Hands

We hope that everyone’s fall semesters are off to a great start!  Today we are sharing a free printable that can help students who struggle with practice at home.  But, before I give the free printable I want to preface this with a couple of disclaimers…I believe in student independence.  I want students to be able to pick up a piece they have never seem before and play it without my help!  I get frustrated when students look to me to confirm every note they play, and I especially dislike when students constantly tell me they don’t know where to put their hands.  I would not use this printable for every student, because for some students it could become a crutch.

I created this with a specific student in mind.  One who was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and has always struggle to practice at home.  I realized that one of his main hurdles to practicing at home was simply knowing which notes to start on.  In an effort to help him feel equipped to practice at home I created this printable.  I plan to print and cut out the hand position cards so that I have a stack ready for his lesson.  Then I can paper clip or tape it to the top of the page with hand positions filled in so that he has no doubts about where to start.  A card filled out could look something like this:

IMG_3560

I also intend to give him some input on how to fill in the card, so that it is completed in a way that makes sense to him.  Hopefully he won’t always need this, but my most pressing goal right now is to kick-start habitual practice at home and I believe this little step will help.

 

Download the printable PDF here:

Where do my hands go

 

*I know that this is not a completely original idea.  I have seen similar printable floating around the blogosphere but I couldn’t find one exactly like what I wanted, so I created my own!

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.