There is a small basket beside my piano that is full of what I call “Piano Teaching Gadgets”. These are objects or tools that I can grab whenever a “teachable moment” occurs.
Having just the right prop at just the right time can make for an invaluable learning experience. I don’t want to waste “on the spot” opportunities for learning by scrambling to find the perfect teaching aid.
New teaching gadgets have come and gone from my studio… I’ve tested and used many different things, but there are seven that haven’t changed for sixteen years. I’m so excited to hear about your own Piano Teaching Gadgets, but first I thought I’d give you a sneak peek into my gadget basket!
The 7 “Piano Teaching Gadgets” I Can’t Live Without
- Rubber rats and microcars: Originally a Halloween-themed activity, my students fell in love with my rubber rats and won’t let me put them away! I use these small manipulatives for on-the-bench games where students find requested notes, indicate accidentals used within a key, outline chords or intervals etc. Anytime I can see that something kinaesthetic would reinforce a concept… out come the rats for a quick “stay on the bench” game-based moment. For rodent-averse students I also have a collection of microcars that serve the same purpose.
- Small stickers – These get so much use that I purchase rolls of small stickers by the wheelbarrow load. Small stickers are fabulous tools for on-the-music visuals. You can use them to indicate patterns, for calling attention to something that needs to be remembered, for identifying matching intervals… everything! I also use them to mark small sections for drill (“Can you play me the giraffe section?” is much more enjoyable-sounding than “measure 5”).
- Play Dough – I always have a small container of play dough and a plastic mat beside my piano. With these two things, my bench immediately becomes a hands-on learning space to reinforce technical skills such as legato and staccato. I also use play dough to quickly and simply teach theory concepts such as division of rhythm, whole tones and half tones and more. It’s amazing what you can do with a small ball of dough!
- Large Dice – I have a large foam die that has been beside me for years. I use it to make repetition and drill more enjoyable, to play games where a random measure is chosen, to play games that reinforce finger numbers, intervals.. you name it! With some very simple rules you can turn any part of a piano lesson into a game with just one die. It’s large and foam as I quickly learned that hard and small dice become a management nightmare 😉
- Plastic Finger Rings – These are a fun way to help students remember the starting finger, an often-forgotten accidental, which finger to “tuck under” during a scale etc. It’s a student-saver when something isn’t “clicking” and needs an immediate fix. For my students who aren’t into rings, I’ve also recently added finger lasers to my gadget basket. Find them at any dollar store.
- Small Staff Cards – I print out a whack of these at the start of the year, cut them into small cards and then have them beside me at all times. I use them to reiterate something in my students’ music, to write a reminder, or to have them draw a note or measure. These small cards are easily pinned to the top of a page to ensure that my helpful note is front-and-centre during home practice time. Here’s the printable file for the ones I use.
- A Kazoo – A wacky tool yes, but I love it! I hand over a kazoo to my student who then kazooez (is that a word?!) either the treble or bass clef line. This helps with right hand/left hand balance, memorizing a melody line, bringing a kinaesthetic side to learning steps and skips, and encouraging an even tempo! Once you get over the giggles it really works! (To prevent having to sterilize them, my students get to keep their own kazoos.)
What “Gadgets” Are Beside Your Piano?
We want to know… what “piano teaching assistants” can you not live without? What small, yet handy tools are in constant use in your studio? Share in the comments below!
Pssst! If you liked this post… you’ll love these!:
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Connie says
Great idea and quicker than getting my games out!
Denise Thompson says
A hand sized foam ladybug that I use to show hand position, Japanese puzzle erasers that I use to identify notes, chords, scales, accidentals, etc. and a small white board that we draw notes or anything else we think of.
Maria peterson says
I have the lady bug and Japanese erasers also! My students love them. I recently added the little post its that are great for hiding a measure and my absolute favorite are the erasable highlighters! My students books are so colorful – it is hard to miss anything. And once a concept is learned, we erase anything that we might not want a festival judge to see 🙂
I also love these because they erase more completely than colored pencils do and they don’t leave the little eraser shavings that fall onto the keys and make a mess!
