A good theory teacher knows that students need a variety of activities to hammer home abstract musical concepts. This means that sometimes students need to get off the bench and play theory games, and other times students need to stay on the bench to experience theory concepts in the “natural environment”.
In today’s post, I’m going to share eight tiny tools that make a world of difference when exploring theory in context.
Following a brief introduction to these eight tiny tools, I’ll show you concrete examples of how each one can be used to explore a single concept (in this case, accidentals).
Eight Tiny Tools That Make A Big Difference
In my world, sheet music and method books are a blank canvas ready to accept my “artistic” teaching style. I take every opportunity to draw, mark, cut, paste, and flag my students’ music. It brings the music to life. It makes the music something to explore, not something to be scared of.
And, in order to explore music with my students, I require a bunch of simple, cheap, and effective tools. If you are a fan of teaching theory in context, then give these tiny tools a chance to make a big difference in your teaching.
- Music Staff Stamps: These rubber stamps, available on Amazon, will eliminate those horrible, squiggly staffs that teachers draw on their students’ music (or am I the only one without a steady hand?!). Even if you do have a steady hand, there’s no way you can compete with the speed of the stamp when you need to leave a lasting teaching tool directly on the music.
- Mini Piano Keyboard Labels: You can use my template here that works for Avery 5160 labels. I use mini piano keyboard labels whenever I need to connect concepts on the page with what is found on the keys.
- Highlighters: Taking apart a score to focus on aspects of rhythm, harmony, intervals, and underlying chord structure becomes much easier when you have a simple color code to follow. We wrote a popular post a while back with a score study highlighter printable, that is extremely useful.
- Mini Staff Paper. Sometimes, theory concepts require an explanation that goes beyond what the music offers. Having mini-staff paper means you can quickly reinforce a concept and then tape it to your students’ pages for a lasting reminder during the week.
- Post-it Flags: These little stickers are a fabulous way to group concepts (all measures with a similar rhythm or all IV chords etc.) and can easily be moved by little fingers when needed. Drawing on the post-it flags also allows you to label parts of a score in a non-permanent way.
- Dice: If you can find a large foam die (a large size prevents it from disappearing under the piano) then you and your students can have a great deal of fun integrating gameplay with an actual piece of music. Trying rolling a die to determine which measure of the music to “take apart”, the number of a certain note to seek out, intervals to decode… and more.
- Small Manipulatives: Younger students appreciate a tactile approach to theory. Mini erasers, pompoms, microcars, and buttons all serve as a great way to engage their brains while learning how the theory on their pages relates to what happens on the piano.
- A “Magic Wand” This can be as simple as a colorful pencil or as complex as a fairy wand. Have your students use the wand as a motivating “pointing” tool to answer questions and demonstrate their ability to find theory concepts in their scores.
How I Use All 8 Tiny Tools To Reinforce Accidentals…
Curious how all of these tiny tools fit together? Below is an example of how you can use all 8 tiny tools to explore the concept of F# with a young student encountering accidentals for the first time.
Begin with statements like:
- I’ve just put a staff stamp on the top of your page. Would you like it to be a Bass Clef Stamp or a Treble Clef Stamp? You can draw the clef. Next, draw a whole note F and then show me how you would then make it an F#.
- Here’s a label sticker of a piano keyboard. Color in the F key and then show me with an arrow what a half step higher from F looks like?
- Here is a pink highlighter. Do you remember what the F# looked like when you drew it on the staff stamp? It affects the note that is in the first space on the treble staff and the top line on the treble staff. Let’s find all of the F’s on the treble staff and then make them pink.
- I’ve drawn four F’s on this small staff paper. Show me how you can add a sharp to the spot that would then turn three of the F’s into F sharps.
- Here are two post-it flags. Place them on your music where the “F” remains a natural? Why are these notes (adding a different colored flag) not F sharps?
- Let’s roll the die. The number that lands face-up is the measure number we’re going to examine. How many F sharps are in that measure? Let’s roll the die again. The number that lands face up is the number of F sharps I want you to find and then play on the piano.
- I have 8 pom-poms. I’m going to point to a note on your page… can you put a pom-pom on the corresponding piano key?
- Using the magic wand, can you point to three F sharps that are on the bass staff on your music? Can you point to two F sharps that are on the treble staff?
Elaine says
Excellent post – thank you very much (particularly for the keyboard stickers).
I have a whole farm load of little Japanese animal erasers on the top of my piano – my students put an animal on, for example, all the Cs. Then I might ask “who is going to step up to a C sharp today?” Or, “can the polar bear find any other C sharps on the piano?”
These little animals have proved so popular – they are game markers too, and are very often an audience for very young students!
My other most used tool is my book sized whiteboard – it is a one measure staff with clefs that I printed out and backed on purple card before laminating. I use it with a pot of purple play dough to make note heads and chords, or with ordinary whiteboard pens because…all kids love whiteboards!
Thank you so much for all you do – I always look forward to your next posts!
Andrea says
Hi Elaine – okay, I’m going to stop procrastinating and buy those erasers now 🙂 I love your idea of a white board for play dough – I use play dough all the time, but hadn’t thought to use a white bard with it. Thank you for the great idea!
Colleen says
Yes, I have one whole section of the drawer in the mini filing cabinet next to my grand overflowing with mini animal erasers. Kids love picking the character they want to be, or use. One of the best investments I made. And, yes, kids LOVE whiteboards.
