Reinforcing Finger Numbers

This is an activity I use with my younger students to help reinforce finger numbers.  I purchased a few finger puppets at a local teacher store.  For the activity I'll have them place a puppet on each finger one at a time as I call out the finger I want them to place the puppet on.  First, I specify which hand I'd like the child to hold up.  Then I specify the finger number I'd like a certain puppet to go on. When all the puppets are on all five fingers I tell the child to take each puppet off their fingers one at a time based on what finger number I call out OR I ask the child to tell me what finger number a certain puppet is on before removing it.  Example: Please remove the frog?  What finger number was the frog on?  My younger kiddos LOVE this activity!  Until next time, piano blogger signing off.......

Practicing an Instrument

“I don't want to practice”, “I'm bored”, “Why do I have to practice?”, It's not that important”, “It's not like homework”, “How is this going to help me with anything?”, “I don't want to play this instrument anymore”

If you haven't already heard these comments and questions from your child, you may soon hear a few of them. In a world of instant gratification, where we are always finding faster ways of getting results, it's very difficult for our children to even fathom the thought of slowing down to really learn an instrument.

One of the best gifts you could give your child is the gift of music. Studies have shown that learning an instrument increases concentration and attention span. It also strengthens fine motor skills, higher level thinking skills, and memory.

To be perfectly honest, a huge percentage of children don't like to practice and rebel against it. So what's the point of having them stick with it if it's going to be an upward battle to get them to practice? Learning an instrument does amazing things for our children! It can be soothing, sparks creativity, fosters imagination, and builds their confidence. Children who learn to play instruments tend to get better grades in school.  It teaches them self discipline, accountability, and most importantly, perseverance.  After grappling with a really hard concept or piece, they are so proud of themselves when they finally get it. Their peers, teachers, and relatives take notice of their talent as well.

When our son was choosing his electives for middle school he chose percussion as one of them. Fast forward three years later and one of his fondest memories of middle school was playing percussion in band but this is the funny part....we had to make him practice his instrument almost every day. So you'd think that after three years of us making him practice he'd want nothing to do with band in high school. Once again he chose band as one of his electives and was selected to be the drummer for the front ensemble!  An amazing thing happened to him during his freshman year.  He started practicing on his own!  Not only that, he developed a passion for the snare drum and was chosen to be one of the drummers on the snareline for marching band as a sophmore.  It finally hit me....our kids like the idea of doing and being a part of things but actually putting in the time and effort to do what they like is a whole different story. That's where we come.

We have this golden opportunity to teach our children about discipline, accountability, and perseverance through the use of an instrument. Very few activities these days teach these crucial qualities that our kiddos need to become successful responsible adults.  As my friend's husband says, "Kids already know how to act like kids.  It is our job as their parents to teach them how to act like and become responsible adults" (Joel Cunningham).

So even if your child does not become the next virtuoso of the 21^st century, learning an instrument will help teach them about life!  Life, just as learning an instrument, has it's ups and downs and it's when our kids are at the bottom of one hill that they need our help to nudge them back up to the top of the next hill. Sometimes our kids will love playing their instrument and at other times they won't.   Keep them at it! Wonderful things come from it. Down below are tips to make practicing easier at home:

-Let your children know that practicing is just as important as school work

-Set up a reward/consequence system (5 good practice days equals a reward: extra screen time, a few extra dollars, choosing something from the dollar store, staying up a half hour later than usual, etc. The consequence for not practicing as they should could be to have a privilege taken away like loss of video gaming time, etc.)

-Your children will test you to see whether you are serious about getting them to practice. Consistency is the key! Once they realize that you expect them to practice on a daily basis, they will follow suit.

-Encourage them to explore and experiment with the instrument.

-Have your child play in front of the family once or twice a month or host a mini-recital and invite a neighbor, friend, or local relative to listen to your child perform. Serve a small dessert afterward as a nice touch.

-Finally, focus on the positive, praise them, and stay involved!

Locating Staff Notes on the Piano: Part IV

Picture #1

Picture #2

I am finishing up my series on how to read and locate staff notes on the piano.  Part I was written on 6/9/13, Part II 6/12/13, and Part III on 1/4/14.  This last part will tie everything together.  I normally take most of a 30 minute lesson to complete all six of these activities and then for the last few minutes of the lesson I introduce a new song for my student to practice at home.  In my opinion, being able to read, understand, and locate staff notes on the piano is the most important concept for a piano student to grasp.  Without understanding how the staff works in relation to the musical alphabet and note location the student can't move forward so taking most of a 30 minute lesson is totally worth it to me!