Janet says
Same here! I love the ladybugs-each of my students has one and they do ladybug squeezes daily for strength. Japanese erasers for note/key/accidental identification and erasable highlighters are a must. I also use Washi tape to mark the measures where they need to work a little more. Unsharpened pencils-the eraser ends are useful to play a passage when the fingers just won’t cooperate-it works every time! I also have a “word wall” where students make cards for musical elements and their definitions. They love to see what the others have put up.
Sherry says
Beside my piano I have a bag of candy, popsicle sticks, Smartie Notes and dice. The Smartie Notes are 22 red circle note cards on a ring – once they can name all the notes in under 60 seconds, they get their name on the Smartie Club poster on the wall and they get a large pack of Smarties. The popsicle sticks I use for technical requirements. Each student gets a baggy and I add sticks to their baggy. I write on the stick “D+ scale, 2 octaves hands together” etc. They get a die in their baggy. At home they roll the die every day and pick that many sticks out of the baggy. The candy is for a quick reward!
Jean says
Love these ideas. Where did you get the Smartie Notes? Thank you.
Andrea says
The popsicle stick idea is brilliant Sherry! Love it – thanks for sharing 🙂
Karen says
Loved these ideas. Thanks so much!
Andrea says
Isn’t it fun to peek inside other studios Karen?! 🙂
Janice says
I use the E-Z Notes magnetic staff board with red. black, and blue notes that can easily be moved over the board to drill on names of lines and spaces, inversions, ear-training, note direction, steps and skips, making words with notes, key signatures, and so much more. This is by Lucy Chu. Students benefit from and enjoy moving the notes over the staff.
Andrea says
I have one that’s very similar Janice – and yes, it’s super helpful to have moveable a moveable note rather than a static one. Thanks for commenting!
Johanna says
I have a lot of things by my piano but one addition that is going over awesomely is the “that was easy button.” After the student plays the correct passage. They hit the button! They love it!
Andrea says
Love that – great positive reinforcement opportunity!
Laurie says
I also use a “That was easy” button from Staples. Kids LOVE pushing that button, but they have to earn it by playing a small section slowly and carefully enough to get it with no mistakes.
Tanya says
HAHA! I have one, too. It’s fun to use. I also have one that says, “I am surrounded by idiots”. LOL I’ve used that one a few times too. All in fun!
Kristen says
Your piano lessons sound like so much fun! I’d love to know more about what you do with the rubber rats.
I have a Barrel of Monkeys game on a shelf near my piano. I hang the monkeys to count repetitions, and I make them talk to the kids (requests, encouragement, etc). I also have some smooth shiny glass pebbles from a craft store. I use them for note-naming games on a paper staff, and also for counting repetitions.
Andrea says
Hi Kristen – I had a video of the rubber rats at one point – I’ll see if I can find it 🙂 The Barrel of Monkeys is a great idea! I think I might use that one too!
Andrea says
Here’s the link to the “rubber rat” video Kristen! She was a beginning student who was just learning note reading and keyboard awareness… but it gives you an idea of how they make “boring” drill fun 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/teachpianotoday/videos/vb.179677702078793/772895492757008/?type=3&theater
Jean says
Stickers: (to add to pages completed), candy & non-candy prizes (for attendance and listening & dancing between lessons) + (large “high five” stickers purchased at Oriental Trading, given for exceptional work), colored highlighters, tabs to mark assigned pages, laser pointer to show rhythm, megaphone (to grab attention of student and teach forte).
This year I am trying MANY of the ideas presented here and using the magnetic board with a staff and magnetic notes.
Andrea says
Hi Jean – I had to laugh at the megaphone to grab a student’s attention – hilarious 😉
Patti says
In addition to some of the other things mentioned, I use rubber stamps and ink to pass off a song, piano bucks to earn and post it notes to teach chunking.
