A Composer Research Project For Teen Piano Students

As your teens work their way through method books and perform popular tunes composed by people long since gone, do they even pay attention to the names? Do they take the time to learn a little about the person who made their piano piece?

As piano teachers, we have a duty to keep classical music relevant. Without us, some of the greatest composers risk being forgotten in just a generation or two.

But, teaching piano students to connect with composers is not just about keeping history alive.

When kids learn the stories behind their music, they are instantly more engaged in their piano pieces and piano lessons in general.

In today’s post, we are sharing Piano Composer Playing Cards that turn the exploration of famous pieces by famous composers into an engaging game.

And, since most of the research takes place on Youtube, inspiring your teens to take part won’t be difficult!

Connecting With Composers Keeps Kids In Piano Lessons

Today’s Piano Composer Playing Cards are at the bottom of the post, but first…

Keeping teens interested in piano lessons is about keeping them motivated.

There are many ways to motivate your teens. They can play modern supplementary music, perform duets with friends, and compose their own music.

They can also learn the stories behind the music they play. Stories are incredibly powerful. Consider the recent FIFA World Cup…

While I love sports, having never played soccer growing up, I am not a fan. But, because the World Cup was front-page news everywhere, I started paying attention.

Most interestingly, I started to hear a lot about Lionel Messi. Now, because my nephews play soccer, I know Messi is a big deal.

But there is a lot about Messi that I only discovered during the World Cup. For instance, as a boy, the Argentina star was extremely small for his age. At 11 years old he was diagnosed with a human growth hormone disorder that would have ended his playing career had Barcelona FC not intervened and paid for his treatments which his family could not afford.

I also learned that his grandma was his biggest fan, even fighting with coaches to give him more playing time when they would take him out of competitive games and replace him with bigger and stronger players.

Finally, I learned that the World Cup would be Messi’s last and that he had never previously won the World Cup.

Needless to say, Messi grabbed my attention and when he won the World Cup with Argentina I also celebrated my own victory of having watched my first televised soccer game from start to finish.

And that illustrates why backstories can be very motivating in sports… and in piano lessons!

Piano Composer Playing Cards For Teen Piano Players

Today’s project is all about making sure teen piano players learn about the minds behind their music.

Our Piano Composer Playing Cards are kind of like baseball cards. Each card front is adorned with an image of a famous composer as they might appear if they lived in the world of today’s teenagers. Each card front also contains the name of a famous piano piece composed by the identified composer.

The card back is where the action happens. Each card back has three simple sections that correspond to the name of the piece on the front of the card. The first section asks the student to record the date that the piece was composed. The second section asks the student to find a Youtube video of a person/group performing the composition and then record that performer’s name. The final section asks the student to record an interesting fact about the piece or the composer.

Our Piano Composer Playing Cards are useful because they are simple. They can be completed in manageable chunks that can be spread over a long period of time for continued learning.

Use These Books With Our Piano Composer Playing Cards

While our Composer Research Cards can be used as standalone resources they work wonders when paired with the music from our classical pop piano books. Commonly referred to as our Sessions Books, the series includes:

1. The Beethoven Sessions (available here on Amazon)
2. The Chopin Sessions (available here on Amazon) 
3. The Sebastian Sessions (available here on Amazon)
4. The Victress Sessions (available here on Amazon)
5. The Amadeus Anthems (available here on Amazon)

Download Our Composer Research Cards Below

Click on the image below to download our four sets of Piano Composer Playing Cards. Each set contains 9 cards dedicated to a single composer and his compositions. The first two sets are brand new and the final two sets have been shared in previous posts.