One song. Three menu choices. Hundreds of ways to practice.
That’s the fun behind our musical menu, where parents can turn a regular play-through into a tiny musical feast.
Instead of serving up the same old instruction, “Play your song three times,” teachers can send home a printable filled with appetizers, mains, and desserts for one assigned piano piece.
Parents simply choose one item from each section. Their child might start with a Rhythm Salsa Scoop, dig into a Count-Aloud Corn Dog, and finish with a Ta-Da Taffy Pose.
The next time they practice, parents can build a brand-new plate. Maybe their child will snack on Five-Note Fruit Kabobs, serve up a Whisper-Quiet Wrap, and finish with a Thunder Boom Brownie.
Same song. Totally different practice plate.
And the best part? Parents do not need to understand piano pedagogy, music theory, or why “I already played it once” does not count as practice.
They just need the musical menu.
Every menu item sends students back to the same song with a clear little job to do. They might clap a rhythm, name notes, fix a tiny trouble spot, play with steady speed, or add a fun finishing touch.
That means students are not just playing the piece once and wandering away.
They are listening more closely. They are noticing patterns. They are solving small problems. They are building confidence without feeling like practice has become a giant homework sandwich.
The musical practice menu also gives parents an easy role. Instead of hovering, correcting, or guessing what the teacher wants, they can say, “Choose one appetizer, one main, and one dessert.”
That tiny bit of structure makes practice feel playful, but it still does real teaching work.
The printable is available to download at the bottom of the post but first…
It’s Time To Grab Our Note Reading Workbooks
Summer break has a funny way of turning confident little note readers into kids who suddenly stare at the staff like they’ve never seen it before 😉
Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Timed Note Reading Tests For Piano: Book 1 delivers short, focused note-reading drills that are easy to assign and even easier for students to complete over the summer months.
It’s the kind of workbook that keeps note reading fresh without making kids feel like they’re doing piles of homework during their break.
Structured enough to build real fluency, but light enough to keep motivation high, this resource helps students return to lessons ready to play instead of needing weeks of review.
Click here or on a cover below to learn more.
Download Our Musical Menu For Summer Piano Practice
Click here or on the image below to download our Musical Menu For Summer Piano Practice from the Teach Piano Today Homework Pages.
Remember to enter the password found in bold in the email you received today.
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