Practice Bingo
A few weeks ago, I surprised my piano students with a porch drop off "Practice Kit". Since I'm located right in King County, WA where COVID-19 has been hitting hard, we are still under "Stay Home, Stay Safe" mandates. And really, I probably have many more months of...
Online Lesson Games & Activities – Part 3
Another week of online lessons and a new resource for you! Try our “Name That Tune” Sight Reading Game in your next online lesson.
Online Piano Lessons – Part 2
This week is week 3 for my students doing online lessons and so far, I think things are improving! I'm feeling more energy and connection in lessons. We're getting used to the technology - although one students' phone did keep sliding down... over and over the entire...
Preschool Rhythm Bingo
Have you checked out all of our bingo options? They're some of the most popular free downloads on 4dpianoteaching. So many great options to bring a little bit of fun into your next piano lesson or really any music lesson! We have rhythm bingos - here and here. Then we...
Summer Piano Challenge
Is your studio ready for a fun summer? So many fun camps and lessons happen during the summer so my students seem to be busier than ever even though school's out. For my students, I wanted a new practice chart, something super fun but not too difficult and something a...
Ear Training In Your Studio
Question: When was the last time you did ear training work with your students? If I'm honest, it was probably in preparation for the theory test... and before that test came up? Yikes. It's always so busy to fit in all we want to teach in 30 minutes so we've found...
Finger Number Activities
Anyone else love playing finger number games as you teach finger numbers? I love hearing the little giggles as we laugh our way through learning and practicing finger numbers with new students. This week, I came up with a little activity page to work through with...
Start the Year
It's that time of year... Some parents are super excited to send their kids back, others are less excited... But the structure and routines are back. Lessons start up regularly again. Teachers are busy preparing classrooms and new materials. As a piano teacher, I'm...
Tic Tac Toe – Intervals
There's one game that my kids like to play every time we're stuck in a waiting room situation. Tic Tac Toe! It's a favorite for kids and really takes little prep, just paper and a pencil. Teaching at the university, I noticed the first year group teacher had made a...
6 Week Challenge – Free Printable
I always feel like students need a little extra push after Christmas break. The spring semester is longer, and there are less breaks. When the school year starts kids are excited for new things. January, February, March can drag on. At the beginning of this year I...
Beginner Arranging 101
Arranging. The word seems to scare my students to death sometimes! They believe that only the amazing Kevin Olsen or Carol Matz can arrange a tune they are familiar with into something they can play. When I gave out our first arranging assignment of the semester,...
Teaching Arpeggios (Free Game Printable!)
Arpeggios are one of my students' favorite technique skills. It's probably because they sound so awesome and show-off well in pieces. But it's also an easy technique concept to teach and use earlier in their learning. I usually teach these right after they learn Major...
Fall Activity Round-Up
Halloween is just around the corner, and fall is in full force (unless you live here in Texas where highs are still nearing 90...). Over the years we've shared quite a few printable games and activities with Halloween, Fall, or Thanksgiving themes. I thought it...
Pumpkin Patch Technique Game – Free Printable
Although it doesn't quite feel like fall yet here in Texas, Halloween and cooler weather are just around the corner. My students aways love the Easter Technique Game Whitney shared here a few years back. I printed it once and pull it out every year to use the week...
Telephone Composition
"Hi, Nancy! Hi, Helen! What's the story, morning glory? What's tale, nightingale? Tell me quick about Hugo and Kim!" Anyone else love this song from Bye Bye Birdie?! Today we're sharing a Telephone Composition activity and this song just keeps popping in my head! This...
Animal Improv
Today we're sharing something we've never done before - our first resource in our new shop! Over the past few years, we've shared many free resources and we'll continue to share these because we love it. But we also keep having BIG ideas. Ideas that take a few months...
Memorization Checklist
Remember that post a few weeks ago about memory and different types of learners? Well I wanted to create something I could share with my students. Especially with my older students (such as the teens or college students), I'd love for them to realize which techniques...
Dollar Store Summer Activities, Part 2
Dollar Store Summer Activities Part 2 Oh dollar store, the store of my dreams… Ha ha, JUST KIDDING. But do you ever feel exhausted when you’ve ordered that big collection of books and new flashcards and TCW games (I love those!)... And then you see the total?...
Dollar Store Summer Music Activities, Part 1
Dollar Store Summer Music Activities, Part 1 We’re teaming up with Heather Nanney at Fun Key Music to bring you a 3-part series of fun summer activities using items you can find at the dollar store! We met Heather at the MTNA National Conference in Baltimore this...
Celebrating Student Accomplishments – Free Printable
Our students accomplish amazing things in the piano studio all the time! But often we breeze right past them. They conquer that B-major five-finger scale that's been a struggle. Master hands together in a tricky passage. Finish a book, memorize a piece, students...
Practice Incentive Chart – Updated Printable
Awhile back I shared this Treasure Map printable with you. I pulled this out to use with my students this summer and decided I was a little too optimistic when I created the map. If it's going to be used over a summer semester, I think it has too many spots! We...
Rhythm Search
Today I want to share a printable my students love! Rhythm Searches are my fun music version of word searches. A rhythm search is easy to use in private lessons and/or group lessons. I've made two levels to start with this month. Level 1: 4/4 time 1 measure examples...
Game Roundup
As recital season rolls around, I've been reorganizing my games and office space. This made me think about all of the games we've shared over the past four years - we have so many neat ones that I use all the time! So today I wanted to do a quick game round up to...
Pizza Rhythms – Free printable flashcards and worksheet
Do you have students that struggle with eighth-note rhythms? Through my years of teaching I've seen many students battle with counting eighth-notes correctly. I don't think the concept of eighth-notes is actually that difficult, but I think that maybe with simpler...