Denise W. says
Thank you for sharing these ideas, Andrea! I love the mini staff paper!
One of my favorite teaching tools is highlighter tape. I do use actual highlighters and colored pencil crayons for finding repeated musical patterns in method books, however, if I want to do this in a book from my personal lending library that will go back on the shelf for others to use, I break out my highlighter tape. It is removable and reusable. I purchased my rolls from Keys to Imagination. My students love it!
Susan says
Wow! This is definitely a keeper. Thanks Andrea:)
Susan
Andrea says
You’re most welcome Susan! Hope it is helpful – in context theory is so, so effective and it can be a really fun way to teach too!
Lindsay says
I have a set of crayons erasable colored pencils that I use to highlight all sorts of things in students’ music, but I especially like to have the students circle dynamic markings with colors that they choose. “Which color will remind you to play loud?” This way they make their own code that speaks to them. The erasers work really well, which is great because mistakes happen all the time, and most options for adding color are permanent on the page. I’m more willing to let young kids add their own markings when there’s not a chance they’ll misdirect themselves with an error. Or just a mess! These pencils erase better than regular pencil. Kids love it.
I use pencil top erasers for game playing pieces and as place markers on certain keys. I have two wooden cubes that I made into dice. One says “1 step” “1 skip” “2 steps” etc, and the other says “UP” on five faces and “DOWN” on the other. We use them in a race to the top of the staff/keyboard game called “Save the Kitty.” I put a little cat toy on the highest key on the piano, or at the top of a staff on a piece of paper. We put the eraser as a marker on a starting note, and they have to see if they can get to the top by the end of their lesson.
Great post!
Lindsay says
Should say “Crayola erasable colored pencils.”
Andrea says
Great idea Lindsay – I’ll have to look for those. Yes, I love the idea you presented too of asking the child to choose what speaks to them in terms of color choice, markings etc. We actually blogged about this (for others who are interested) here: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2016/05/04/hand-over-the-pencil-how-a-piano-student-introduced-me-to-doodle-study/
Robbin says
Pom poms! I knew I bought that bag for something! This is such a good idea. Thank you for helping those of us who believe in case (copy and steal everything). I would never think of these strategies myself, and YOU teach my students all the time.
Andrea says
Steal away! 🙂 Thanks for reading Robbin!
Anita E Kohli says
Love the dice idea! Will try it asap. Have been using the magic wand for years to get students play when they make a fuss and it’s very very effective.
Andrea says
Hi Anita – yes, it’s a really easy way to turn anything into a game. Kids love it and the big foam ones can be found at any dollar store usually.
Melinda says
I like the crayola erasable colored pencil idea! I’ve been using post it flags where the sticky part doesn’t have color and the colored top is translucent to mark all the notes affected by a key signature. I have no problem with younger students using highlighters, but the older ones who *should* know that information I like to use something that can be reversed! I think I’m going to have to invest in that staff stamp for speed. And start using your keyboard template! That’s much faster that drawing a piano keyboard all the time…. And I use that for my flute students as well- the keyboard is just too great a visual that it comes up everywhere I teach! Even when I taught band 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Melinda – yes… I resorted to the keyboard labels after a student came back from a week of practice and pointed to the keyboard I had drawn on his page and said “I had no idea what that was supposed to be”… I’m not an artist 😉
Claudia says
Thanks for so many great ideas all in one place, as well as great suggestions for using them in a lesson. I have printed the small keyboard stamps as well as the mini staff paper and will bring my magic wand that I wasn’t sure how I was going to use, and put these great ideas to use when my group piano classes start next month! Thank you again!
Andrea says
Hi Claudia – so glad you can get great use out of everything! Don’t know what I ever did without my keyboard labels 😉 Enjoy your next month off!
Jennifer Groover says
Love!! Thank you!
Brian Jenkins says
Love the dice idea. I take a print out of a little game I made up and tape it to a whiteboard. The game has different levels kind of like a staircase.
Every correct repetition gets the little character one step closer to the goal. The student moves the little character up a step each time. I usually will give them “3 lives” as well. Each time they make a mistake they lose a life. Sounds pretty morbid when I type it out 🙂 but it’s game logic, like Mario, most kids get it.
My students try really hard to play extra slow so they don’t make a mistake and lose a life. Something I try to get them to do anyways.
I like the dice idea because we can pick a section of music with the dice too, kind of adds another little bit to gamify the whole process.
emily says
Great idea! Perfect for recital prep!
Linda Arnett says
Just the right inspiration for starting a new term, as school begins again!! Thank you. Love all your ideas!
Melissa says
Eraseable highlighters were my fun purchase this year! And I have a light saber for the kids to point with. And now I have a few more ideas thanks to you!
Andrea says
Oh light saber – great idea Melissa!!
Sue Piatt says
Oh I love the light Saber! I have used highlighter tape but I really love the highlighter pen idea and the stickers with it. Brian Jenkins do you have a print out of your game and directions. That sounds so great! I agree, great recital prep! Thank you Andrea for all of the great sticker print outs! Gonna get those Japanese animals too!
Deb says
Reading about your Fairy wand made me remember a dear friend, Julia Vook. She was a teacher and composer and very creative at teaching. She had a piano witch on a long dowel. It was two fold: 1) great attention getter when pointing to details 2) her favorite secret: It saved her posture and back from hours of leaning forward to make her point! Smart Lady!!!!