Making piano lessons fun and engaging!

Very often as pianists our hands are required to play two separate musical thoughts whether it be with the notes, dynamic signs, and/or rhythm patterns.  For example while our left hand fingers are playing eighth notes our right hand fingers could be playing a combination of dotted quarter, quarter, and eighth notes.  In addition to playing different note values we could also be required to play one hand softer or louder than the other hand.  Do you remember someone asking you to tap your head and rub your belly at the same time when you were young? How long did it take you to get it? It took me a few tries. My elementary school friends and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world at the time. We'd giggle and laugh with each other at our feeble attempts at mastering this exercise but when we finally got it....boy, did it feel as though we had just moved a mountain!  No wonder studies have shown that children who play...

Wow! What an exciting Superbowl game between the Patriots and the Giants.  I am not a big sports buff but even I got drawn into the excitement of the game.  Well, this week my students in addition to playing a Valentine's Day game (in anticipation of next Tuesday) will be swatting notes to help further develop their sense of rhythm.  All you need is poster board, magic markers, and a fly swatter.  It's so easy and fast to create.  Laminate it, store it, and bring it out every once in a while for total fun!  Purchase a few extra sheets of poster board and create new patterns.  I wrote out patterns on the front and  back of the poster board as you see on the left hand side of this entry to fit different stages of rhythmic development.  My more advanced students will be swatting dotted quarter and eighth note patterns while my newer students will be swatting quarter, half, and whole note patterns.  I taped the board onto my front doo...