Buzz Little Rhythm Bee – A Piano Teaching Game

Piano games are not only an effective learning tool, but they provide you with a tool you can use to assess your piano student’s understanding in a variety of different ways. When your student is fully engaged in a game and motivated by the outcome you get a helpful glimpse into what he or she does not fully understand.

Piano games that capture the imagination of your young piano students are extra special – they create “piano lesson memories” that are not soon forgotten. Have some fun with this game… “buzzz” around with your student, put on a antennae headband and bring life to rhythm practice.

How To Play “Buzz Little Rhythm Bee”

This game is easy to set up and easy to play. Adding the antennae and honey pot are optional… but they really take this game from “great” to “WOW!”! Your students will be happily buzzing around your studio while reinforcing their rhythm skills.

You’ll Need:

• the rhythm flowers
• the rhythm teacher master sheet
• sticky tape (or hold-it putty if you’re worried about the paint on your walls)
• a “honey pot” made from any jar or tub (see photo)
• a recording of “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov ready to play (free on youtube).
• Antenna headband (optional, but oh so fun!)

Game Objective:

To have your students be able to listen to a rhythm and then locate the flower that matches the rhythm they heard.

Setting It Up:

• print the rhythm flowers, cut them out and stick them all around the walls of your studio.
• put the Honey Pot in the centre of the room
• have a recording of Flight of the Bumble Bee ready to play.

How To Play:

Your student (wearing the antennae) is the “Rhythm Bee”

1. Clap a rhythm chosen from your teacher master sheet that corresponds with a flower still on the wall.

2. Start the music.

3. Student races to find the flower with the matching rhythm to the one clapped and places the correct flower in the honey pot.  Pause the music.

4. Repeat until all of the flowers are off the wall or until there is no time left on the music recording.

5. Empty the Honey Pot and have the student clap the rhythms on each flower. Each correctly clapped rhythm equals a candy/sticker etc. that they get to take home.  I found really cute little bumblebee stickers that were a hit.

6. You can “up the anty” by pausing the music at random to force the “Rhythm Bee” to stop searching and listen for the next rhythm (this makes it a timed activity).  All that’s left is to enjoy the shrieking of laughter as your student races to find the flower.  There is nothing like this particular recording to inspire speed! 🙂

Looking For More Theory Fun?

If, like us, you believe theory doesn’t have be dull and boring then you’ll definitely want to check out our book Pssst… Your Piano Teacher Thinks This Is Theory. It’s full of 88 theory activities that are absolutely, positively, most definitely… NOT BORING.