By Dr. Julie Knerr

Decorating the Piano is one of my favorite activities for teaching White Fundamental Names. This can be done in Individual, Partner, or Group Classes, and at the end of this mail, I will tell y'all almost a manner to make information technology a cocky-directed activity specifically for Partner Lessons or Group Classes.

I usually practice this activity at the interview or very kickoff lesson. Through this, I gain information about the child, including:

  • Whether the pupil knows the letters of the alphabet
  • How the student responds to my directions
  • If the pupil can distinguish between groups of two and three blackness keys
  • If the student has the attention bridge to decorate the entire piano.

I tin apply this information as we move forward with piano lessons.

Materials You Volition Demand for Decorating the Piano

  • eight bouncy balls
  • 8 plastic caterpillars
  • Foam letters (I made my ain from cream sheets)
    • 8 A'southward red
    • eight B'south orange
    • viii C'due south xanthous
    • seven D's greenish
    • 7 Due east'southward blue
    • 7 F's purple
    • seven G's pink

How to Decorate the Pianoforte

Footstep one: Have the student put bouncy balls on the groups of 2 blackness keys.

Stride 2: Then put the caterpillars on groups of three black keys.

Step 3: Mitt the student all the D foam letters. Tell him the D'due south are right in the middle of the groups of two black keys, under the ball notes. He puts the D foam letters on all the D'southward of the piano.

Step four: Ask the educatee what comes in the alphabet earlier D. Say, "A B…" He will say, "C." Say, "Yes.   C comes right before D," and put a C foam letter on the piano to the left of D. Hand the student all the C cream letters. He puts them on all the C'south of the piano.

Step 5: Ask the pupil what comes in the alphabet after C. Say, "A B C D…" He volition say, "E." Hand the educatee all the Due east foam messages to put on the E'south of the pianoforte.

Step half-dozen: Continue saying the alphabet and figuring out what comes next. "A B C D Eastward…" "F." Tell the student that the F goes to the left of the group of 3 black keys, near the caterpillar grouping. Mitt the student all the F foam letters. He puts them on all the F's of the piano.

Footstep 7: Repeat with Yard, then A, so B.

Gloat how great the piano looks at present that it is decorated! I often have parents who want to take a picture of the decorated piano!

In future lessons, vary the activity by handing the student the balls, worms, and letters in random order. Emphasize that the groups of 2 black keys (ball groups) are near the C D East white keys, and the groups of three black keys (caterpillar groups) are near the F G A B groups. Yet, almost students volition need to detect a specific white key by counting from the bottom of the piano (like in Alphabet Boogie). This is fine, but eventually, we want them to recognize the letters based on the groups of blackness keys as well.

Self-Directed Decorating

I enjoy pedagogy Partner Lessons, and I sometimes need time to work with one student lone. What should I practise with the other student? I can have them decorate the piano!

This does require you to have two pianos, or a piano and keyboard, or at least a cardboard keyboard. Then one student can exist decorating while the other student is working with you at the other piano.

Generally, if you hand the box of decorating materials to the student with no instructions, most children will naturally put the balls and caterpillars on the keyboard, and and so they volition put the letters on in alphabet order. This does non really help them learn the messages of the white keys. Nosotros want students to put the messages on in in a specific order that will make them take to think nigh where the messages become in relation to the groups of ii and iii black keys.

To brand this happen, I put the decorating items in cups in the order you lot cull. Then Cup #ane might contain 3 balls, ii caterpillars, and 5 D'due south. The next cup might contain 1 ball, three caterpillars, and 2 C's. As you continue, the cup contents can become more random.

And then line the cups up and tell the pupil to go in gild, decorating with the contents of Loving cup #i and then continuing down the line of cups ane by one. While the student is taking the 10 minutes or so to do this, you can work with the other educatee at a unlike piano or on another activity.