A 30-minute piano lesson can feel as though someone pressed fast-foward on your clock. Exam prep, recital prep, method book work, technical work, composing, piano games…
… and often it’s piano games that get left behind.
But wait! What if we told you that using piano games in your lessons will actually *save* you time?! How?
When children learn new concepts or review past concepts within the context of a game, they are fully engaged in the process. No time is spent re-directing, re-motivating or re-focusing… you have an eager learner beside you ready to soak it all in! Plus… your piano student will retain information more easily when it is presented in a game-based context because he is completely engaged in the process: he wants to win the game!
Keep reading to find out how you can easily incorporate piano games into your lessons… even when time is tight.
Make Time For Games With These 5 Strategies
So… there it is… the one hurdle to including game-based learning regularly is TIME. Fortunately, you can use a couple of simple strategies to crush that hurdle, and pave the way to studio success…
1. Easy Peasy Method Book Notes
I believe so strongly in using game-based learning, that before I send a student home with a new method book, I first add some of my own notes to the header of each piano piece in the book.
In the header (in a discrete area and in a tidy way) I write down the names of one or two piano games that reinforce the concepts being learned in the piano piece. Along with the title of the game, I also note the bin number where it is stored for quick reference (more on that later).
By doing this in advance, I eliminate any time spent deciding which is the correct game to use and then searching through my storage bins to find it. And because the information is directly written on the piano piece that is already open on the piano, it also eliminates the time I might spend opening my teaching binder and referencing a spreadsheet… every second counts!
This strategy requires a bit of prep work, but if you only use two or three method books, you quickly remember which piano games go with which pieces and making the notes before sending the method book home is easy-peasy.
2. Piano Game Days
The first time you play a piano game, you are bound to spend more than 5 minutes learning how the game is played. But once your kids know the rules, playing that game in future lessons takes a fraction of the time.
Because of this, you might want to consider hosting a Piano Game Day one weekend every month or two. During this day, you can teach your piano students how to play all of the fun new games you have.
Then, when your students come for their regular individual lessons, they are ready to roll and no time is wasted learning the games.
Piano Game Days are also a brilliant way to add to your teaching income and to help your piano students meet other music-minded friends, hereby building a sense of community.
3. Game Storage
You’re probably also wondering how to store your piano games so that you can easily grab exactly what you need… and spare yourself from a chaotic studio where spare dice cause tripping hazards and game boards and cards spill from every shelf.
So, I’m going to let you in on my game-storage secret!
As you see in the photo – each of my games has its own folder. Here’s how I set up all of my game folders:
1) Purchase “2 pocket” folders (at the Dollar Tree – 2 for $1.25)
2) Tape the (included) game cover page to the front of the folder.
3) Place the game board in the right-hand side pocket
4) Place the game play instructions in the left-hand side pocket
5) Contain all playing cards, die and game markers that are needed for that specific game in a ziploc bag that is then tucked into the left-hand side pocket.
Store your games in an open basket or bin so you can see the title labels easily, and separate your bins according to learning outcome. I have bins labelled as “1: Rhythm”, “2: Note Reading”, and “3: Ear Training” to name a few. Larger game items (chalk, balls, percussion instruments etc.) go in a bin with a lid… learned that lesson the hard way 😉
With this system you can find the exact game that works to reinforce your lesson focus, have everything you need to play immediately at your fingertips (including instructions if needed), and know exactly where to find each game folder.
4. Take-Home Piano Games
Reaping the many necessary benefits of game-based learning does not only need to happen during a piano lesson!
Consider creating Take-Home Game Bags that your students can check out and take home every week. This is a great strategy for reinforcing lesson concepts AND, what I consider to be even more important… getting parents involved in home practice!
If you choose to become a PianoGameClub member you’ll have new games every month to make a program like this a smashing success!
My Final (And Most Important) Strategy… errrr Philosophy
Truth be told I believe there is ALWAYS time for piano games.
I came to realize this when I started to think of them not as games, but as teaching tools. Then, suddenly, game-based learning became much more than a brain-break… it became a philosophy.
And this philosophy is guided by one very simple question:
“Can what I am about to explain be better off learned with a piano game?”
By adopting this philosophy, you’ll discover, as I did, that there is no need to “make time” for piano games. Piano games become a necessary component of any lesson, and a necessary tool that results in better understanding and increased motivation.
Get A FREE Piano Game!
Now for the best part… we have a great soccer-themed piano game to send your way that will improve bass clef note reading! All you have to do is share with us in the comments below one little time-saving tip that you use to help make the most of your precious piano lesson minutes.
And remember… everyone who leaves a comment will receive the game (Kick Flick) by email 🙂
Today was my long teaching day so I didn’t get to read this until now, hopefully it isn’t too late… 😉 Anyway, I like to store my printable games in accordion files. A big time saver I do as well with my games is make sure the directions are printed right on the back of the game board. That way there is no scrambling trying to find where the directions went.
