Can you believe I had never heard of “score study” until I started my degree at university? Score Study was not part of my lesson experience as a young piano student. When I started a new piano piece I was taught to look at the first few notes (and maybe glance at the key signature!) and start playing.
But once I learned to use score study techniques to analyze a new piece, a world of learning opened up before my eyes. Suddenly, each piece made sense. There were no hidden surprises and memorization became much easier… because I actually understood what it was that I was playing. Too bad I had to wait so long to experience this whole new world! 🙁
When I began teaching piano, I was determined to make score study an integral part of my lessons. As my teaching career has progressed I have approached score study in many different ways and with many different tools. Below I’m sharing a “fancied up” version of the Score Study Printable I am currently using with my piano kids.
Why Use My Score Study Printable?
Bringing relevance to your students’ sheet music should be a top priority. Why? Because if their scores have no real meaning to your piano students…
- You face weeks full of “look at your music, not your hands” struggles
- You take the chance of having your students reinforce habitual mistakes
- Your students may experience slow progress due to an inadequate understanding of certain elements in their scores.
If your students can instead learn to view their sheet music as an assistant to playing well (rather than as a “somewhat helpful but rather confusing tool”) then you’re a giant step ahead!
With a bit of score study you head off problems at the pass and send your students home armed with a real and tangible understanding of their music. You are also giving your students the necessary skills to tackle a brand new piece of music all on their own!
Preparing the Score Study Printable
You can download my Score Study Printable here. Print it double sided. Fold/cut as indicated on the sheet. Glue the back side to a piece of paper in your students’ binders and then assist them in filling in the answers… happily taking this lovely opportunity to really get into some in-context theory instruction!
Here’s a picture of a finished Score Study Printable recently completed by one of my students.
Next Step… Make a Game Of It!
While you’re delving into score study, you’ll also want your students to truly understand the theory concepts behind each element. The monthly games we create for our PianoGameClub members compliment the practice of score study perfectly; providing the hilarious and fun tools to reinforce the concepts students encounter in their piano pieces. Check out PianoGameClub here.
LOVE it–thanks!!
Always wonder how best to start a new piece with students (old or young). Already printed!! 😀
My students are already used to analyzing their music before we talk about what notes their RH or LH will be playing — but this is a great visual! I can think of a couple students who would benefit from this printable. Also a great summer-practice tool! Thank you!
I think it would be great to use the second sheet and cut each section off and have them draw out of a bowl which one to do, if running low on time. I usually try to point at least one of these out for each new piece! Great printable!
Great idea Carly! I like it 🙂
Dear Andrea,
First I thank you for talent, work, effort, and creativity that you put into being a piano teacher. On top of that, you are a teacher of piano teachers!! This is so awesome. I continue to learn from you and this post was no exception. I felt relief as you relayed your learning experience because I was taught the same. I have realized so many times that although I loved my teacher there were many things I now have to teach myself so that I can my students a broader, richer and more creative experience. This Idea is very exciting for me and I look forward to using it immediately! Thank you!
So glad to hear it Natalie! We hope that it’s a valuable activity for your students. My teacher was wonderful as well – she’s the reason I’m doing what I’m doing today, but yes, there is always more to be learned, new approaches and changes to be made… which is what makes teaching so interesting 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
I also loved my teacher and took lessons from 2nd-12th grade with her. Yet I was mostly just playing and memorizing notes rather than understanding the piece I was playing. This is a great idea to help my kids understand in a fun way! Thank you for your continued help to keep piano teaching fun for the student and myself!
I feel so blessed to always receive such neat things from you. This is a wonderful visual for students!
I usually analyze the pieces with my students, but thanks for the printable, it’ll help to keep it organized. Some of my students consistently mess up the fingering, I wonder if there’s the way to address that in the preliminary analysis. Thanks again.
Hi Milla – this could be a part of the “measures that require extra practice” section – your focus for this could instead be “measures that require attention to fingering” – have your students be the ones to look at the score, decide what looks like it needs attention, write the measure numbers down and then spend extra time there. Having them be the ones to study the score and look for this may be just what is needed 🙂
Thank you!
This may be the most incredibly genius thing I’ve ever seen. I want to borrow your brain for a day, just to see what it feels like to swim in the creative current continually! Thank you for sharing so freely. You are truly my heros!
LOL Loni – you are so kind!
Thank you! I wonder if this can be laminated so you can use dry erase markers instead of having to print a new one for every new piece of music.
Hi Karen – you certainly could… you’d not be able to do the “lift the flap” aspect, but you could certainly just print the back page and use it with a dry erase. I prefer to send the entire sheet of paper home with my student – this way it’s right beside them as they practice (and I ask them to look at each section first before starting to work on their piece as a daily reminder). You can print this in black and white at a place like Staples for about 10 cents for a double-sided copy – I’d recommend commercial printing like this as it’s really cost-effective.
