Dynamics can be difficult for beginning piano students. Some will play every note as loudly as possible while others (usually the timid type) will be locked into a perpetual state of pianissimo. And, of course, there is a third group that will mix up dynamics and tempo; creating a cacophony of sound where everything loud becomes fast and everything soft becomes slow.
But with a little effort and a lot of game-based fun you can get your littles on track with dynamics and watch proudly as their sense of expression quickly begins to develop and even the simplest of pieces become little gems of beauty.
The first step in learning to play dynamics is learning to hear dynamics. So in today’s post we’re sharing a printable ear training game that will set your young students off on the path to dynamic success.
Get Ready To Jam… It’s Dynamic Time!
Today’s printable (see download instructions below) will inspire your young beginners to listen carefully as they learn to discern between forte and piano, giving them the aural memory of what each sounds like, while reinforcing the vocabulary they need to know when speaking about dynamic markings. Here’s how it works:
- To begin, the student uses dimes to cover the numbered circles on the game board (one dime per circle). Next, the student chooses a number between 1 and 8. The teacher records the student’s selection on a piece of paper.
- On the piano, the teacher plays a loud measure of music or a soft measure of music. The student determines whether the teacher played forte or piano and then removes one coin from a yellow window if forte was played or a blue window if piano was played.
- If the number revealed in Step 2 does not match the student’s selection in Step 1, the student keeps the coin and Step 2 is repeated. If the number revealed in Step 2 matches the student’s selection in Step 1 the game is over. The student’s score is determined by counting the number of coins in his possession when the game is over.
Do Your Kiddos Love Our WunderKeys Printables?!
Now they’ll be even easier to find! We just completely revamped our WunderKeys website! Not only is it much more beautiful, but it’s also easier to find just the right printable whenever you need it! Visit www.wunderkeys.com to check out our new Printable Sorting Feature… simply choose the category of learning and our handy system will bring up any corresponding activities or materials!
You can find today’s printable by clicking on the image above or by visiting this link.
Milla says
My kids love the printables and games. I keep the games in the special binder and use them often. Thanks for your generous sharing.
Elaine says
Thank you – everything you do is hugely appreciated
Andrea says
Thank you for taking the time to write, Elaine 🙂 Means a lot to us!