Piano Tuning
The Talking Piano Bench That Teaches Sight-Reading
Piano Bench Student
Sadly, the piano bench is an often overlooked treasure chest in the piano room. On the day my first piano was delivered when I was just a little girl, I can remember being as enamored with the piano bench as I was with the piano itself. The piano had 88 keys for me to tickle, but the bench held books full of songs that could be played on those 88 keys. Looking into that piano bench was like being in a gold mine full of sheet music! The piano bench was where I could find even more songs besides the ones that my teacher had given me to learn. I could actually look in there and discover new sounds that my fingers could produce. I have found though that my kids don’t think to look in the piano bench for music books. (This fact baffles me). I have also found in my years of working with piano students that a lot of them don’t seek out new music on their own. (Again, this baffles me).
Thinking about my piano bench and all the musical treasure it holds gave me an idea! As piano teachers and musicians, we know the importance of being able to sight-read. We also know that the best way for a student to improve at sight-reading is to SIGHT READ. So, why not use the piano bench’s treasure chest quality to get kids excited about sight-reading?
To transform the piano bench into The Talking Piano Bench That Teaches Sight Reading, I used 3 sticky notes, the panic button, a prize, and a carefully selected piece of music for sight-reading practice according to the student’s skill level. Then the student was told to lift the bench and follow the instructions on the sticky notes.
Click to see post about Panic Button
The instant gratification associated with this activity made it very successful with the students. Now, they look forward to the chance to see what’s in the bench. They enjoy that and I enjoy seeing their sight-reading skills grow!
Free Printable: 88 Day Practice Challenge Tracker
The above printable is available for FREE DOWNLOAD and can be used to keep track of your students’ piano practice days. I am using it in conjunction with the excellent practice resource called Shh…Your Piano Teacher Thinks This Is Practice by Andrea and Trevor Dow at www.teachpianotoday.com.
Each week students get to color in the appropriate number of boxes to represent the days they practiced. The sheets are displayed on a wall where everybody can see just who is getting to their piano the most!
The Most Irritating Question
You know what it is. Every child asks it when you present them with a multi-day or multi-week challenge or anything that requires consistent effort no matter how minimal. I have encountered this question many times during my teaching, and it irritates me every time. So…what is the most irritating question?
“What do I get if I do it?”
The real answer to the question is that the child gets a sense of accomplishment and gains new skills. They get to say, “I Did It!” Sadly, though, for today’s kids this has no value. Sadly again is that if you do come up with a prize, unless they see it as truly valuable they will refuse to do the assignment because to them it is not worth the effort.
A Fun Back To School Piano Lesson
As the awesome piano teacher you no doubt are, you want your first piano lessons of the new school year to be spectacular! So, allow me to suggest an idea from www.teachpianotoday.com. I call it “Light Up The Keys”. All you need is some glow sticks (purchase at the dollar store) and a concept or song to review. To review 5 finger patterns, I had my student turn off the studio lights and place glow sticks on the notes for the patterned I called out. I called out 5 different patterns, and she was able to win a glow stick for each pattern that she correctly placed.
We had so much fun that we decided to use the idea with a song. We decided to have Christmas in August and play the beginning of Jingle Bells. See how it went below for this 4-year-old.
Getting Parents Ready for Piano Season
When your piano parents think about the upcoming piano season will they be seeing themselves dragging their kid to and from lessons and battling at home over practice OR will they be laughing out loud as they recall the fun THEY had at your
Piano Parent Social?
Hosting a Piano Parent Social can breathe new energy into your studio and it is as simple as adding a little fun to your informational meeting.
Here are 6 ingredients for a great
Piano Parent Social:
1. Sneak Peak Video – Using an app like iMovie, create a short movie trailer showing what will be happening in your studio this year.
2. Info Packets – Prepare a folder for each family that includes studio policies, studio calendar, media release forms, and rate/payment info. Also include any other info you would like parents to know. At the start of the social, briefly cover the main points and answer any questions.
3. Sign Up Sheet – Have a printed copy of your teaching schedule ready for parents to reserve their child’s lesson time. As they reserve their times have them pay lesson fees.
4. Fun Group Game – A game like Taboo provides lots of interaction and fun. You can also pre-select cards with a music theme.
5. Prizes – Have prizes for each member of the winning team.
6. Pictures – Be sure to take pictures and share them with parents in a follow-up email afterwards or display in your studio
Now you and your piano parents will be ready for the upcoming piano season!
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- Team Sade Accepts The Challenge
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- The Competition Was Heavy
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- Everybody Had Fun!
Summer Celebrations : Finding The Perfect Piano Accessory On Vacation
I found this mug at Fresh Market in Hilton Head, SC while on vacation last week. The piano teacher in me couldn’t resist!
Summer Celebrations: A Child’s Wisdom
Kids really do say the darndest things!
Summer Celebrations: A Student’s First Chord!
Do you remember when you played your first 3 note chord?
New FREE Printable: A Piano Project Kids Love
In yesterday’s post I shared some pictures and video from our Piano Bears Spring Project where the students made bears at Build A Bear Workshop that have a recording of them playing the piano. The picture above is one of the bears a student made.
My students and I enjoyed working on this project because it gave the students a chance to do something fun and memorable with their music. Every time they squeeze their bear they get to hear how their hard work all year has paid off!
If you are interested in doing this project in your studio, download my eBook, A Piano Project Kids Love: Piano Bears, for FREE by clicking here!
I’d love to hear about what kinds of special projects you do with your students as well!
Kids & Keys 