Note: The printable in the post below is meant to be used with our latest music release, Tinker: An Exploration In Music Creation. If you’re not already a PianoBookClub member you can learn more here, or keep reading to see an awesome preview of this month’s book.
So here’s the thing… normally in the summer months Andrea and I tear ourselves away from the computers each day an hour or two earlier than normal so we can take our girls swimming in the lake, the river, or the ocean.
But for the last few days, smoke from forest fires (don’t worry, the fires are still a long way away!) have almost entirely choked out the sun, leaving us with a sepia-toned world… not conducive to a summertime swim.
So, with my extra time this past week, I created an expansion pack for our newest release from PianoBookClub, Tinker: An Exploration In Music Creation. As if the book wasn’t already jam-packed with goodness… now you’ll have an extra couple of activities at your fingertips!
Before we get to the activities, here’s a brief overview of Tinker (with a preview at the end of this section).
Tinker: An Exploration In Music Creation
As a child, I was always intrigued by the magic of music… a bunch of notes on a page somehow came together to create an exciting tune. But it wasn’t until I started to become interested in music creation that I realized composers have a few little tools at their disposal to help them make magic.
In TINKER we’re using whimsical machines and “fantastical” music to introduce your piano students to the tools, or more specifically the techniques, that composers use to transform simple musical ideas (called motives) into masterpieces. Click on the image below for a preview.
The Tinker Expansion Pack
When you click here to download the expansion pack, you’ll have access to a deck of 24 cards. Print these cards out, laminate them, and use them for the two activities described below:
Activity 1 – Motive’ating Ear Training
1. Before the game begins, the teacher should sit at the piano with the six “Motive” cards removed from the deck. The student should sit on the floor with the remaining playing cards (face up and spread out) and a die.
2. The teacher begins by playing any one of the six motives. The student then rolls a die until it displays either a one, two, or three. If it displays a one, the student must find only one variation of the motive played by the teacher. If the die displays a two, the student must find two of the motive variations. If the die displays a three, the student must find all three motive variations. After each motive has been played by the the teacher once, it is removed from the piano.
3. When all six “Motive” cards have been played by the teacher the game is over.
Activity 2 – Motive Memory
1. Before the game begins, remove all six “Motive” cards from the deck. Place all remaining cards face down on the floor. Without peeking, the teacher and the student begin by each selecting one “Motive” card.
2. The first player begins by flipping over two of the cards that are face down on the floor. The player examines each of these cards to see if it is a variation of the motive she is holding (ie. a motive in a sequence, a motive in retrograde, or a motive in repetition). If the player finds a match (or two), the player keeps the match and flips back over any cards that do not match.
3. The second player repeats Step 2.
4. The first player to find all three variations of her motive wins the game.
Don’t Worry… You Can’t Break A Thing!
I can’t stress enough the importance of teaching piano students beginning composing skills. We designed this month’s PianoBookClub book to encourage young students to have fun exploring the music making process and we hope it leads to a lifetime of music creation!
Hi, Andrea! Thank you for this wonderful resource. I have a copy of The Curious Case of Muttzart and Ratmaninoff, but have been reluctant to use it, possibly a fear of taking that first step into composing. I really want to encourage my students to compose and I’m sure this new resource will help!
I was wondering if you could give us a list of your favourite music notation software. I currently use MuseScore, but have issues with it. I have looked at Finale, but it is expensive. What do you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Denise – just go for it with no fear! 🙂 The Muttzart book really is a step-by-step beginners guide that’s foolproof… you can’t go wrong. TINKER is a fabulous companion book to the Muttzart book as it reinforces those concepts in a different way.
I’m a Sibelius fan personally but that’s uber expensive and not what you’re likely looking for. I know MuseScore recently did a big upgrade that was intended to fix some of the issues users had – have you tried the updated version? Another one to take a look at is Noteflight. This seems to be many people’s answer to the things they don’t like about MuseScore vs. the cost of Finale. It’s free – noteflight.com. One I haven’t checked out but will be experimenting with is ScoreCloud – does anyone out there have experience with that one?
These are great suggestions, Andrea! Thank you! Yes, I’m looking for free or very inexpensive, as these scores will be for my students’ work only, not my own to sell. I will upgrade MuseScore and also look into the other possibilities. I look forward to diving into the Muzzart book this year. I think I’m ready! 🙂
Let me know if you find any other programs that are good Denise – I’m always interested in that.
