I recently listened to this Note to Self podcast about Legos and Creativity and started thinking about how I could use Legos in my piano studio. I had seen some things about using legos to teach rhythm, but had never actually tried it. I also started brainstorming how I could use legos for a studio-wide project.
Awhile back I read The Dynamic Studio by Philip Johnston (learn more about it here) and he discusses the idea of a “Collaborative Studio Wonder.” Some kind of group project, not necessarily music related, that makes your studio a fun and exciting place to be. So, I ordered some legos and began my own studio project. The concept is simply, each student selects one lego at the end of their lesson and adds it to the group lego sculpture. If they do an especially good job that week, maybe they practice every single day, they might get to add two legos to the sculpture. This takes up very little lesson time, I just have them choose a lego in the last minute of the lesson, but it adds an extra little spark of excitement to coming to lessons each week. It’s fun to see what has happened to the sculpture over a week.
Here’s our sculpture after just the first day:
And here it is after about a week and a half:
I will keep you updated on how it turns out in the end. I’m planning to go until I run out of legos! Do you have any other ideas for a creative studio-wide project? I’d love to hear them!
Stay tuned for another post about how I am using legos in my studio.
Author: Spring
Spring Seals, NCTM, teaches 60 piano students ranging from age 3 to 70 in Fort Worth, Texas. She also serves as the Director of Certification for TMTA. She is passionate about helping teachers become more effective in their studios through professional development, new resources, and fresh ideas.
What a wonderful idea, Spring! I love hearing teachers’ ideas for inspiring creativity in their students, and I have never seen anything like this before. Can’t wait to see the end result.
I love this idea! What a fun way to build community within your studio. I first heard about using legos’s http://www.professional-mothering.com/2011/05/a-major-triad.html
Her idea was to use it to teach triads. I’m sad to admit I purchased the legos (expensive!) but have yet to tri it out – this was a good reminder I have them to use!