This was my exact thought too! Although I do have to say that investing in a Vis A V (overhead projector) pen will work better than dry erase markers. Sometimes the dry erase tend to bead and smear over time, but Vis A V’s have a finer tip and I’ve never had a problem beading. And it just takes a damp paper towel to clean it off and then go over it with a dry paper towel for a super clean finish.
Ohhhhh! This is going to be used over and over. Best resource ever! Thank you!
So glad to hear it Marie! I certainly use it over and over, so I hoped it was useful to others too!
I love this resource. I know what I need/want to teach but can’t always think of a fun way of doing it. This is great – an advent calendar each time a new piece is introduced! Thank you.
You’re welcome Nicky! Hope your students have fun with it!
We analyze first, but am so glad to have this teaching aid. Will be using it from now on. Thanks.
Wonderful Ruth! Hope it’s helpful to have this to go along with your normal routines 🙂
I absolutely love this!!! 😀 Thanks!!
Quick question, do you use this tool always at the lesson so that you can provide guidance and help them fill it out (especially the younger and more beginner students), or do you sometimes send them home with a blank one and ask them to fill it in at home by themselves? Just curious the many ways this can be used, and what ways you have already tried and had success with. Thanks!
Hi Elaine – we fill it out together for the first half of the year, and then once they “get it” 100% I can send it home with the ones who I know can manage it. I like to do it with them as much as I can as it provides SO many “teachable moments” that I like to jump on and take advantage of 🙂
One other quick question, for students still in MFPA series, primer & level 1 of the Piano Adventures, do you just tell them to ignore the parts of this printable that are “above their level,” such as the primary chords? Also relating to key signatures, since level 1 doesn’t go into key signatures until level 2A, do you explain this using other tools/music, or for this purpose would you try to just go over the key of C, with sharps or flats added to diff. measures, and then explain tonic & dominant before the book gets to it? Thank-you for your insight!
Hi Elaine – yes, you can cut the folder into strips and leave out the ones that don’t apply (some of my students have just 3 little flaps taped to the page). It’s meant to be flexible 🙂 I introduce my kids to key signatures before their method book does, so we talk about how the method book pieces are in the Key of C and still discuss Tonic and Dominant etc so I still use that part of the folder.
This printable is really great! I think I will use it to make starting a new piece engaging. However, I must say that the books I use – “Celebrate Piano!” are really great in that the student feels familiar with every piece once they start playing it. Once in a while I’ll mix it up and let them sightread it after we point out a few patterns, but usually before they play a piece, they’ve already analyzed the heck out of it! Much less “stopping and starting” in my lessons, much less discouragement at having “messed up”, and more moments of success. 🙂
Sounds great Nancy! You’re one step ahead already 🙂
Okay, this is probably my favorite printable you guys have EVER released. I have printed out a whole stack of them and plan to get them cut and prepped this weekend for future lessons. Not only is it incredibly useful, it’s super cute and kids will absolutely LOVE opening the “doors.” Lately, I have been trying to help my students analyze their pieces without even realizing that’s what I was doing. This fun little guide will be so helpful and give them something tangible to take home so they’ll remember what we talked about. I’m super excited! Thanks so much for your endless creativity! (Seriously, is there ever an end to it?! Is there anything you CAN’T do?! Ha ha!)
Hi Sarah – so happy to hear you are excited to use it! My kids love the “doors” too – and I love the fact that I feel confident in knowing I am giving them real and tangible tools to decode pieces. The fact that this happens with every new piece makes for so many “teachable moments” that would otherwise have been overlooked. Thanks for commenting!
I loved it but it took up the whole lesson time. How do you have time to do this for every piece? If I have them do it at home, they probably won’t do it. Any ideas?
Hi Linda – it should only take about 6 minutes or so once your student is used to the routine of it – it doesn’t take my students any longer than that. However, even if it did take the entire lesson this time just think of the time it will save in the long run… if your student truly understands the “why” behind their music then there will be less “fixing”, less review, less time spent memorizing (if you require this) and more time spent getting into the musicality of the piece instead. If it takes one full lesson to accomplish these goals than I’d say it’s worth it 🙂
First, thank you Andrea for this worksheet (I only found it today). Secondly, as others have said, I wish I had this kind of teaching growing up. Thirdly, (for Linda), someone’s earlier reply mentioned just choosing one or two sections of the worksheet at a time. I plan on doing one or two at a time at first since this really is a new thing for them as well as for me. That way it won’t take up the whole lesson time. Then, over time, as Andrea said, I bet we’ll get it down to about 6 minutes. 🙂 We just need to get our brains and our students brains to slowly lock in to this process of analyzation. I’m super excited!!!
This is AWEsome! Thank you!
I really like this idea and want to start using it. I not only teach piano, but I also teach violin and was wondering if it’s possible for for me to get a version that makes it possible for me to edit it, by removing all bass clef and only have treble clef to cater to my violinists?
This is so awesome! I’m always trying to figure out the best way to introduce a new piece to students and this will be invaluable. I also appreciate your amazing site with resources that are so helpful to teachers!!❤❤