These cards are great for reminding students of the names of the staff notes. Print the small ones double side so your students can have a single card with all 4 phrases on them. 

Also included on the PDF are 2 blank staves that can be used for lots of different games. We used them for spelling games - students spelled words out on them using pebbles or small erasers. Just click the images below to download!

When that happens, we use the lesson for practice, and we do the repetitions in the lesson. To keep the interest and so that they don't quit piano the following week, I add variety to the repetitions:

• play it forte
• play it piano
• change the octave
• play it standing up
• change the voice (if you have a digital instrument)
• play it super slowly
• play it as fast as you can

It works wonders! Suddenly repetitions are not so boring. The students are laughing, experimenting and enjoying the learning process. It takes up quite a bit of time (especially when they get to change the voice and want to try out 10 of them before they choose one they like), but I end up with a group of super happy piano students who continue to "love piano class!"

Enter Skittles! Keep the Skittle on the back of your hand for the whole piece, and you can eat it. If it falls, you throw it away. It's amazing how well those young ones can remember to keep their wrists up when candy is involved.

For virtual lessons, we have to depend on the parents to buy Skittles and place on the back of the student's hands. but Skittles still work! Yay!