My daughter’s preschool teachers saved my piano teaching sanity. How? By reminding me of imaginative play.
As I have young children, I routinely engage in imaginative play… but I had never considered using it in my piano studio until after watching my daughter’s preschool teachers in action.
They are absolute masters at getting into character and building an imaginative world around a theme, such as space, and inviting their students into that world… they learn about numbers, letters, manners, and more, all the while exploring “space”.
When I stayed to help out at Halle’s preschool one morning and saw the power that “learning through imaginative play” had over even the most challenging students in her class I knew I had to give it a go in my studio.
Curing A Cranky Kid With A Construction Zone
My first attempt at an all-encompassing lesson of imaginative play was with a particularly grumpy little boy… who happened to have a passion for diggers and dump trucks.
Playing to his passion, when he arrived for this next lesson, I welcomed my little piano student with a pseudo-AFV radio call…
“Dispatch, I see a truck approaching, he’s dumping his piano bag at the door. He’s ready to begin loading. 10-4.”
He was surprised and absolutely delighted.
We then spent the next half hour, not in a piano lesson, but at a construction site. Falling wrists were picked up by “cranes”, boulders (small pebbles) were placed on the keyboard for note-naming practice, construction-themed stickers were used above difficult sections of his music (with cute little speech bubble reminders), and detached playing vs. legato was compared by visualizing jackhammers and steam rollers.
Throughout the lesson, I was the dispatch and he was the truck driver. We gave commands to each other through a closed fist to simulate the sound of a radio. It was an absolute hoot, and not a moment’s time was wasted on managing challenging behaviors.
Why Imaginative Play Works and When To Use It
The value of imaginative play is well-documented in early childhood education circles. An article in Psychology Today on imaginative play states:
An important benefit of early pretend play may be its enhancement of the child’s capacity for cognitive flexibility and, ultimately, creativity (Russ, 2004; Singer & Singer, 2005). [And] a school atmosphere in which pretend games are encouraged, or even just tolerated in the curriculum or recess play of children has also been shown to lead to even greater amounts of imaginativeness and enhanced curiosity, and to learning skills in preschoolers or early school-agers (Ashiabi , 2007; Singer and Lythcott 2004).
Children learn so much when they are fully engaged in an imaginary world – and if it enhances cognitive flexibility and creativity, why wouldn’t we capitalize on this when we are teaching piano lessons?!
Since introducing imaginative play into my own studio I’ve discovered that students are not only more engaged but are also more comforted in being involved in a “pretend world”. They feel safe to experiment and take risks, they will ask questions more frequently (“in character”) and they will often take more ownership over their own learning by requesting repetition of certain activities, working ahead, or attempting new challenges.
So should every lesson be imaginative?
Not necessarily. A good balance between imagination and reality is important. Some weeks you just simply need to have a regular ol’ piano lesson. But some weeks a bit of imagination is exactly what’s needed.
The point is to include some imaginative play; to observe the results and then to make it work for you and for your students.
Where To Begin With Imaginative Play
If you’re not entirely comfortable boarding the improv train and putting on a play for every piano student, you may want to start with our imaginative resources through The Very Useful Piano Library! With story-based lyrics and illustrations and captivating themes, you’ll be able to build out a lesson that’s filled with creativity.
Amy Comparetto says
I’m starting to expand into the preschool-age teaching world, and this post came at the perfect time for me. Thanks for the great idea!
Andrea says
Hi Amy! Yes – often lesson time with preschoolers is spent “in character” and it’s really an effective way of maintaining their focus 🙂
Leia says
Wonderful thoughts, Andrea!
Melissa McMahan says
I’ve also found that your Dr. Dynamico printable works great for imaginative play! I have one student in particular who has a catalogue of a dozen villains. We’ve written whole stories about Dr. Dynamico (who always seems to magically appear on the piano bench in my student’s place…hmmmm…secret identity?) defeating them.
Andrea says
That’s so great to hear Melissa! If anyone is wondering what she’s referring to it’s here: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2015/09/15/a-superhero-piano-printable-to-solve-technique-troubles/
LadyD says
Great tips with creative play! I am a huge fan of providing a bridge (teacher/student moment) for engaging students relationally. Wonderful post, thanks!
Maru says
Love this concept! I do have one of these students but she is a little girl. Would love a little game to use with her with pictures to help her along. I have tried several of your techniques, they work great!
Kelly Koch says
AGAIN, you seem to know what I need. My last student of the day on my longest day is a little 5 year old who bends her back off the bench and says “I’m BORRRRRED” for much of the lesson. I’ve tried everything…but now, I’m going to try this. I asked her mom today what she’s really into…dancing, Disney music and silly songs. Next Wednesday at 6 is going to be a whole new VIBE!!
Cassie S says
Brilliant! I admit, I’ve used techniques like this in homeschooling lessons and daycare situations for years, but I never thought about employing them in piano lessons before (maybe because my own childhood lessons were terribly dry and formal). I have a little wunderkeys student who is going to have a surprise next week!
Ruth Kyle says
While I ask all of my students to tell me the “story” they are conveying with their music, I have one young lady who is extremely verbal and active who actually brings me written stories complete with illustrations about her pieces (almost ALL of her pieces). This helps us use lesson time constructively because she can read me her latest story all at once without trying to tell it to me in bits and pieces during the entire lesson. I then use her story as a roadmap while she plays – “did you really make the dragon roar forte here?” “Those people on the beach seem to have all fallen asleep, yet you told me the mf part was them discussing whether to go in the water or not – what needs to change?” When she makes her correction comments on her music, she draws characters with speech bubbles saying silly things to help her remember the correction when she goes home. She’s happy, I’m happy (worn out- but happy!) and we are more productive.
Jan says
Love this post! The key to a child’s heart is frequently imaginative play and they love being “the director.”