Not too late Jennifer! It’s taking us all day to enter the email addresses to deliver the game 😉
I’m trying to focus out lessons on learning rather than material covered. I so often feel like the lessons no good if we don’t get to everything I had planned, but like someone commented above, if the student leaves with more knowledge than they had when they came, then it was a success.
I am still learning as I go. I really liked the tip on keeping track of progress in the iPad then marking green-good, yellow-needs more work, or red-bad next to each piano skill. Then you can easily see what your student needs extra help on.
I will allot 5-10 minutes for games to play that’ll reinforce the lesson being taught.. Thank you for helping make our lessons even more interesting….
I love the folder idea for the games.
I like the folder idea for organization. Being organized helps me to include time for games during the lesson. Games not only help teach concepts, they also are a good assessment of what the student actually knows.
I ask my students to play me their piece through as best they can whilst I finish off writing their homework down. Some of the comments above are great though, some very clever time-saving ideas!
Great ideas! I’m preparing a games workshop for a music teachers conference and you’ve given me some more ideas. You’re so inspiring and creative.
If I teach siblings back to back and they are able to play the same games I take few minutes from the end of the lesson of the first child and few minutes from the beginning of the lesson of the second child and we play games all together. It is even more fun!
I do games right away so I don’t forget or run out of time
I try to use some type of game each lesson but I have “game weeks” where each lesson is only games for each of my students. Skittles are always part of the games!
Very helpful post… how to fit everything in and time save is very alive question for me right now as I feel I’m always racing against the clock. Thanks for help and tips. What saves a lot of time is having a storage of 5 drawers A4-ish size right in front of me so I can quickly access whatever I need. Each drawer has a different theme of something filed in it.
I like to write out my assignment sheets before the lesson. I leave space for a few comments to be inserted during the lesson. I can listen more attentively and also appear more “present” rather than always writing.
I Know Which Students Arrive Early Or Get Picked Up Late So I Utilize Those Minutes To Play Games That Reinforce Concepts They’re Learning.
I have found children learn quickly when they are playing games; I use games to reinforce my lessons and techniques
To save time, I always lesson plan ahead of time, but leave room to be flexible. I love the idea of folders to organize games! And Ribbit Rhythms has been a hit with my students so far this week! Thank you!
Something that has helped me save time is to take notes after each lesson, so that I know exactly what we have covered and what we need to accomplish and look forward to next. Then I write which games and activities we can do during our lesson on a wipe off board, which leads to more time saving. Thanks for the great tips and games!
As I write practice instructions in students’ assignment books, I also write notes to myself in a special section, to remind me of specific follow-up tasks. I can do this quickly and don’t have to wait until after lessons end to try to recall ideas and plans. So, at the next lesson, I save time and have a more efficient lesson.
I make sure everything is in place for a lesson, from pencil and erasers, to music, new books….etc…..the time looking for items is wasteful during a lesson….can’t wait to start organizing my games!
I don’t really have any tips—it’s something I struggle with! But I do feel like we fill every minute up. Taking notes on what we cover helps
I made a board game out of a cardboard box, that my students BEG to play! I love using games… but I have a difficult time finding games that keep their interest. I love “Teach Piano Today”, so I’m taking a wild guess that the games you offer are entertaining, and effective 😉 Hope I’m not commenting too late to receive the game!
Games are a valuable teaching tool. My students are learning and having fun! Everyone loves seeing and hearing improvement.
Like many others here, I spend a little time each morning doing lesson prep and getting everything in order. I plan out what I want to do with each student, make a list of any games, print off any worksheets, and get any iPad apps ready to go. But I really want to do a total studio re-organization so I’m loving reading all these tips!
I love the idea of writing the name of the game right in the lesson book! Here’s my little time-saving tip: instead of having the student choose a sticker for each completed piece in the method book, I now have 3 self-inking stamps from which to choose. (I used to use stickers – and some students can take a very long time to choose just the right one!) A limited choice – and a stamper instead of a sticker – is much faster!
I use assignment sheets that I glue into the student’s notebook. I like to have these partially filled in at the beginning of the day. Then I can quickly glue them in as they are getting the rest of their books out of their bag. If they have earned stickers for their chart, they put those on while I check their theory book.
I love games but yes, I struggle with the time factor! Great ideas on how to incorporate them. Thank you!!
Thank you for sharing. It is greatly appreciated.
Overlapping students using 5 minutes of each lesson lets two students play together and gives us more time.
I took a couple of days (weeks?) to make lesson plans for each level of the method books and keep track of where each student is in that road map. That becomes my springboard for each lesson, and I add to it according to the personality of and challenges for each one.
