Trevor and I absolutely loved seeing the videos of your students playing their compositions that resulted from our Halloween Improv Activity in October. It was wonderful to see so many piano teachers adding improv activities to their piano lessons; giving their students the confidence to find freedom on the keys!
But… now it’s on to a new season, and those Halloween improv cards have likely been packed away. This means your improv-loving kiddos need a new theme!
A “Santa’s Workshop” Improv For Young Piano Students
Now that your piano students have mastered the Halloween Improv Cards, today we’re sending a Christmas version your way with a new “Santa’s Workshop” accompaniment that will help you and your students immediately create a fun improv duet for the holiday season.
Your kiddos get to experiment with simple melodies and rhythms in the Key of C Major while you provide a cheerful accompaniment (a suggested chord pattern is below).
Here’s how it all works:
Step 1
Download and print and the Santa’s Workshop Improv Cards found here.
Step 2
Practice saying, clapping and tapping the matching rhythms and words with your piano students. Ask them to choose their two favorite cards and set them aside. There is one blank card for those students who want to create their own rhythm.
Step 3
In the key of C Major, ask your students to come up with a melody to match the rhythms on the cards using only their 1, 2 and 5 fingers on C, D and G (using any combination of these three keys).
Step 4
Ask your students to select two of their favorite cards and set them on the piano.
Step 5
Play this teacher accompaniment and repeat as many times as necessary:
Step 6
With their hands in C position, and using only C, D and G, have your students find melodies to match the two chosen rhythm cards, and have them play these on top of your accompaniment. They’ll be using “made-up melodies” – any combination of C,D, and G on top of your teacher accompaniment.
Step 7
Choose new cards and try it again! You can either add more cards to the two your students have already used, or you can select two brand new ones. Encourage your students to embelish their simple melodies and experiment with adding their own rhythms.
Holiday Activities Continue the Learning
We love sharing themed activities on the blog. We know that a little something different can really spark the excitement of a piano student! If you’re looking to add more holiday activities to your teaching, check out these:
A “Save Santa” Composing Activity
God Rest Ye Merry Hummingbirds – Have Fun Composing With Christmas Tunes
Kick Off The Holiday Season With This Christmas Tune for Teens