Marylee says
I have 2 ladybug shaped castanets (one blue and one red) that I use for having students tap out rhythms in both clefts simultaneously. They make such a neat sound and the kids like to to that much more than tapping out rhythms on their laps. I bought them in a toy shop while on vacation.
Andrea says
That’s so fun Marylee – much more interesting than clapping! I’ll be on the lookout for those. Hmm… must go on vacation…
Donna says
Hello, Can you go more into depth about the playdough? I’d love to know how you use it to teach those things! Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
Andrea says
Hi Donna! Yes! We have two blog posts about it. Here you are:
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/09/15/5-days-of-piano-teaching-fun-using-play-dough/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/06/21/piano-technique-bootcamp-you-call-that-legato-lieutenant/
Lori says
Hi,
I too would love to have some more information about the playdough. My thoughts were immediately drawn to a couple of my hands on learners who would love this so much but I would be fascinated to hear about the legato staccato touch connection.
Christina says
In addition to many of the items mentioned, I also use glass gems and also assortment of small erasers (for building scales and also for games) pretty much every day, especially with early beginner students.
Sandra says
I also have a basket. ….Some things to add to the list — I always have scissors, glue stick, and black pen to change the title of a piece (those banners have proved very successful!) ….and white-out for all sorts of reasons. Also cellotape and reinforcement rings for music repairs! Coloured pencils, post-it notes of every size and colour, and my whiteboard & magnets. Oh …and plastic clothes pins to hold pages back! Larger items are on a shelf next to the piano.
Andrea says
Great assortment Sandra!
For those reading, the “Title Changing Banners” can be found here: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2014/08/25/why-trevor-thinks-we-mis-named-our-dog-and-what-it-means-for-your-piano-teaching/
Mary says
I have a fairly new student who is major ADHD-each lesson is a challenge to try to keep him focused. At the beginning, he noticed my bowl of wrapped candy on the piano and wondered what it was for. I told him students take a piece after their lesson. Growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of attention, I started letting him have a very small Tootsie Pop to eat after a completed task. These suckers have all but been ignored by everyone else because they are too small (I had 300 of them in a bag). He lays them out along with some Laffy Taffy as his reward when he is done. I think a lot of it may have to do with him being hungry too, but the sucking on the candy helps with his concentration, as I understand chewing gum does as well with ADHD students.
Andrea says
I have heard that about chewing gum and fidgety students too Mary – and the best part I suppose is that his sugar high hits after his piano lesson is over 😉
Nathalie says
As a piano teacher with an ASD and ADHD child, I can definitely recommend thinking about the child’s sensory and arousal state. Short bursts of kinaesthetic or physical activity, followed by a period of concentration can help. Sensory tricks include Chew necklaces, gum, a drink with a straw or sports cap – sucking and chewing will help to calm and regulate the central nervous system. De-clutter the piano because visual distraction can literally switch their ears off! Routine can really help many kids with both conditions – it’s tempting to raise your energy levels and keep the novelty factor high, as if to match theirs… But try the opposite; e.g. a calm approach with the same over-arching lesson structure each week. I’ll stop preaching now! I’m loving the basket ideas – so many of them would appeal to a pupil with special needs; sensory, tactile, visual, etc!
Andrea says
Wonderful points Natalie – thank you for sharing 🙂
Antoinette Franke says
I keep four quarters near by. I tell my students that a 25 cent coin is like a quarter note. It takes four to make a dollar as it takes four quarter notes to make a whole note. two quarters is a half note. This helps young students get the idea of quarter since they have not learned fractions in school yet.
Andrea says
Great visual Antoinette!
Heidi N says
My most often used items (besides games) include
post-it transparent colored flags for marking trouble spots in the music
erasable colored pencils for having the student identify form, repeating patterns, analysis
dry erase markers/ staff board for games and instruction
Andrea says
Oh I love those transparent post-its too Heidi!