What a great addition to this month’s book. Thanks so much. (Guess this is the silver lining to those fires, but hope they get taken care of soon!)
I’d be interested in the answer to Denise’s question also.
Hi Barbara – you’re so welcome! We’re glad it will be put to good use. Yes, the fires seem to be getting better – we can see the sky today whereas before it was just grey and ash has stopped falling… very disconcerting!
I answered Denise’s question above if you wanted to take a look. Thanks for commenting 🙂
very” disconcerting”? pun intended?
My brother lives in Vancouver, BC, too. He’s been posting pictures on FB. It does not look like fun! I sure hope the air clears for you soon!
It was really intense for awhile Denise, but it’s all cleared up now. Still a hot, dry summer so I’m sure we’re not out of it completely just yet. But we’re taking advantage of the clear sky while it lasts!
Thanks for the card deck! I frequently do composition in my classes, and the idea of motives and variations is something we talk about a lot. The card game will help reinforce that concept.
Denise and Barbara, I started out using the free version of Finale, called Notepad, then when I needed a few more bells and whistles, upgraded to Songwriter level, which was only $50. It does everything I need to write piano solos with/for my students.
Thanks for your input on notation programs Beth! Happy to hear you do lots of composing and that the card deck will be useful to you 🙂
This looks like a great resource. I’ve found that whenever a student needs more motivation, almost always… composing is the answer. We work on it an embellish it over several weeks so that it becomes something they’re proud to learn to play really well and share. I’m considering doing a recital or masterclass at some point and let the students compose all of the music for it…. Thank you for these additional resources!
This is SO SO true Jan – composing is my “go to” whenever motivation is lagging. Kids love to create something they can be proud of and feel ownership over. We teach reading and writing in school… It should be the same in piano education 🙂 kudos to you for thinking in that direction!
If I sign up now will I be able to get the Tinker issue? I really need help in that area.
Hi Jonella – yes TINKER is July’s book of the month so you will receive it immediately upon sign up 🙂 I know it will give you the tools/confidence to get started with composing!
What level(s) are in the Piano Pack?
Hi Jonella – I’m assuming you are meaning the level of the PianoBookClub book? This particular book, TINKER, is an Elementary level. The expansion pack we’re giving away here is at that same level.
PianoBookClub books vary each month in terms of level/target age/interest and educational concept. Our aim is to help piano teachers build a music library where they have the “perfect” piece for every type of student in their studio.
Hi Andrea & Trevor! I am excited to get back to teaching after my summer break so I can try out Tinker with my students. Thanks so much for the expansion pack!
One quick request/suggestion – when you post printables like this, along with the instructions in a post, I often don’t use the printable straight away. I download it to my computer and when I’m ready to use it, I’m often hunting for the original post to read the directions (especially if it’s a game). I would really appreciate if you could include the directions within the PDF itself; it would save those of us who are less organised a little bit of hunting!
Hope the fires calm down soon so you can go for your swims 🙂
Hi Leia! Hope you enjoyed your summer break 🙂 Including instructions is definitely something we’ll look at doing. In the meantime you can always use the “search bar” to the top right of any blog post page. If you type in a few key terms from the pdf you have then you’ll find the original post. Yes, the smoke has cleared! We went swimming last night 🙂
Thanks Andrea! Glad you were able to go swimming! I still have two more weeks of summer holiday but can I let you in on a secret? I want to end it early and go back because I actually MISS teaching and miss my students!
Well this is awesome Leia! You know you’ve found the right profession when…. 😉
Hi Andrea, I finally got a chance to start using this with some students and they love it! I Thank you so much! In case you hadn’t noticed it yet, I just wanted to mention that there are some typos in the “Gizmo” song in the book . . . the bass line is missing some beats in a few measures. 🙂
I recently joined your PianoBookClub and I really like the looks of “Tinker” and would like to start using now. I see it was July 2015’s release. How can I get this resource now in July 2016?
Hi Connie – as a new member you’ll start receiving a password in your 2nd month of membership (at the bottom of the email that delivers your new book of the month). This gives you access to the “members” page of PianoBookClub.com where we re-release a book from the past each month for the same $8 that you can choose to purchase. TINKER will be a re-release in the future 🙂