Activity 1

Picture #3

I have my students hold up their hands with palms facing outward as I sit or stand next to them not in front of them.  Then I make a a single semi-circle wave to the left with my left hand while saying the word "before" and then again with my right hand making a single semi-circle wave to the right saying the word "after". Then I have my students tell me which direction we are going based on the hand we are waving.  

Activity 2

Using the musical alphabet I have my students highlight any letter with a magnetic chip (Picture #1).  Then I show them what letter comes before the highlighted one and what letter comes after it.  We do this activity a few times together choosing a different letter to highlight.  Then I test their understanding by having them point to letters on their own that would come before and after the chosen one.

Activity 3

Picture #4

I place a letter square on a table as a starting point such as the letter "C"  then I place a letter directly under it "B" to show that "B" comes before "C".  I continue placing letters directly underneath each other  to show the letters that come before the previous one (Picture #2).  I keep the musical alphabet from Activity 1 out as a resource for them to refer to.  We do this together a few times using a different starter letter either choosing letters that would go before the given letter or after it (Picture #3).  I then test them to see if they can do this on their own.  After testing for understanding I will ask which letters are higher and which letters are lower than the starting letter.  I will then have the students do the same activity but place the letters diagonally below (before) or above (after) the starter letter (Picture #4).

Activity 4

Picture #5

I write each letter from the musical alphabet on a magnetic chip (Picture #5).  Then I have my student locate Middle C on the staff (refer to Part III of this series as well as "Solving the Mystery Behind Middle C" blog 1/14/14).  I will then ask them what letter note comes before or below Middle C, then before (below) B, before (below) A, before (below) G, etc. (Picture #6).  Going backwards in the musical alphabet is way harder than going forward for students so we work backwards a few times before we repeat this activity going forwards (Picture #7). Once again I keep the musical alphabet from Activity 1 out as a resource for them to refer to (Picture #1).

Activity 5

Picture #6

Picture #7

After placing a few chips either above or below Middle C we then locate the notes on the piano.  I remind them that each line and space on the staff is a white note on the piano.  By the time the students get to this activity they have no problem reading and locating staff notes on the piano because we have done so much preliminary work in understanding how everything ties together that this activity is super easy for them. 

Activity 6

Picture #8

I will place the Middle C chip on the staff and then place another blank chip far way from it either above or below it to see if the student can figure out not only the letter name of the chip but where it would be located on the piano by counting every line and space starting with Middle C as note #1.  This is a wonderful activity for getting students to understand the proximity of notes in relation to Middle C.  For instance, I will place a chip on the last bass staff line.  The student will start at Middle C and count the number of lines and spaces it takes to get to low G which is 11.  Then they will start at Middle C on the piano and count down 11 notes to low G. We then label the notes after we figure out the letter names. I then place a chip on the bass G closest to Middle C and have the student repeat this activity only going down 4 notes from Middle C realizing how close this "G" is to Middle C as opposed to the lower G (Picture #8). 

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how quickly I could teach my husband (who had little to no prior knowledge of written music) to read staff notes and locate them on the piano.  It took him 5 minutes!  He obviously didn't need all the preparatory activities that I give my students but it blew my mind that I was able to teach him how to read staff notes and locate them on the piano in 5 MINUTES just by doing a few of these activities with him!  Until next time, piano blogger signing off.......

Bowling for Piano Keys!

My students LOVE to tell their friends that they went bowling during their piano lesson!  I did splurge a little bit on this item.  It's just one of those things that I saw and had to add to my collection of fun piano activities.  I tell you what, I am so glad I bought it!  All of my students from Pre-K through Middle school really enjoy this game and the quality of the product is exceptional!  Sometimes when we buy children's toys they fall apart after a week's worth of use but not this.  I've had this bowling kit for over 6 years and it is still in excellent condition.  I purchased it from "Us Toys" ® back where I used to live.  Their website address is www.constructiveplaythings.com if you're interested in buying this for your students.

The only thing I added to the bowling pins were velcro dots; one half of the set onto the pins and the other half on whatever letter or staff cards I was using for the game (Picture 1).  I placed the matching piano key pictures on a table (Picture 2 left), had the kiddos stand a few feet away from the bowling pins, and roll the ball to see how many pins they could knock down with two attempts (just like in real bowling).  After rolling the ball twice they were only allowed to pick up the pins that had fallen down and match them to the corresponding pictures on the table.  I give my students about 4 minutes to complete this.  If they have time at the end they are then allowed to pick up the remaining pins and match them as well.  I'm not sure who enjoys this game more, my students playing it, me seeing the excitement in their eyes, or my students' parents who can't believe that their children are having so much fun all the while learning and retaining crucial musical concepts.  Until next time piano blogger signing off......

