Sometimes piano practice at our house can be a rather not-so-fun experience.
Thanks to our wonderful piano teacher, Mrs. T, we have a couple simple little games we play that make practicing a bit more fun.
I wrote the names of all of Lauren’s songs on little squares of paper (I used card stock, you could also use index cards or just regular paper). She then puts the squares face down on the floor and while sitting on the piano bench, she lightly tosses an object (we use a little rubber star) onto the cards. The card that the object touches first is the one she picks up and then she plays the song that is on that card.
Thanks to our wonderful piano teacher, Mrs. T, we have a couple simple little games we play that make practicing a bit more fun.
I wrote the names of all of Lauren’s songs on little squares of paper (I used card stock, you could also use index cards or just regular paper). She then puts the squares face down on the floor and while sitting on the piano bench, she lightly tosses an object (we use a little rubber star) onto the cards. The card that the object touches first is the one she picks up and then she plays the song that is on that card.
Here are a couple pictures of the cards. Lauren drew some pictures on some of them. I'm also including a picture of what her practice record sheet looks like. It has all of the songs listed (so handy!), and we just mark off the ones she practices each day. It's nice and uniform and easy to glance at and see what she has practiced and what we've missed that week.
To my adult-mind, the game sounds kind of silly and simple, but she loves it, and it makes practicing oh-so-much-easier! My four year old has cards for the six songs in her repertoire as well and loves to play the game too!
We take Suzuki Method piano, so repetition at least a couple times a week of all of the songs learned thus far in the program (this is her third year…she’s 6 yrs. old), is necessary. She doesn’t play all of her songs every day. If the little star she tosses doesn’t land on the songs that she DOES need to practice every day, then after about four tosses, I have her practice those, and then she gets to toss the star a couple more times if she wants.
ANOTHER favorite game of Lauren’s is for her to play the first one or two notes of a song and then I have to guess what song it is. She then plays the whole song after I guess correctly. Again, simple & easy, but she likes it and it makes practicing a bit more enjoyable.
These piano practice games work for me! For more Works-for-Me Wednesday tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.
8 comments:
I love it!! My six year old piano student would like this game too... and we always look for ways to make piano practice more fun!!
How timely this is!!! DS has his very first piano lesson today. I am sure we will be in need of these helps soon.
LOL although, with the amount of piano practice I need to do this next month...there may be a fight for piano time.
I even use ot for myself.
In an adopted version, that is.
I have all my musicpieces in a map and I just open it and play.
Other people learn line for line.
I just play around and suddenly I know it all.
How great your child can keep enjoying music this way.
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Laane on the World
Have a great day!
Well that's pretty clever!
These are great ideas! I have a 10 yo who is in this 5th year and a 7 yo who is in her first yera. This is a nice way to mix it up for both of them. Sometimes, I don't know how they do it...she is supposed to practice 30 minutes a day 6 days a week and he is supposed to practice 6 days a week for 45 minutes a day!
What a neat idea. :) I need to teach them how to play first. :)
sounds like a great plan.
Where were you with this idea when I was taking piano lessons with the hours of practicing?!!
What a fabulous idea!
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