Have you ever tried to say the alphabet backwards? I have… and it gives me a headache. But thanks to a competitive family and a bunch of practice I am quickly becoming a reverse alphabet champion.
And it’s probably time that your primer piano students become reverse alphabet champions too.
Being able to say the musical alphabet in reverse is a handy, but rarely employed, note-reading skill. It aids a simple strategy called, Say As You Play; a strategy that your students are probably already attempting, but struggling with, as they read notes on the staff.
If you are interested to learn how to employ the Reverse Alphabet Strategy, keep reading below.
The Reverse Alphabet Note Reading Strategy
Chances are, your youngest primer piano students are playing music that moves strictly in steps. As they play their music they are probably reading the odd familiar note while moving their fingers based on the directional movement of the notes on the page.
This is how music should be played. Students don’t need to read every note… unless they need note reading practice.
So, if you are trying to improve your primer students’ note reading abilities then you and your students should be engaging in warm-up activities where your kids say and play every note on a line of music. Teachers often play flashcard-based games where kids name notes one at a time, so why not have them name notes as they play?
For little kids, however, the Say and Play approach has one big downfall; it requires them to be able to say the musical alphabet backward. This is not easy! Take a look at the two musical excerpts below and then imagine asking your primer student to say and play the first measure and say and play the second measure.
I don’t need to tell you that the second measure would be a nearly impossible “Say and Play task” for most kids. Any child can sing, “C-D-E-F-G” but most will struggle when they try to sing, “G-F-E-D-C”.
So, What’s A Teacher To Do?
If you want to improve the note reading abilities of your primer level students, every lesson should begin with a little reverse alphabet work. You can be as simple or as fancy as you wish.
If you don’t want to spend too much lesson time learning the reverse musical alphabet, then begin each lesson by singing the musical alphabet forwards and backward. Use the same tune as the traditional alphabet song when singing in both directions.
If you want to get more creative then you’ll need to find yourself a set of alphabet blocks or letter cards. Then, turn this task into a sorting game. Mix up the musical alphabet cards or blocks and ask your students to arrange them from G to A. Grab a stopwatch and time your primer level students as they sort. Record their times and then have them attempt to beat their “high scores” in future lessons.
Let The Reverse Alphabet Practice Continue At Home
Practicing the alphabet in reverse is a fantastic home activity for getting parents involved. Many piano parents do not have a musical background and struggle to provide piano assistance at home. This activity allows them to get involved in a way that will benefit their children’s development and lead to more time spent at the piano. After all, if parents are already practicing the musical alphabet with their children, they’re more likely to keep the practice session going by encouraging their kids to hit the piano.
You’ll be surprised at how engaging such a simple task can be. Before long, reverse alphabet races will be happening in your waiting room as students and their parents engage in a little bit of friendly competition before lessons.
More Tools For Students Who Struggle With Note Reading
If you’ve enjoyed this post and are considering using it in your studio, you’ll probably find the following resources equally useful:
1. ‘Tis the season for celebrating, so why not throw in one more celebration for the “Note of the Week”. Read about this piano teaching activity in a post we wrote a few years back.
2. When students struggle with note-reading, flashcards are often a teacher’s tool of choice. But if you and your students are tired of flashcards try these 8 note reading activities.
3. If you want to end your students’ note reading struggles then you’ll want to check out Teach Piano Today’s WunderKeys Primer Piano Books. A teacher recently wrote us to say, “After just 5 lessons in the primer book, my kindergartener was already learning note reading skills that hadn’t been introduced in my 8 year old’s method book until he’d been taking lessons for months. I began to suspect my kindergartener might surpass my 8-year-old in note reading. I was sold.”
Evelyn Michaels says
One way I have my students learn the music notes backwards is to ask if they have stairs in their house. The parents can help with this. Say the alphabet forward going up stairs. Say it backwards as they come down.
Once they get comfortable, they can start on different letters and go up or down from there. This also reinforces “ steps”.
You can introduce skips also.
Andrea says
Great strategy! I love incorporating movement – so this is brilliant 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Jenna says
Great idea! I’ll definitely be using it with my students; thanks for sharing!
Sharon says
I have always taught the alphabet backwards — it does help with note reading. Plus the students are so proud of themselves when they can do it backwards with just a little practice. Then we work together to find forwards and backwards note patterns. Works like a charm.
Andrea says
Hi Sharon! It really does work – and yes, it’s definitely a “challenge” that they like to accomplish! Thanks for reading 🙂
Beverly Conway says
I can’t quite figure out the familiar tune to the Alphabet as applied to the musical alphabet. Would you give me tune notes to alphabet letters?
I too have always taught the alphabet backwards, asking the children to have a contest with themselves. “When mom or dad stop at a red light, see if you can say the music alphabet backward before the light turns green.”
RuthAnn Renaud says
The tune for the alphabet song is twinkle twinkle little star…… ABCDEFG (twinkle twinkle little star) GFEDCBA (how I wonder what you are).
Vee says
That’s awesome RuthAnn, thanks for sharing!
Sandra says
I totally agree with all the above comments. When they can say their musical alphabet forward and backward, my next step is to have them learn it by skips of a third. It helps them with triad chords, and it also helps reading up and down the staff on the lines, or on the spaces.)
Andrea says
Hi Sandra – Yes! This is a skill that can be reinforced and expanded to be more challenging. Just think of all of those “brain wrinkles” we are creating with these drills 😉
Mary Hawn says
Another helpful post, thanks.
Some might be familiar with the name Boris Berlin who taught with RCM for many decades, and whose compositions are in many repertoire books including his own. I learned this from him in a pedagogy week ‘way back when’. So glad to see the idea shared again here.
Andrea says
Hi Mary – what a fabulous opportunity to learn from him! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Linda H. says
Something I do, but should expand on. Good ideas from all! Thanks so much!