Author Archives: Musicteachingadventures

Get these 5 basic Resources and easily start adding games to your piano lessons.

Are you just starting to include fun music games? Here are five resources to get you started. I use all of these resources almost every day with my students.

A large die

I love my large 5 inch die. A few years ago one of my students gave me one for Christmas and it has been a huge hit. There are endless possibilities for use of a die in lessons but two of my favorites are allowing the student to role the die to determine the designated number of repetitions, and dividing the song into sections and rolling the die to determine which section to practice. You can then keep rolling until all sections have been played four times.

Letter cards, flash cards and rhythm cards

Good old music alphabet letter cards, flash cards, and rhythm cards don’t just have to be used for drilling. You can also hide the flash cards around the room and have them find and play the note on the piano or play go fish and memory.

Rhythm cards are also great for creating rhythms on the floor for an off the bench rhythmic activity. Create two rhythms (in the same time signature); while the student claps one rhythm you clap the other. Then switch parts. My students love seeing how fast we can clap without getting distracted by the other person.  

Bingo Tokens or Aqua Rocks

Aqua rocks and bingo tokens are probably the most often reached for item in my studio. I find these can help mark notes on the piano when learning keys, are great with a paper staff to create chords and scales, and are great game markers to have on hand for off the bench games. Looking for some fun games for aqua rocks or not sure what they are? Check out this post here.  

Post-it tabs

These aren’t really for a game, I just use them so much I wanted to include them! These are super handy to have around to mark sections in a piece that need work, and to mark note or rhythmic corrections. They are easy to put on and then come off easily when you are done with the problem section. I also use these with my more advanced students as well so they have a visual reminder of what we talked about.  

Bonus:  Pinterest

One of my favorite past times that has kept me up way past my bedtime more times than I can count is browsing Pinterest. Not only is it fun to see what other piano teachers are trying but I also enjoy browsing for any games that I think could be modified into fun music games. I have been inspired to create new games for everything from private lessons, group classes, and summer piano camps.

What are some of your favorite resources to have on hand?

Have you ever gotten frustrated with the lack of attendance at summer lessons? Do most of your students just take the summer off? Are you trying to plan creative ways to increase summer income? I have found summer camps an excellent way to increase my income.

Several years ago I embarked on my summer piano camp experiences by holding a preschool summer camp, which you can read about here, here, and here. The next year I expanded to add a half day elementary camp and each year I have expanded on my summer camp offerings. Currently I offer a preschool half day camp, elementary all day camp, and intermediate all day camp. This year I will be adding field trips to the intermediate camp.

If you are planning to offer summer camps but aren’t sure where to start by deciding the type of camp you want to host, elementary, preschool, etc and if it will be all day or half day. 

Pick your dates:

Usually, I like to survey parents to find out popular dates for camp. I set up a free survey through Survey Monkey. I ask date preferences, if they would prefer half or all day, and any misc questions I may have for that year. If it’s your first time holding a summer camp, you could also ask what their interest level is in a summer camp.

Choose your curriculum:

Once you have the level of camp you want to hold you need to choose a curriculum. Though I love planning and creating games for my students I find it easiest to have a pre-written curriculum to jump start my planning. Some my students favorite games and camp themes have come from Sheryl Well’s blog. Sheryl’s camps are well designed and easy to implement. You can check out her summer camp materials here.

I have also used Joy Moirin’s composer camp and music history lapbooks. You can find those here and here. 

Choose your price:

Once you have your camp type, and dates, it’s time to decide on a price. It’s a good idea to check and see what other camps are charging in your area. I choose to charge less than other camps because I hold my summer camps out of my home. But don’t charge too much less. The price range may look like quite a larger chunk of money up front but remember to factor in the hourly rate you would like to make.

Choose your location:

I choose to hold my camps in my home so we have easy access to a yard so we can have a water day. But you can also choose to host your camps in another location, perhaps at a church, or other community facility. You should also factor in cost and price of the camp into your location as well.

Identify your Ideal Size:

How many children will you allow in each camp?  What do you consider full and do you need an assistant teacher? I recommend if this is your first year starting with a small. group I personally find 6-8 students is easily manageable on my own and still profitable.  Personally 8 is a perfect size if I do not have another teacher assisting. If I have more than 8 students I have found having an assistant teacher important, and often necessary to help the camp run smoothly.

Once you have an idea of the type of camp, dates, price, curriculum etc it’s time to advertise your camp. A simple PDF with an enticing description of camp is an excellent start. Though You can email the info out to families, I find it also valuable to chat with each family in person, so they can see how excited you are about camp.

If you are planning to or decide to host a camp this summer I would love to hear about your camp plans!

Yesterday I had a discussion with a parent who was looking for a violin teacher.  She commented that one of the teachers she considered sent her a 10 page studio policy as soon as she contacted him about lessons. This parent felt overwhelmed, and her comment was, “I don’t care about a studio policy.  I already know there will be a studio policy I must comply with; I want to know what can he do for my child!”

Coming from a parent who is very serious about lessons and respectful of a teacher’s time,  got me thinking. I think the length and content of a studio policy is important to consider. Every teacher wants to acquire students, so how can we set boundaries, yet not overwhelm parents?

I think we first need to consider what to include in a studio policy. Your studio policy shouldn’t address everything and the “kitchen sink!” So what should your studio policy include?

You only need three main parts to your studio policy.

1. Tuition and Studio Activities

• How tuition is charged: rate/hour, monthly, etc.

• Acceptable methods of payment: check, cash, or credit card?

• Due dates for payments and when late fees are assessed, if any

• Special fees charged: recital fees, music books, etc.

• General information about recitals and group lessons, as applicable

2. Cancellations

• Makeup policy if you or the student misses a lesson

  • 24 hour or more notification?

• Policy for bad weather days

3. Important Standing Rules

• Such as washing hands before lessons etc

Your studio policy should be no more than 1 to 1 and a half pages in length and should be written so it is easy to read and understand.

What about addressing all the little things that bother you?

For those of us who teach from our homes, we may be tempted to use our studio policy to address various irritations such as:

• students wandering to private areas of our home

• students tracking mud on our floors or staining furniture with food, etc.

• parents visiting long after a student’s lesson is complete

It’s always best to assume that most people are respectful of your home and time and to handle the exceptions on a case by case basis.  If several families are taking extra liberties, then send a polite email to specifically address an issue.  In general, sending respectful  emails or personally speaking with a parent are better methods than using your studio policy to address issues that have irritated you.  You want prospective parents to be motivated to join your studio, not overwhelmed by all your rules!