Board Games that can be Played Online
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Rock Cod – Reinforce aural recognition of Major and Minor pentascales (note: could also be played with major/minor chords)
Archives: Teacher Resources
Communicating Assignments to Students and Parents
This tip comes from our awesome teacher Belen! Keeping a folder for each student in Dropbox or Google Drive will allow students and parents to easily access screen shares and assignments from each lesson. Belen also keeps a word doc for each week. Make a folder for each week screenshot your shares into it. The docs below would be in the folder labeled 4.26.
Optimal Zoom Settings and Camera Angles
Are you having issues with sound cutting out, difficulty hearing, feedback, etc? Here are pictures of the audio settings you and your student should be using for best music experience:
1) In settings/audio ensure that “automatically adjust microphone volume” is unchecked. You don’t want Zoom adjusting the volume of instruments and dynamics.
2) From that same window, click on the “Advanced” button. In Advanced settings, ensure that the “Show In-meeting option to enable original sound from microphone” is checked. If this box remains unchecked, Zoom compresses audio for optimal conversation settings; not great for hearing instruments.
3) During your actual Zoom meeting you should now see “Turn on original sound” in the top left corner of the screen. Click this to get uncompressed original sound from microphone.
In addition, some teachers have told me that muting yourself while a student is playing helps for better sound.
Multiple Camera Angles:
Another thing useful for piano teachers in particular is to log on to the meeting with two devices. Download Zoom for your phone, start a meeting on your computer and text/email yourself the meeting link; then click the link on your phone to join the meeting from a second device. You can position your laptop in front of your face and position your phone over the keys of the keyboard. That way, your student sees both your face and a closeup view of the keyboard so you can easily demonstrate where you want fingers to go, etc.
Music Apps
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Musical Me
An iOS app for younger kids that teaches and reinforces fundamental components including notes, rhythm, and pitch. -
Piano Adventures
Sightreading Coach: Works through the piano adventures books to aid in sightreading skills. Both teacher and student download, you can assign specific exercises. -
Piano Dust Buster
Use your own piano to play songs in the form of a game. For younger students. -
Mussila Music School
Teaches instruments, rhythm, piano, reading sheet music, through games and exercises. Also includes an option for creating music. -
Mazaam
The Musical genius: 4-6 yo/ A world immersion full of games, explores tempo, timbre, pitch, intensity, and harmony sounds. -
Loopimal
Allows kids to explore sequences, loops, and music as the animate animals. Explores beat, rhythm, melody and tempo.
Piano Songs for Online Lessons (ALL LEVELS)
Pre-Reading
Pre-Reading Bundle – Includes 8 pre-reading songs with big notes and pictures.
Hot Cross Buns – Great first song for new students
Polar Bear – Love this tune, awesome jazzy duet part!
Just The Black Keys – 30 Traditional and Original Songs for the Black Keys
Beginner
Song I Already Know – Great packet of 10 beginner songs including Twinkle Twinkle, Eency Weency Spider, Bingo and more!
Little Princess of the Garden – Super cute song about Princesses. Listen Here (scroll down the page)
Mary Had A Little Lamb – All finger numbers written in, nice duet included
Brother John – Great version with big notes
Everything is Awesome – 5 singer arrangement (have new students only play the RH)
Early Elementary
Crossover Madness – Epic sounding song based on Dm chord. Easy to sightread. Listen Here (scroll down)
Beethoven’s Fifth – Nice easy, 1 page version of this classic
A Hero Returns – Kids LOVE this song. First page is a rhythm duet ala The Cup Song
Late Elementary
Moonlight Sonata – Great simplified 1 page version of this classic
Fur Elise – Audio demo of song included in link
Jazzin’ On The Soccer Field – Fun intro to blues. WATCH DEMO HERE
Intermediate
A Dangerous Situation – Every student I’ve given this to has said it’s their favorite song yet! Listen here (scroll down)
The Guardians of Arronmore – Celtic mysteried in minor keys
Hey Jude (Piano Solo) – Great SuperJAM song!
Leadsheets
*Many of the keys have been changed to C maj or A min for easier playing
A Million Dreams – Greatest Showman
Never Enough – Greatest Showman
Tips for Successful Online Lessons
Set-Up
Ideally you will set yourself up facing the student with a tripod that can easily show view of your hands and face. Be sure that you and the student are both in quiet areas, just as you would be during a normal lesson. Zoom widely regarded as the best device for online lessons.
Prepare 200%
Online lessons don’t lend themselves to the adlibing you may use in an in-person lesson. Each minute in the lesson should be prepared for in advance, and have a few tricks up your sleeve if you need more contact. Parents are asked to be present for all lessons ages 10 yrs an under.
Sample Lesson Preparation (fill in the material for each timeframe)
:00-:05 – Warm-up (finger and body warm-ups, scales, etc.)
:05 -:10 – Review last week’s assignment (you can discuss dynamics, rhythm, fingerings, form).
