With the Texas Music Teachers Association theory tests just around the corner, my piano students are kicking theory into high gear this month. One of the most confusing concepts for my students is how the Circle of 5ths works. Personally, I remember not quite understanding it for years and being able to fill out the worksheets but having no idea why we had to do this. Well, years later my own college piano pedagogy teachers taught me how to teach scales first with tetrachords. For me, seeing the blocked out scales this way made the Circle of 5ths finally come alive! It’s an awesome organized chart of the keys when you really understand it.
Most of the worksheets I use require a lot of teacher instruction to explain, which is fine in lessons. However many of my piano students come back the next week with a few questions on stuff they’ve forgotten… So I’m trying to find/make better worksheets that will help my students remember more easily at home.
First, this worksheet is my first try at explaining the beginning of the Circle of 5ths (up to 3 sharps). I’m a very visual learner so this is a sheet I can write notes on and then send home with students to help them remember/review at home.
Download here: CircleIntro1
Next are a few links for other worksheets – I’m so impressed with some of them! Can’t wait for the next piano lesson to whip these out 🙂
*List of several different worksheets gathered together at ComposeCreate.com
*A simple, clean worksheet found at Tarleton.edu
*Two worksheets (one blank, one filled in) from Pianimation.com
*A video on Youtube from the Music Theory Guy.
*Another video on YouTube from Shawn Creek (Part 1 here)
Any others I’ve missed that should be added to the list? Let me know if you have one to share!
Author: Whitney
Whitney Hawker, NCTM, teaches group and private piano at Weber State University, Utah. She loves surprising students with the perfect piece or a new exciting game! After graduate school, she missed sharing ideas and resources daily with colleagues so she and her friend, Spring, began blogging together at 4DPianoTeaching.com
I like your circle of fifths worksheet. This is a concept that needs lots of reinforcement!
Thank you for these. I am trying to reinforce the piano theory lessons with my children, but I never learned about the circle of fifths as a child (or an adult for that matter). Thanks for the support!
You’re welcome, Cynthia. We’re glad you found this post helpful!