More fun activities for my beginning students

[Kara_Jean]

Hi. It just came to me when I told one of my students that she had a piano lesson tomorrow. She just sighed.
I know at that age, I didn't like piano lessons that much either. But I thought that I should do more stuff, different stuff each week so that they will have something to look forward to. Should I use flash cards? Play things for them? If you have any ideas at all, please reply back. Thanks a bunch

[pianodeanne]

Hi!  I am new on this site, as I have just started privately teaching again after 8 years.  I wanted to reply to your message, as I too, am looking for different ideas to "keep it fun" for the kids.  

I have students as young as 6, and as old as 14.  I found that no matter what the age, PRAISE is the best thing you can give your students.  Especially the younger ones.  When I tell them, "Yes!  You did it! Good!", they just smile and smile.  For the older, (teenagers), at the end of the lesson, every once in a while I'll teach them some little rock song, with a boogie woogie beat, like "Heart and Soul".  They'll go home and learn that, then look forward to playing a duet with me the following week, as well as learning the right hand part in return.  

Any further suggestions on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck to you!
Deanne

[beethoven2]

my teacher always played a fun and educating game on the first lesson of each month.  it would be go fish with composers or bass cleff baseball.  all her students always loved the games, and they all learned alot from them.
if we practiced every day of the week then we got a sticker on our chart and when our chart was filled, we got a prize (the bust of a composer, we got to pick which one)
after we completed a song, we got a sticker on its page. when we got 15 stickers, we got to go to the prize box, which had lots of little things in it.
After each lesson with her, before we left, we got a piece of candy. we got to pick what kind.
duets are always fun.  she teaches on suzuki, and she has a suzuki book for our books that we played in that is a duet book.  we always loved to play the duets.
hope this was helpful!
~Christian

[hyrst]

Merit cards and a prize basket seem to do a lot for keeping my students motivated.  Even the students who are young and not really getting the idea or purpose of learning music yet will work hard on something to get a merit card and they are always counting how many cards until they get to choose from the basket.

Surprisingly, all my students also love what is essentially aural testing - without singing.  They have to close their eyes and find the notes that I play on the piano - or variations of that same idea, depending on their listening skills.  They all think it is a game and ask to play it.

[luvslive]

my students' favorite game is Gotcha! (can't remember where i learned it)...it is excellent to work on skips and steps, as well as learning chords.  all you need is ABC cards and a "Gotcha" card.
You put the alphabet cards face down with one letter facing up on the music rack, lets say it is C.  they can then find a step up/skip up from amongst the cards, trying to avoid the gotcha.  They could also step down/skip down for increased difficulty.  Once you have CEG up on the music rack you could have them play it and talk about it being a CM chord.  Then you could compare it with EGB and say "this sounds different" and have them describe the sound (sad/mad, etc).  You could also connect this with the staff pointing out that CEGBDF are all on lines in the treble cleff..the possibilities are endless.
I recommend getting a game book such as "Music Mind Games" and have a game ready to go, play maybe 5 minutes in a lesson and that keeps them from zoning out..

[luvslive]

Also, I have used Gotcha with more advanced students to talk about chord progressions.  Show them how C jumps from the bottom of the chord to the top CEG=EG C and you have a first inversion.  I would probably leave out the Gotcha card with older students, though. 

[penguinlover]

I would love to hear other's activities.  I'm afraid I have become stale in my approach.  I wonder why there is a four year break in this thread?

[pizno]

I may have posted this somewhere already, but a few weeks ago I met my students at the door, with a bucket of sidewalk chalk, and we went outside to the driveway.  We drew a grand staff, then I had them jumping up and down the staff.  I'd call out a letter and they'd have to find it.  They thought I was a bit nuts, but had fun.  Oh, we walked to and from the driveway saying 'GBD-FACE' over and over again.

Another thing I do is take flashcards and put them in random order on the music stand.  They play them while saying their names, and then I will mix them up and they'll do it again. 

I do a lot of things with a stop watch - this is a N. Jane Tan method, and I time them each week while they find all the Gs, As, etc..., up and down the keyboard.  When they are secure in their note finding, we move to 4ths and 5ths.  They seem to really like to do it, though I have to admit I don't like how much time it takes.  I usually just 'spot check' to make sure they are practicing this at home.  They love it when their times improve!

Pizno

[jpianoflorida]

I may have posted this somewhere already, but a few weeks ago I met my students at the door, with a bucket of sidewalk chalk, and we went outside to the driveway.  We drew a grand staff, then I had them jumping up and down the staff.  I'd call out a letter and they'd have to find it.  They thought I was a bit nuts, but had fun.  Oh, we walked to and from the driveway saying 'GBD-FACE' over and over again.

Another thing I do is take flashcards and put them in random order on the music stand.  They play them while saying their names, and then I will mix them up and they'll do it again. 

I do a lot of things with a stop watch - this is a N. Jane Tan method, and I time them each week while they find all the Gs, As, etc..., up and down the keyboard.  When they are secure in their note finding, we move to 4ths and 5ths.  They seem to really like to do it, though I have to admit I don't like how much time it takes.  I usually just 'spot check' to make sure they are practicing this at home.  They love it when their times improve!

Pizno

I like your style pizno!   you sound like a great , fun teacher.      I have mentioned this before, bu I highly recommend "piano suite" software if you have a keyboard and computer available in your studio.  The students LOVE it.   It has interactive games where different characters do flips, etc when the students find the correct notes on the piano.   They can play songs and the notes turn green when they get them right.   They can compose also.    I have every begginner when we meet for the first time "write a song"...even if it's just hitting some keys, when they hear the computer play it back, they are amazed.       I can't imagine teaching without the program as a supplement.        check it out at   www.adventus.com