:10-:15- Game (see below)
:15-:25 – New Repertoire (make sure it’s emailed or selected ahead of time)
:25-:30 – Go over extra recourse (see below)
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make sure you are keeping careful records of each student’s assignments so that you can plan the next lesson
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Make sure all materials are emailed ahead of time and that you have a copy of everything your student will be looking at.
Games (i.e re-focusing activities) for Online Lessons
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Piano Safari – Pick two notes on opposite ends of the piano for two animals to start on. Then tell a story about the animals trying to get eachother – the more animated the story the better. Keep bringing the animals closer together to the middle of the piano until they reach the same note and one gets the other one.
i.e
“It’s lunchtime and the tiger is sooo hungry, he sees the rabbit and jumps up one octave to A”
“The rabbit is very sneaky and sees a cave to hide in on Eb, he jumps down as quick as he can” -
Piano in the Dark – The student closes their eyes and you tell them a note. The student tries to find the note with their eyes closed. The trick is to locate the groups of black keys, once you find the black keys in groups of 2’s and 3’s you can find any note within! This helps students with sight-reading and performing because they don’t rely on looking at the keyboard to find the notes.
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Finger Play Poems – this is a great time to work on hand technique. I love this finger play poems. All finger action demonstrations can be found on video here
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Quiz your student on concepts they are struggling with and let them “secretly” type the answer into the chat feature. You can even use a certain emoji to tell them if they are right or wrong. While we don’t want to become distracted by the technology, when controlled it can get kids engaged.
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Listening Games: this is a great time to play listening games.
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Eartraining Superhero – Major and minor chords (tip: this can be played with even very beginners, just be obvious…for example play very legato minor arpeggios and jumpy major chords)
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Play the first line of a popular song and ask your student to figure out the missing notes on their piano
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Extra Resources That Can be Emailed
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Sightreading Pattern Cards – I absolutely love these cards for beginning readers. Send them in advance for an extra activity during the lesson
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Worksheets – Great time for worksheets to reinforce concepts you’re working on. Check out tons of fun worksheets here.
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Practice Aids like Over The Rainbow and Tar Pits to help students visualize repetitions during lessons.
Final Thoughts
Remember these lessons will not be an online replication of what you do in person, you will need to be creative and adjust your methods for this medium. Consider this a chance to develop your teaching ideas. Online lessons can be very successful and fun when everyone is positive, flexible, and prepared!
Sightreading Pattern Cards
These “Sightreading Pattern Cards” are new resource from our friends at Pianimation that I have found to be invaulable in introducing sightreading to kids. These cards were made for piano players but could be adapted for other instruments by eliminating the hand and finger numbers. Click below for free printable links.
Sightreading Pattern Cards (Steps)
Sightreading Pattern Cards (Skips)
Sightreading Pattern Cards (Steps & Skips)
What makes these cards cool:
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The student is required to identify their left/right hand and a finger number with each new card.
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The cards are pattern based and reinforce the most important aspects of sightreading in a simple way.
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The cards are big (half page each) and make it is easy to distinguish between steps and skips.
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The cards are divided into steps, skips, and steps & skips. You can use a different set depending on your student’s level.
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The cards are very quick to play and are not overwhelming. A great way to spend 5 minutes of a lesson!
Animal Safari (learn the piano keys)
“Animal Safari” is a fun game to reinfoce note learning, and low/high relationships on the piano. For this game, you will need 2-7 toy animals. Many students already own these, or they can be found at the dollar store or toy section of CVS. Because the game is based on a story you tell, it can last for whatever length of time you choose – making it a great game to pull out if you have a few minutes left at the end of the lesson.
How to Play
Option #1 (for students who know all or most of the notes):
1. Pick two notes on opposite ends of the piano for two animals to start on. Then tell a story about the animals trying to get eachother – the more animated the story the better. Keep bringing the animals closer together to the middle of the piano until they reach the same note and one gets the other one (or for the sensitive student – they hug and become friends :-)) This is also a great chance to reinforce which direction is lower and higher on the piano, be sure to include this in your instructions.
i.e
“It’s lunchtime and the tiger is sooo hungry, he sees the rabbit and jumps up one octave to A”
“The rabbit is very sneaky and sees a cave to hide in on Eb, he jumps down as quick as he can”
Option #2 (for students just learning the notes):
Use 7 animals and pick a key to put the animals on spaced an octave apart (i.e have your student place an animal on every D). Then have them push each key strongly to make the animals “jump.” Continue for all notes they are learning.
Build A Skeleton
The idea for this activity comes from Pianimation. This awesome giant skeleton can be printed on any regular computer (it’s about 7 pages). You can play the activity using note values or intervals.
Activity 1 – For beginning students, use note value cards. Add the number of bones that correspond with each note (i.e add 3 bones for a dotted half note).
Activity 2 – Use interval cards and add the number of bones that correspond with each interval (i.e 3 bones for a major 3rd).
Downloads
