all the material I’ve posted over the years. While there is a category on my website for “seasonal” music if you are looking for easy Christmas music to play, there is no seasonal category for my worksheets and games, so you will have to scroll through it all to find things. To help you out, today I am posting a list of worksheets, activities, and games you can use during the Christmas season. Some of this material is really old and needs to be updated, but for now I hope you and your students will forgive some of the wobbly art and odd layouts. All of the links below take you to the original blog post. From there you will have to click on the link to my website and then click on “preview” to download the PDF document.

Ornament notes This is very simple for beginning readers. Students color the ornaments that contain notes around middle C.

 Christmas Worksheet I give these types of sheets to beginning students over and over to help them learn the notes on the staff. It takes a several years for notes to be secure in a student’s long-term memory. Beginning teachers often don’t realize you have to review this constantly.

Ornament Notes mixed up on a staff. Some teachers thought the worksheet above was too easy and asked for one with mixed up notes. Don’t use this with young beginners. It will take the entire lesson!

 

Color the Chanukah Gift We don’t want anyone to be left out when it comes to learning note names. My box is out of perspective, but it gets the job done! This one has hardly been downloaded at all. There is also a Chanukah composing activity on my website.

Peppermint Notes You can use any kind of candy with this one.  I had some peppermints on hand and that’s why I made it. You can play many games with this PDF, however. You can even use magnetic bingo chips and write scales,  chords, and key signatures.  

Musical Christmas Lights This is a game for up to 6 students at the beginning level. Students learn rhythm values and some simple vocabulary words.

Draw the Ornaments This one is a little more challenging than the Ornament Notes above. There are more notes and the entire staff is used.

Gingerboy Keys I made this one for a student who just started lessons right after Thanksgiving. You might have some pre-school students or beginners who can use it.

Light up the Tree I made another note worksheet with more notes than Ornament Notes shown above.  You can pick and choose which one you want to use. This one works well when printed in black and white.

Note Swap Race

Cecilly has come up with another fly swatter game called Note Swat Race. She sent me the directions and I set up the picture above using my own cards.

 

Of course you don’t have to use my Fly Flash Cards, but  students like them. The cards pictured above  might have notes too small for beginning students,  so you can use these Large Fly Flash Cards for your younger students. Or just use any flash cards you have on hand. 

 I have a beginning student, and Cecilly has given me an idea to play this game using my Keyboard Fly Flash Cards. When I made these I was very tired of my old fly, so I drew another one. The purple hair was just for fun!

 

Please note that Cecilly only used 5 cards with her student when she played this, so use as many cards as you think are right for your student. You might want to start with 2 or 3 depending on the ability of your student. The great thing about Cecilly’s games is that the teacher can modify them in many ways.

Here are the directions in Cecilly’s own words. Thanks, Cecilly for sending this!

Note Swat Race

 Materials: 2 fly swatters, note flashcards (with notes on the staff) representing whichever notes you want to reinforce, and letter cards (2 per letter) for each note card. Timer if desired.

 Set up: Lay out the note cards in a semi-circle from lowest note to highest note on the floor. Give student the flyswatters (1 for each hand) and have him sit on his knees in the center of the semi-circle facing the middle point. You, the teacher sit opposite student on the outside of the semi-circle with the deck of letter cards (shuffled and face down).

 To Play: At “Go” take the first letter card from the deck and hold it up to show the student. The student then, as quickly as possible, swats the corresponding note. It can be in either clef, but the student can swat the bass clef notes with the LH flyswatter, and the treble with the RH swatter. After each correct swat, immediately show the next card. (I just tossed the letter cards on the floor in front of me once the note was slapped). The idea is to go as fast as possible till all cards have been swatted. Repeat if desired. Add more challenge by limiting the time with a timer.

 Objective: For my student, I wanted her to have to continually return to each note, thinking its name from the letter card. What was interesting is that in the first round, there were several sequences forcing her to go back and forth between the same few notes. She was able to associate the letters and notes more quickly after this sequence. Also, a few letters were repeated back to back, again allowing for immediate reinforcement of the note associations. For my student, we only had 5 notes on the floor, but as new notes are introduced in her book, we’ll repeat the game incorporating the new notes.

Pumpkin Notes

Pumpkin Notes 

This summer I made some material to use for holidays and this is one of them. I learned a few new techniques in Photoshop and I wanted to try them out, so I drew a new pumpkin and you can see the results. I hope that you can use this all through October and November. Laminate it and students can write the note names on the pumpkins over and over again.

You can also use M&M’s or any candy to put on the notes. We used autumn colors.  This is really a lot more fun at a group lesson with a large bag of M&M’s. At the end, students can gobble them up.

My students also like to use the magnetic notes and wand that I’ve mentioned in the past.  

Remember to set your printer to landscape mode.

I have some things coming up. Cecilly sent me a new game, and I have some more pre-reading cards I’m going to post,  as well as a new Bingo game. THANK  YOU to everyone who has donated or taken the time to email!

Musical Memory Game Level Two

 

Musical Memory Game Level Two

Today I am posting the second set of my Musical Memory Game series. This level has the symbols of the second level of the Texas State Theory Test, but they are also appropriate for all average age beginning piano students. There are 8 symbols and vocabulary words: dotted half note, sharp, flat, piano, forte, 2nd, 3rd, and half step. I am using this set with second graders, if that gives you an idea of the age. Of course, it is also appropriate for older beginners. You can also mix these up with the level one game cards.  If you want the back to all 4 levels of this series to be the same color, pick the back you like best and use it for the entire series. I have found that a grid to place the cards really helps little ones, and you can print one here.  MusicalMemory_Grid

If you have never tried introducing theory terms before you introduce them in the student’s lesson book, you might want to rethink this. I love the fact that my students have been introduced to symbols and terms before they actually play them.

Take for instance the sharp symbol.  If you wait until the sharp is introduced in their method book, that is a lot more information the student has to assimilate in his brain for one piece, if you really want to teach the concept. You have to teach the physical properties of playing it, the visual, the concept of a half step up, and how to read it in a measure. Then you have to teach how to play the piece, including reading the notes and rhythm!

Alternately, if you do what I do and the student is already familiar with the sharp before they get to it in their book, there is a lot less to introduce at the lesson, and the student has a large measure of confidence, because they already know what a sharp is. 

So I do not wait for method books to chose the time when I introduce musical concepts. Who started that, anyway? I can’t imagine Bach turning a page in Anna’s notebook and saying, “Oh, look, today we’re going to learn an upper mordent.” I’m not anti-method book by any means, but I am trying to spread the word that we don’t have to follow a book like we’re chained to it.