Valentine's Day Game

I thought I'd share with you what game my students will be playing next week to celebrate Valentine's Day.  I really enjoy creating games that incorporate the seasons, holidays, and honestly  any celebration I have an excuse to make a game for.  I've found that my students are WAY more engaged in the material when they have activities and games to participate in.  They are learning new information and retaining what they've already learned all the while they're having fun.  I've had parents say to me that their kids are having so much fun during their lessons that they don't even realize they're learning.

I went out and bought a Valentine's Day container made of tin.  You could purchase one made of cardboard but I specifically chose tin so that it would last.  I've had my container for 6 years now.  I gave the contents of it (sour candy) to my son who LOVES anything tart.  If it were filled with chocolate then I'd be all over that!  I also purchased small candy wrappers from the supermarket and 1"x1" plain wooden blocks from a hobby store which I colored brown with a brown magic marker to make into "chocolates".  I had blank white address labels lying around which I used to draw staff notes on and blue label dots which I wrote letters on. (Can't remember why I chose blue dots instead of red.  I must of run out of my red dots. I'm all about using what I already have!)

                                                   
The object of the game is to match the "chocolates" to their appropriate wrappers.  I usually time them.  The rule of thumb when timing your students is to give them three times longer than what it takes you to complete the game.  So if it took me 30 seconds then I'd give my students 90 seconds to complete the game. Once they match everything up, they close the container with the lid and I check it.

 Obviously, you can change what you write on the little labels that go in the candy wrappers and "chocolates" depending on what you're wanting to test them on.  You could write musical terms in the wrappers and draw small pictures of the terms on the "chocolates" and have them match those up or you could test them on interval ID by drawing melodic or harmonic intervals on the candy wrapper labels and 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, etc. on the "chocolates".  Have fun with it!  Your kids sure will.  Until next time, piano blogger signing off........

Solving the Mystery Behind Middle C

Happy Tuesday!  I am looking out from my window at the clearest blue sky and beautiful oak tree branches swaying in the wind....simple pleasures!  Have you ever had students ask why there was a line going through middle C?  I have.  I could simply say that that's the way it is and be done with it but there's no fun in that so I make it into a mystery that the students need to solve.  The best way to explain this is in dialogue form with a few pictures thrown in the mix.  There's obviously a lot more dialogue happening between myself and the student but I simplified as much as possible here.  From beginning to end this mini lesson only takes 5 minutes!

The Mystery Behind Middle C
Student: Why does middle C have a line through it?

Me: Ah! I am so glad you asked that.  There is actually a very good and logical reason for it.  In order to understand why Middle C has a line through it let's back track a little bit by revisiting the staff.  It will all make sense in the end.  Remember learning that the staff has 5 lines and 4 spaces?  Well, now that you are able to easily identify the staff and know it's purpose you are ready for a little more information.  A single staff is actually made up of 5 lines and 6 spaces.  (Place one plastic magnetic chip on the top line of the staff and one right below the bottom line of the staff).  Did you know that the area right above and below the staff is considered a space as well and these notes are space notes?  Go ahead and place a chip on the rest of the spaces of the staff.  How many space notes do we have?
Student: 6 space notes.
Me: Now place a chip on every line of the staff.  How many staff lines are there?
Student: 5 lines.
Me: So the staff is actually made up of 5 lines and 6 spaces do you see it now?
Student: Yes!

*Don't forget to have them clean up the board with the magnetic wand.  They really enjoy doing that.

Me: Music is made up of so many patterns which is one of the reasons why I love it so much!  Even the piano itself has patterns like 3 black keys, 2 black keys, 3 black keys, etc. The white notes are a pattern of letters from A-G that repeat as well.....ABCDEFG-ABCDEFG-etc.  Remember! A pattern is a group of items that repeat themselves over and over again without changing.

Me: Do you see a pattern on the staff itself?  I see a pattern of spaces and lines (starting with the topmost space) space, line, space, etc.  So even the staff has a pattern.  So cool!

*I pull out a blank grand staff and I have the student place a chip on the very top line and below the bottom line of the treble and bass staves to remind them of what they just learned.

Me:  Let's follow the pattern of spaces and lines that make up the grand staff.  I want you to place a chip on every space and line while saying the words "space" and "line".  Let's start with the chip you've already placed on the top space of the treble staff.  Ready?

*So the student is going along down the treble staff until they get to the middle area of the grand staff where there are two space notes in a row.

Me: Whoa!  That breaks the pattern of line and space notes and we can't break the pattern so what do we have to do to keep it going?