Stephanie says
I have a metal cookie sheet. I drew a treble staff on one side, & a bass staff on the other. I bought small, multi-colored circle magnets, & they can be used as the notes on the staff. All of the supplies were purchased at a Dollar Store for under $5, & it has served me well for over 10 years!
Andrea says
Great DIY magnetic staff Stephanie!
Elaine Bovender says
I have my gorilla (Mr. Molto) and my octopus (Otavia) that I use to aid in technique. I also keep stickers handy, my white board, dry erase markers and eraser, post-it notes, and a plastic tub full of rhythm instruments.
Andrea says
Would love to hear how Mr. MOlto and Otavia help with technique – that sounds fabulous Elaine!
Milla says
Bowl of rice to pick and pour back to feel relaxation of hand & fingers.
Andrea says
That’s a new one I haven’t heard of Milla – but I can see how lovely and relaxing that would be!
Charlotte Hughes says
This is great! I love hearing about other teachers’ studios. 🙂 As for mine, I have a shelf right beside the piano that has some books, writing utensils, copies of books I use almost every lesson (i.e. Hanon, etc.), and my daily “go-to gadgets”:
A set of two wooden rhythm sticks…
– For students to use when tapping rhythms before we begin playing a piece (more fun than just clapping)
– Or for me to use as a base tempo for students to follow if a metronome is becoming too frustrating in the moment.
“Jumbo Flashcards” from Joy Morin’s website (http://colorinmypiano.com/2013/05/21/jumbo-note-naming-flashcards/)…
– Pull out the main notes a student is working on and do a quick drill.
– Sometimes I’ll lay a bunch on the floor before a student arrives as a quick game to begin our lesson — or part way through the lesson — they name the note, and then run over to the piano to find and play it!
Stickers…
– Mainly for marking patterns, repeated notes, ascending/descending sections, etc.
– And always a sticker for every perfect page of homework!
Buttons & a Die…
– Students roll the die to get a number (= interval), and then place a button on the key for that interval’s distance, either higher or lower.
– We also use buttons for making patterns, etc.
– And we use the die for the same things you mentioned!
…and Sticky Notes & Pencils!
Andrea says
Lovely list Charlotte! Thanks so much for taking the time to share!
Mary Beth says
Snap type clothes pins to use as finger strengthening tools. Place thumb on bottom of “tail” and each finger in turn on top. Steady the “mouth” with other hand so that the clothes pin doesn’t flip back (ouch). Increase repetitions and distance that the tail moves.
Andrea says
Great one Mary – I love clothespins for so many reasons (this being one of them!)
Loni Spendlove says
My gadgets are Legos, a rubber stamp and ink pad, pennies for a penny staff, post-it notes and breath mints!
Andrea says
LOL – love the last one. I certainly felt the need for some sort of freshening device after my teen student arrived for her lesson after 1.5 hours of kickboxing last night!
Heather says
I, too, use Legos to teach the word: legato. The word itself kind of sounds like “legato,” and when you put two Legos together, they are “smooth and connected,” just liked the definition of legato.
Beth Yantz says
We’re surrounded by Genuises! I love the interactive blog concept. Thanks for keeping us all creative and new as we work with students, young and old. I bet the “adult” beginning students would appreciate the clothes pin finger exercises as much as the young ones, and the novel use might even bring back some memories (they do for me, at least)! I need a basket that is way too big if I use all these excellent ideas. I noted no one mentioned “technology” tools. I love ’em, but there is NO substitute for the “low tech” tools. Love it all. You all are fabulous!
Andrea says
We ARE surrounded by geniuses aren’t we Beth!? 🙂 I too appreciate the low tech aspect of all of this. I think kids get enough of that… sometimes a simple teaching prop like a clothespin can be as stimulating and memorable to them (if not more) than any iPad app could ever be!
Sharon Maynard says
I have used clothes pins and play dough for strengthening the fingers.
I also use an 8.5 X 11 dry erase board with a staff on it for quick explanations and drills. Its a great way to teach kids to draw treble and bass clef signs.
