Teaching Tools
Over the years, Susan has created a number of teaching tools that are used extensively in her studio. Take a look at a few of these handy forms and games. The purpose of all these forms is for ease of use for the teacher and to enhance learning for the student by making technical work fun. The Rhythm Practice book can be purchased. Many of the ideas behind these forms came from the free exchange of ideas between teachers on various “chat lists”. After creating her own forms for use in her studio, she is passing along the tradition among music educators by offering the Forms and Games to be downloaded free for use in your own studio.
Rhythm Practice Book Price $11.95
A wonderful supplementary book providing extra rhythm practice for the student. When used with beginners right from the start, it helps to establish a solid foundation in rhythm and pulse. It is conveniently set up to provide the student with one page of homework each week which only takes a few minutes to complete. The pages contain exercises in clapping, counting out loud, drawing in barlines and coordinating two handed clapping for each basic rhythmic element.
Tests are done using the metronome at different speeds and results are recorded on a Rhythm Rally race card to track the student’s progress. Students are motivated to complete all their races!
Sample pages for viewing only:
- Rhythm Book — Table of Contents
- Chapter A — Quarter Note, Half Note, Dotted Half Note and Whole Note
- Chapter D — Test page
- Chapter E — Eighth Note Pairs
- Chapter G — Dotted Quarter Note
- Chapter H — Sixteenth Notes
- Rhythm Rally Race Card
“I would like to order 10 of your rhythm books. I have been ‘test-driving’ the copy you sold me on a number of students. The response has been great and I am seeing results.”
— Rosalind Johnson, Piano Teacher, Auditions and Recitals Coordinator,
ORMTA Central Toronto Branch
Teaching Tools for downloading:
Overall Technique Summary — A one page chart that keeps track of which scales each student has covered. A permanent reference in the student’s binder. A great addition to studios with a large number of students! Note: This form has been updated with the RCM 2008 Syllabus requirements.
Keyboard Sheet for Pentascales — for theory homework, beginners are required to colour pentascales on the keyboard and mark the Triad notes with a black dot. Two sheets cover all 12 pentascales. These sheets are filed in the student’s binder for permanent reference. Once the student can play all twelve pentascales and triads, they start learning pieces from the Little Hands, Big Pieces Book since all pieces in that book are constructed of major triads.
Technique Sheet by Key — regular theory homework requires the student to complete this sheet. Fingering is written directly on the keyboard for scales and arpeggios. (Susan always has the student write the natural minor on the keyboard and then apply the harmonic and melodic rules when playing them). Notes and fingerings for all chords and inversions are written out. Each sheet is kept in the student’s binder for permanent reference.
Rhythm Chart — A very simple chart showing basic rhythm elements. Very useful to pull out when working on a rhythmic challenge during the lesson.
New Piece Sheet (Elementary) — This form is given to the student when a new piece is first selected. The goal is to encourage the student to understand their new piece first before they “dive” into note reading. Its biggest asset is to introduce a practice strategy at the very beginning.
How to Begin a New Piece (Junior/Intermediate) — This form contains steps for learning a new piece. It is similar to the elementary one but contains more detailed questions. The object is to thoroughly understand the piece at the start to make it easier to learn and then to map out a practice strategy. It is useful for those students who need a little more structure to help them practice.
Lesson Sheet — a very simple form that can be used at the lesson to record practice instructions. It is handy to have on hand for those times when a student forgets their notebook!
Games
Piano Olympics! — Piano Olympics, Olympics Results by Event, Final Olympic Standings — “One year in February during the Winter Olympics we held a Piano Olympics. It was a great success and a lot of fun! I intend on doing it again. Here are the documents I used. Students had to sign up into their ‘sport’ ahead of time. Then they had a few weeks to ‘prepare’. I had two teenage students ‘judge’ the events (they had to hold up a number between 1 and 10 for each competitor), one student timed the events with a stopwatch and one student organized the participants to get them ready for their ‘event’.”
TV Film Studio — A great afternoon can be spent creating a Television show using a video camera and then setting it up so the participants can watch their performances on TV. I have attached the form that I created showing the rolls and responsibilities for each student. It’s so much fun that you can easily forget to stress the main goal of the day ie: performers must be like accomplished “actors” and tell a story convincingly through their performance.
Master Class Evaluations — A Good Performance (Elem.), A Good Performance (Junior) — Here are a couple of forms I have used with my students when I have them evaluate each other. They are simple lists of what to think about when listening to a performance. One is designed for the elementary level and one for the junior level.
Little Hands, Big Pieces — This music book is best described as a Teaching Tool. It is used in the first two years of study and starts immediately after the student has learned the pentascales and triads in all twelve keys. The technical benefits are many from teaching the student a sense of keyboard geography as they are required to jump around the keyboard, to developing finger strength, speed and also a keen sense of the benefit of dynamic “colour” as we tell the “story” behind the music. For sound samples of the music, go to the Little Hands, Big Pieces book listed on the Compositions page.