I like to begin and end the lesson with something fun that the student is going to remember. Many times we begin or end with a game, this keeps students engaged and totally saves me refocusing time.
Wow !! Got this message late sooooo many great ideas, thanks for the ideas so often piano teachers feel alone so this blog is wonderful. I think we as teachers being mentally prepared is huge.
Love that overlap idea between two students or siblings! Will try that for sure!
Thank you!!
This summer I bought a small filing cabinet to sit beside the piano with folders for each student, so games, extra music sheets, contest charts, etc. are right at my fingertips, along with the lesson plans in a binder. My students were so excited to see the cabinet and folders with their names on them! I also have their worksheets and iPad assignments ready for them to work on during their lesson lab time, which happens before or after their time with me at the piano.
Thank you so much for all that you do – your games, etc. have been so helpful!
If I do a game, I usually do it at the beginning of the lesson…otherwise I probably won’t get it done. I love doing games, I just don’t always think of it. Thanks for your fabulous help in inspiring me to get the kids more engaged!
I try to write home assignments while student working on a song, this helps me to save couple moments. Planning lesson ahead also, saves me bunch of time.
I have a binder that contains all the material my students will be going through that week. At the top of each lesson plan, I list any supplies or materials I will need for the lesson. This year, I divided my lessons into 4 general activities (technique/sight-reading/composing, song, rhythm/listening/ear training/theory, song). I rotate between activities so it always seems fresh & use a variety of games, apps, off-the-bench activities, or worksheets for each. By changing the flow of the lesson often, the students get a variety of independent & guided activities. While they are playing independently, I write anecdotal notes so I can chose the best review games, etc. for next lesson. Since I travel to my students’ homes, it is more difficult (though not impossible) to change lessons on the fly. Being proactive helps me better guess what will be needed the next week.
I love the folder idea for games, Andrea! While I originally put everything into a drawer system, I find that I can’t easily see what I have & then some games are ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Going to try the baskets & folders to see if this will help.
That is a large struggle for me to fit it all in. However, the kids love playing these games and it kind of gives them motivation. I am loving the concept reinforcement.
I manage my lessons through this website:
http://www.mymusicstaff.com
It’s really helpful with managing payment, invoices, missed lessons, group email, etc. Everything is in one place and it’s “paperless”. I highly recommend it!
Such helpful and inspiring ideas! I HAVE to remember: Less is often more!
I ask all the parents/children to come to class with their music books out of their bag and open at the right page so they can go straight on the piano! This saves 5 mins at the start of the lesson and helps the students to think about their music while they wait outside the door for their class.
I have a student repeat their most accomplished piece just before they leave. They leave feeling good about themselves, plus it inspires and impresses the next student who is waiting. Sort of a mini recital each week!
Great post. I’m a fairly new piano instructor so I’m trying to learn as much as possible. One way I save time (which I’m sure others do), is to prepare each students lesson plan minute-by-minute that way it keeps me on track. I have a tendency to prolong activities so this really helps me out!
Brilliant! I have been struggling with and wondering how others organize games. Right now I have each game in a plastic sleeve, in binders along with worksheets. Bins would be so much easier to access though! And it would eliminate items falling out of the top of the sleeves! Andrea, one question though – do you have a separate bin for each holiday, like Halloween, or are they incorporated into the other sections like Rhythm, Note-Reading, etc. I’ve not been sure how to handle the holiday specific ones. Also, how do you then organize worksheets? I tend to want all the games and worksheets for a specific holiday grouped together… Thank you!
Wow, thank you for giving me ideas to change my current piano game system…writing the game name in their lesson book is genius! Also, right now I am trying to store all game boards in one big exploding binder. I would store seasonal games separately and change them out…but your folder idea is so much better! Thanks so much for all you practical help!
Time management is such a hard thing to become good at as a piano teacher. When lesson planning, I try to have a plan with what material we will cover as well as activities to reinforce, however I am careful to let the student guide in how the lesson progresses. I also try to not get discouraged if I don’t fit everything I wanted to do in one lesson. I do use stickers, so as a time saver in lessons, I try to write assignment comments while the student is selecting a sticker!
Thanks for the Ribbit Game!
If I am teaching young children who tend to go off on a tangent, wasting time, I often write the various tasks for the lesson onto cards which are turned face down on the table. They pick a card, do the activity then pick another. They think it’s fun and everything gets covered that I want!
All of my school aged students are required to do lab before or after their lesson. I save time by preparing the next week’s lab activities the Friday before that week.
I don’t think I have any great tips for trying to save time during lessons but I am sure learning a lot from everyone else’s comments. Looking forward to the new game.
I have tried doing a “game of the week” and adjust for each student’s level. I have it ready to go and set it up as students are trading in and out and that saves time too.
I have pre-printed stickers with common practice tips/ reminders I use frequently. Less writing = more game time.