A trick I learned from a friend is to string large beads on about 2 feet of 1/4 in. elastic. It makes a great visual tool for showing a ritardando. They can see that the beats gradually move farther apart as it is stretched. I have the student stretch it while I play the ritardando. Then we trade places. I stretch while they play.
Andrea says
Oooh… the ritardando visual is a beautiful one! Thanks for sharing Sharon!
Eleanor Baldwin says
With shy little ones I get out my stuffed animals and let them sit on the piano near their music. I also tell the parents to put an animal or two on the piano so the kids won’t feel lonely when they practice.
Andrea says
Great idea Eleanor (and so good to hear from you!) I too have a “Beethoven Bear” that is there and ready for anyone who is feeling blue or having trouble saying goodbye to Mom for the first few lessons. You can’t replace the comfort that a stuffy provides!
Zelna van Zyl says
I have a wooden box on my piano which contains the following.
1.My metronome.
2. A Stress ball. To avoid fiddling around or plonking on the keys while I am talking.
3. Micro small rubber animals called “stickies” to stick on the keys reinforcing note names and forming scales
4 Two dice for different games.(Which I’ve learnt from you mostly.
5. Plastick rings for helping out with finger numbers.
6. Tissues for running noses.
7Flash cards.
Teresa says
I have “Freddy Frog” who sits on the piano and checks for rounded fingers and sometimes brushes them as a reminder. A magnifying glass is available to find the music clues before beginning to play. A plastic caterpillar reminds students of connected legato playing.
kathjane says
I have a bunch of little mice (cat toys from the dollar store) which I use like your rats, but they are a bit smaller and fit nicely under a child’s hand to get the perfect curved shape. We talk a lot about not squishing the mouse while playing or not lifting the fingers up and letting it escape! I also love the mini erasers that can be bought in packs of 100 or more at the dollar store. So perfect for marking notes, playing games and I also find them good for placing on the back of students hands while playing. If they roll the hand to play finger 5 or drop the wrists, they fall off, but they’re not so slippery that they fall off with normal movement in playing. And they’re so cheap that you can send them home with the kids. My students LOVE it when they get a new eraser to take home. My other standards have all been covered here I think: flashcards, dice, transparent post its. I love the ring idea. I’m going to raid my daughter’s trinket boxes for a few right now!
Karen Magruder, NCTM says
I’ve been teaching for years and read up on other teachers ideas frequently, so I can’t really claim all my ideas as my own.. I really love so many of the ideas you all have! I’m definitely going to try the mouse idea under the hand right away!
I have a number of things on or near the piano that I use constantly. My colored pens. Each week I use a different color to write down the students assignments and to mark finished songs. Originally, I was just trying to make things more cheerful, but I later realized that it was also a sneaky trick to help keep track of when things were done. A difficult song that takes 2 or more weeks ends up being very colorful! I do switch to regular pencils when the music gets advanced so that we can erase them. I have 2 metronomes – 1 digital and 1 mechanical. A mug of pencils, sharpened, for marking things and correcting theory, a little carved wooden bowl with large erasers (I’ve switched to the white erasers, so much less mess!), and a mug of pencils unsharpened for various exercises like playing keys, keeping rhythms and so on. A basket of heavy duty cardboard circles divided into fractions for illustrating rhythms and figuring theory out, mostly the younger kids who have not done fractions yet, we lay them out so that a 1/4 circle equals a quarter note and the can tactically touch, kinetically move and physically see what equals what and how many beats are really in each measure. Frequently, for use with their theory at home I will have the parents raid the recycling bins for cracker and cereal boxes and tell them to use salad plates as a template to make their own. The salad plates are important because frequently they will end up making very small circles that the smaller ones have trouble manipulating well and the cardboard because it’s easier to pick up and lasts longer. Mine have magnets on the back that we can put in a cookie sheet and write out patterns. I also use the cookie sheet to put rice mixed with a little flour in (the flour reduces the number of grains that jump out of the pan) and the little ones “write” music symbols in it. I have a basket of the stuffed characters from the little Mozarts series that I call music friends and use them with the little ones.