*The student may try to take away the space note below the treble staff or the topmost space note on the bass staff to keep the pattern going but I let them know that those notes cannot be removed since they are part of the 6 spaces that make up both the treble and bass staves.
Me: Hmmm.  Let's look at that middle space of the grand staff again.  Remember how I shared with you that Middle C is found in the very  middle space of the grand staff?  It's in between these two space notes.                                                      
*Place a magnetic chip in between the two space notes in the middle space of the grand staff.  Choose the same color chip as the space notes. The student will realize that having three space notes in a row breaks the pattern as well.
Me:  Does this continue the space/line note pattern?
Student: No, because there are three space notes in a row.  The Middle C note needs needs to be blue and have a line going through it but how do we make it a line note.  There are no lines in the middle space of the grand staff.  (I chose to alternate between blue and pink chips to help my kiddos see the space/line pattern more clearly but you can use all different colors or all one color if you have enough in your set to do so.)    
Me: Well, why don't we draw a line through it. (I cut a thin piece of black construction paper out and taped it to one of my blue magnetic chips instead of drawing a line in the space)
                                                      Student: Oh!  I didn't know we could do that!
Me:  Yuppers! We can.  It's called a ledger line.  Ledger lines are extra lines added in the middle space and beyond the grand staff lines.
*Once again, keep the information regarding ledger lines as simple as possible for now.  No need to overload the kiddos with information they don't need at this point.*
Me:  You have just solved the mystery behind Middle C's line. A line goes through middle C to keep the space/line pattern going on the grand staff.  Now we can continue with our pattern through the bass staff.

When my kiddos discover the meaning behind Middle C's line they get SO excited.  I've had parents tell me that their children came home from that particular lesson wanting to show them their discovery.  Those "Aha" moments give me such a thrill as a teacher!

Next time, I'll share with you how I get my students to easily recognize letter names of staff notes (besides memorizing flash cards which they do as well) and more importantly correctly locating them on the piano in relation to Middle C.  Stay tuned!  Piano blogger signing off.......

Locating Staff Notes on the Piano: Part III

Happy New Year!  It has been quite a while since I've blogged!  Moving is not one of my favorite things to do but we're all settled into our new home and I've slowly begun to build up my student base here.  It was very difficult saying goodbye to all of my wonderful students back in Frisco but keeping in touch with them has made it a bit easier.  I'm looking forward to teaching piano to a whole new group of kiddos!  Oh! I finally have a website up and running thanks to my amazing husband!  Check it out at www.msdaphnepiano.com.  Thank goodness I have a technologically savvy spouse or I'd still be in the dark ages.  It's still a wonder to me how I was able to create this blog all on my own.

Blogs are so interesting to me because we can have a particular audience in mind that we think we are blogging to but never know for sure who's actually reading it.  I imagine my audience to be college students majoring in piano pedagogy or parents wanting to find new ways of teaching their own children the basics of piano.  The idea of providing  an alternative method of instruction to youngsters that's fun and effective is so exciting to me!  Based on what my piano parents have shared  regarding my program as well as their children (some of whom have come to me from other teachers and organizations due to their dissatisfaction with the traditional methods of teaching) there seems to be quite an interest for something new.    For me it's all about teaching concepts in an unconventional dynamic way that leaves my kiddos feeling confident about their ability to learn and play the piano.

Anyway, I digress, back to business.......so last time I blogged I began to share with you what I do to prepare my students for reading and understanding notes on the grand staff.  The way I teach my students about the grand staff now is very different than how I used to teach them thanks to two of my kiddos who just couldn't seem to get the concept of notes on a staff and how it was related to notes on the piano.  Their frustration motivated me to think up new ways of explaining it and it's because of them that my past students had and future students will have a very clear understanding of how the grand staff works. 

I show my students a picture of a grand staff with no notes on it.  I direct them to the middle space between the the treble and bass staves and tell them that the middle space relates to middle C on the piano.  Then I have them play middle C on the piano.  For now that's all they need to know.  They don't need to know about ledger lines and how the middle space of the grand staff can house way more notes than just the middle C.  That information will come later when they need it.  As an education major I was taught to introduce concepts in stages and to only give as much information as was needed for each stage. 

After we've established that the middle space of the grand staff is middle C on the piano I then tell them that every line and space on the grand staff is a note on the piano ranging from Low F to High G.  I do get students who ask about all the rest of the notes on the piano and how to reach them if they are not written on the grand staff and I say we'll get to that in time.  I've found that children are very curious (which is why I love teaching them so much) and will ask tons of great questions that if I answered all at once would totally confuse them so I simply say, "Don't worry, when you're ready to play those notes I'll show you how to read and write them but for now we are focusing on these set of notes".  Next time I'll share with you how we solve the mystery behind the line that runs through Middle C.

I've decided to break this concept of note reading on the grand staff down into a few smaller blog entries rather than writing one humongous post so stay tuned and get your magnetic chips and wand ready!  We'll be using them quite a bit.  Until next time.  Piano blogger signing off.......