Sounds of Sortomme’s Teaching Tips
Check back monthly for new tips on how to use our music to better your students’ experiences!
| Title | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Play It Game | An easy to put together flash card game for reviewing music and exercises. Use it with piano students, music students and singers. | Download |
| Snow is Falling | Using music and the templates provided, here is a fun way to teach and strengthen skills to match snowflake halves with this easy-to-make game. | Download |
| In My Stocking Visual Aid | Visual aids will make teaching this fun and easy song a snap. Use this free download for visual aids to help teach the song and to make a stocking stick puppet for each child to use when singing. | Download |
| Find The Note Worksheet | Use these three worksheets to help beginning students identify the notes on a keyboard. Use one at a time at separate lessons and also as a review later to help student learn and retain the position of the notes on the keyboard. | Download |
| Find the Note Game | This is a great game to interest motivate young musicians to learn the notes and keys of the piano. Use this to begin or end a lesson. | Download |
| Keyboard Note Finder | This handy note finder is a great reference for beginning students to keep at the piano. It’s so easy to use. See the download below. | Download |
| Music Outline | These pages are a great tool to use for student lessons and provide at a glance for parents and students alike, what the assignment is for each student. Use the half page version by printing and cutting pages in half. | Download |
| Wrist up for the Prize | A game to encourage good wrist and hand posture at the keyboard in a fun way. The coin will only stay on the wrist if the wrist stays flat as the piano is played. | Download |
| Candy Key Game | This fun yet educational game is a great way to help students learn and remember the key names and end a lesson. Not only can it be used with beginner students, it’s a good way to help progressing students identify sharps or flats. | Download |
| Payment Receipts and Ledgers | Just keep this handy on a clipboard by a payment box where you teach. Some teachers charge by the lesson, but I prefer a monthly fee due at the beginning of the month. Just check off the monthly box after payment is made. | Music Ledgers: Download Payment Receipts: Download |
| Visual Aids | Student art can be used to engage participation, though that will take additional preparation time. If using student art, give the students the materials to use to encourage uniform size. | Visual Aid Picture |
| Practice Perfect | Most students just want to play a song even if they don’t know it first. The words “SLOW DOWN” are familiar to most music teachers. It can help to explain that we are teaching our fingers the song and that we have to give the muscles lots of practice before they have the “muscle memory” to always play the song correctly. | Download |
| Recital Themes! Example: Let's Take a Road Trip | Themed recitals and concerts are fun! Music, decorations, simple props (where appropriate), programs and refreshments (if you have them) that fit the theme enhance the program experience and often create a higher level of enthusiasm with the students. First choose your theme with the music in mind. | Let's Take a Road Trip |
| Making Music is a Piece of Cake | Have your students mark their music with colored highlighters to understand different parts of music like notes, sharps, and dynamic markings. | Download |
| Turkey Trouble | Easy to make with 1/2 dowels cut 12", sand ends and use colored tape to candy stripe for a fun look. Point and count while having the student tap the rhythm with the rhythm sticks! | |
| Christmas Snacks | Need a treat for Christmas recitals or parties? “My Own Cookbook” has an easy nutritious Christmas tree recipe. This is also a great activity for children to enjoy making with ingredients parents approve. Check our Face Book page for more suggestions. | |
| The Crooked Candy Cane | Make an easy prop to use when singing "The Crooked Candy Cane" by cutting out a large candy cane from white poster board. Paint the stripes red. You can also attach a copy of the lyrics to the back if desired. | |
| Autumn Leaves | Use these posters to teach the song "Autumn Leaves " | Download |
| It's the Constitution | Posters and song about the USA Constitution | Download |
| Little Finger Scales | Little finger 5 Note Scales introduce beginner Pianists to scales and the key signatures. | Download |
| Noteworthy Reward Pianos | Printable pianos to tape onto rewards for students. | Download |
| S'mores visuals | Printable sheet music and visual aids for the S'mores song | Download |
