The first time students branch out from steps and skips can be a bit daunting, with all those lines and spaces blurring together. To cut through that intimidation factor, Noman helps beginner students identify 3rds, 5ths and triads on the staff by associating the shapes with snowman imagery. Use Noman as a resource to introduce…
Flute
Double Take
It’s one thing to know how note values behave in different time signatures; it’s an entirely different thing to put that into practice. Double Take gives intermediate students hands-on practice in doubling and halving rhythms, laying the foundation needed to notate music in different time signatures. How to Play Place the board in the middle…
Ready to Roll
Sometimes a quick quiz-style game is what’s needed to run through a concept, and that’s exactly what you get with Ready to Roll. Whether your late beginner students are working on note names, intervals or symbols, this game has it all! Try opening a lesson with this rapid review of note names, or use fly…
Bright Notes Issue 009: Parents
Ever miss an old-fashioned magazine? Blogs are fantastic and dynamic…but it doesn’t feel quite the same. Bright Notes is our exclusive magazine for members of Vibrant Music Teaching that comes out once a month. Inside, you’ll find articles from the Colourful Keys blog that have been curated, edited and compiled to take a deep dive…
One Minute Warmups
We’ve all been there: Students rush into the studio fresh out of swim practice, bursting with energy and bouncing off the walls (or from school, or a birthday party, or…) You can spend the first 15 minutes of the lesson trying to force this bundle of energy to calm down so that progress can be…
Time Tracks
Time Tracks helps beginners and late beginners see how note values fit within the metric counting structure of simple time signatures. Players move their tokens along the counts according to the value of the note on their card. Who can make good time as they head toward the double bar lines? How to Play Each…
Solfa Stack
For students who struggle to grasp the “moveable” part of moveable do solfa, it’s Solfa Stack to the rescue! This game takes solfa to the next level with pattern matching. Players will get really comfortable with the solfa syllables and how they relate to each other in a major scale. Use this game as an…
Bright Notes Issue 008: Reading
Ever miss an old-fashioned magazine? Blogs are fantastic and dynamic…but it doesn’t feel quite the same. Bright Notes is our exclusive magazine for members of Vibrant Music Teaching that comes out once a month. Inside, you’ll find articles from the Colourful Keys blog that have been curated, edited and compiled to take a deep dive…
Chopsticks & Plasticine
Ledger lines are a useful tool, but beginner piano students won’t always see them that way. The best way to help our students see how necessary and valuable these little lines are is to use activities like this one to explore the staff with them, rather than just explaining it. So print off these sheets,…
Random Reminders
“I really want to play with a round hand shape all the time, but I don’t notice if my hands go flat!” Sometimes students are motivated to change something about their playing, but they simply keep forgetting. You can nag them about it, but that drone often goes in one ear and out the other….