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Writer's picturelassenpiano

PLAY at the Piano!

Updated: Aug 6


Did you know that playing during your lessons is one of the best ways to help your students LEARN and THRIVE? Here's a great game to add the FUN!





Incorporating simple games can help students practice a variety of techniques. Oh, and did I mention that it is fun? Not just for the student, but also for the teacher! 


We need to break the habit of having students sit on the bench for their entire lesson,  staring up at the endless pages of sheet music and counting the minutes until their lesson ends. Don’t be that teacher… 



There is so much scientific research out there now showing how “play” is actually one of the best ways for kids to learn new skills. 


In education, this is often referred to as “Gamifying” the lessons. 


The goal shouldn’t be to just teach our students about music, but rather to encourage them to be creative, expressive, and playful in the process! 


Harness their energy and use it to help them learn! This simple dice game   allows students to practice reading and playing musical rhythms all across the keys!





THE STEPS ARE OUTLINED BELOW:


  1. Buy some wooden dice and draw different notes on each side.  You can find some wooden dice here!

  2. Ask students to roll the dice on the piano, and play whichever notes they land on.

  3. Play both the white keys and the black keys! 

  4. You can use this with any students, from preschool age and up. Just adjust the dice you use to include the rhythms they know. 

  5. Make sure to count or use a metronome to challenge your students to keep a steady beat as they play.

  6. You can also have students verbally identify the note name of the keys the dice land on for additional practice (for example, C#, F, D, etc.) 


The possibilities with these dice are endlessly fun. Be creative! Encourage your students to come up with a new game or challenge using the dice too! 




Enjoy PLAYing this fun explorative game with your student! What are you favorite games to play at lessons? Let us know in the comments below :)


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