2 large canvas bags of crayons, 1 bag has large crayons and the other regular sized for doing homework. A pair of bongos – for tapping songs out – the kids love to use them and sometimes I have the family get a set for home. If you want to do this, I’d recommend the REMO kids line. They are very colorful and sound good, but are super tough and Washable! REMO usually has their drums on sale in the month before Xmas. I also often use the tom tom as well for tapping single lines of music. I have a globe that we use to see where the composers live, quite a few games as well as dice. I purchased a set of 3 musical dice – each is a different level of difficulty – they have different notes on the sides that the student adds up to see what moves they will make in the games and for the number of repetitions for a trouble spot. They get really good with the notes. A piece of string about 4 feet long and cotton balls. We arrange the string from left to right in a shape that moves up and down. Then we follow the string with our fingers and sing, going up when t he string goes up and down when the string goes down. They length lets us get some variety. It works so well to help the students recognize the notes moving up and down the staff and moving left to right, plus they have a real blast “writing” music to sing, it can get very funny. The cotton balls are for the same thing but staccato, plus it really helps them to see the different between smooth and separated. I also have shorter lengths of string to intersperse with the cotton balls. This way we do the concepts with the whole body rather than small motor muscles in the fingers – very successful. Currently, I also have my great grandmothers antique, Singer sewing machine in there, but it will have another home in the house soon. I’ve had some trouble with the eraserable part of colored markers and pencils, so when I heard about the removable colored tape I promptly got some and it works great! A small stress ball for strengthening hands and fingers that are weak – I especially use it if the student is double jointed and if they need it, they get a pair for at home. chalk boards, a small white board with note magnets, and some time back I picked up magnetic accidentals. I had a lot of whiteboards, but found the ink fumes gave me headaches. I love my Dominotes set that an adult student gave me for Xmas one year, a poster of Uncle Sam pointing and saying “I want you to practice every day!”, also from a student, lots of games and different flashcard sets, my favorite is probably Musopoly because it is so versatile, an old computer that we do musical games on – the 3 favorites are Music Ace I & II, Jumpstart to Music, and Sesame Street Music. a pedal extender, cushions I can tie onto the bench and stools in a couple of different heights. a digital keyboard on the dining room table, for playing around with and recording, a basket of small and simple percussive instruments, 3 glockenspiels, 2 soprano and 1 alto, and a Xylophone and a Metallophone in tenor. I keep a soprano recorder and yes I like the use of kazoos, an autoharp, a zither, and a Music Maker (terrific little instrument! It’s quiet, but very pretty to hear, quite sturdy – though we don’ts use picks as they always fall in- and has inseratable sheets of music that I call Instaplay music, the various note values move up and down, left to right, each under the correct string, connected by a line that the player follows. It really does help with the various concepts of reading and hearing music as it’s so clear.
I use the instruments to practice rhythms, exploration, improvisation, ear training and just a fun and different approach to learning their new music, especially for little ones. Finally I have a huge collection of recording and a real library of music on and about most aspects of music, instruments and composers, ranging from serious tomes to books for small children about people and animals having fun with music.
One thing I started doing years ago is Music Lab. It’s pretty much independent study, before or after their lessons, depending on how it fits with the students around them for 10 – 20 minutes and is included in the lesson price. I really try to aim for a well rounded holistic approach, that has injury prevention, theory, music history, improv, composition, ear training, assigned weekly listening to a wide variety of music from different times and places, after all music comes in through the ears first! and on the computer games, exploring other instruments, simple one person games and reading from the music library about many different things pertinent to knowing, loving and understanding music. Oh, also I quit 30 minute lessons years ago, the minimum is 45 minutes and I see to it that they get their monies worth. The lessons are much more relaxed and we have time to develop a whole, well rounded musician. It will never be perfect, but I do try!
Andrea says
So many great tips and ideas! Thank you for sharing!