If your New Years resolution was to bring more fun and games to your piano teaching table then we have a great printable to share with you today! Into the New Year With Intervals is a simple piano teaching card game designed to help students visually recognize intervals.
How To Play ‘Into the New Year With Intervals’
Preparing for this game is super-simple, but be sure to leave enough time to get the playing cards laminated (this document contains the front and the back of each of the 4 playing cards). Print the front and back of the playing cards on a single sheet of paper before getting the paper laminated… I guess that goes without saying 😉
Once the cards are laminated and you have your piano student sitting in front of you, draw a different interval on the back of each of the 4 cards using an erasable marker. Make sure the smallest interval goes on the back of the “2”, the next smallest goes on back of the “0”, and do on (this is crucial to the game).
Once you have marked the intervals on the back of each card place the cards on the floor in random order. Instruct your student to arrange the intervals from smallest to largest in order from left to right. When she has completed this task, have her flip each of the cards over. If she arranged the intervals correctly the cards should read, “2014”.
Wipe the cards clean and play the game again and again and again… And, when 2015 rolls around you can stop!
More fun in the New Year
If you’re looking for even more ways to jazz things up in 2014 check out our newest resource Pssst… Your Piano Teacher Thinks This Is Theory. The 88 theory-based activities in this resource will make sure your 2014 is absolutely, positively, most definitely, NOT BORING!
Leia says
Already sent this to the printers (aka my husband’s office!)
Can’t wait! And how did you know what my new year’s resolution was?? 😉
MaryLou says
Thanks for the great idea! I loved it so much I made a second set with a keyboard on the back for my little students who aren’t reading on the staff yet!
Kathy G says
This sounds great. Now I’m going to — shhhhhh — ask how to ‘send this (kind of thing) to the printer’? I have purchased several online texts, game sets, etc and have been mostly printing them up, a few pages at a time, on my home printer. This is expensive and cumbersome. What is the best way to ‘send’ them to say, Office Max or my local copy center? Do they accept emails? Or do I have to download them onto a thumb drive (please be impressed that even have a thumb drive) and physically take them in? Clearly, one of my New Year resolutions is to step further out of the Cave of the Techno Weinie-land, and into the light of Cyber Teacherdom! Any help (from anyone) is most welcome. BTW Office Depot/Office Max has a great discount card for MTNA members, which includes cheap copies, so I want to take advantage of that.
Andrea says
Hi Kathy – it’s really simple… promise! Depending on what printer you use you can either email it to them as a pdf or you some big box stores (like Staples) have an online copy center where you upload your file, choose paper type, quantity etc. and then they email you when it’s ready for pick up. I do it about twice a day! It’s MUCH cheaper than using your own ink. To “get” the pdf file just open the file and right click. Choose “save as” and decide on a safe place on your computer where you can find it (like your desktop). Then, when you’re emailing just select this file as the attachment.
Kathy G says
Aha! Thanks so much. It doesn’t sound scary at all, and not even all that techno. Diving in today!
Beth Yantz says
Kathy G, you have excellent resolutions! And I love the way you phrase them, too!!! Part of your resolution is already realized, as you ask these really important questions. Wish I had answers, and yes, I’m impressed that you have a thumb drive (can also be referred to as a USB drive, fyi – vocabulary builder for you, free of charge) and know what one is. I advise that you keep it safe. I lost mine, when my car was broken into, and it had all my teaching invoicing and mailings. My goal this year is to be sure to BACK UP my thumb drive regularly! I like this game idea, too.
Karen Gibson says
Kathy G., if you go to the OfficeMax website (Staples has this too)and go to their Print and Copy Center (tab) if you look around you will see ‘Print Online’. I think that should give you the information you are looking for as to how to submit what you need printed from your computer. I’ve done this using Staples’ print center Good luck!