Ideas for Private Lessons:
The Internet overflows with materials from talented music teachers. I use their work frequently, and yet, a large percentage of it doesn’t fit my needs.
- I teach private lessons only. No group activities will work.
- I prefer not to use copious amounts of color ink.
- If I’m going to spend hours cutting and laminating, the activity had better be useful for many students at many ability levels.
- Eighth notes just confuse my beginners. (Piano method books tend to save them for much later, while general education and string method books introduce them early on. Why the discrepancy? I have no idea.)
- I do use hand positions, so for my beginners, I prefer music that stays within a five-finger pattern, preferably in C or G.
Composition
Holiday Repertoire
Teaching Supplies and Information
Notes on the Staff
Keeping a Lesson Interesting
- Silly Composition (no particular form)
- Catsup Bottle (by Ogden Nash) *The words have been removed for copyright reasons, but they are quick to write in.
- Duck (by Ogden Nash) *See note above on copyright.
- Ice Cream
- Six Slippery Snails
- ABA Composition
- Big Black Bug
- No Words (write your own or make a piano-only version)
- Three Little Ghostesses
- AABA or ABAB Composition
- Children Aren't Happy (by Ogden Nash) *The words have been removed for copyright reasons, but they are quick to write in.
- Eletelephony (by Laura Richards)
- I Eat My Peas
- If I Were a Bear (by A.A. Milne)
- General Composition
- Composing Challenge (modifiable for multiple ability levels)
Holiday Repertoire
- Halloween (roughly in order of difficulty)
Teaching Supplies and Information
- Musical Alphabet
- Comparison of Alfred's, Bastien's, and Faber's first level of books
- Comparison of Alfred's Level 1B and Faber's Level 1
- Giant Staff Paper
- Happiness on the Music Floor (incentive)
Notes on the Staff
Keeping a Lesson Interesting