Free Piano Teaching Games You Can Use Online

Online Piano Games

I am so very heartened by people’s response to the pandemic. So many people are pitching in to help. I want to help too, so I am making all of the printable games at palomapiano.com free. That’s right, Free piano teaching games you can use online. All you need to do to get them is to become a free member. No credit card is needed. We will not spam you or sell your email address to others.

All of the free printables can be found at www.palomapiano.com

I know that just about all of us are going to online lessons these days and who knows how long that’s going to last? So why not include some games?

 

Imagine how excited your students will be to receive a colorful printable game in their parent’s email!  

Not only that! Parents will be delighted to see how much fun their child is having.

You will inspire confidence, and thus, retain students!

 

Lessons over the internet may be different than in-person lessons but that doesn’t rule out fun! My students love games. For preschool students games are essential. For older students, games are a great way to give them a two to three-minute break from the music and reset.

 

Here are some great games you can play games with your students online including 3 free printables that you can download and send to your students. Many of these are featured in my book “The Ultimate Preschool Piano Activities Book”

 

Preschool/beginners

 Dice games

 

 

You can purchase musical dice, or you can make them yourself.

I make mine out of wooden cubes I got at a craft store. I write musical symbols on each face of the cube.

 

I use separate cubes for the finger numbers 1 through 5 and R and L for the right and left hands. I write treble and bass clefs on a die. You can also use the dice to practice rhythmic symbols and accidentals.

 

HOW TO MAKE THE DICE

 

At the craft store purchase plain wooden blocks. These come in various sizes. Depending upon the size of your teaching space you may want to choose larger or smaller blocks. Use a Sharpie to write on each side of the block.

In the studio, students roll the dice but you can make the dice and roll them and have your online student do the activities.

 

1. Fingering Block – Write finger numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and * on each side of the block. (If the student rolls the asterisk, they get to choose which finger to use).
2. Note Name Blocks – Using two blocks write a letter of the music alphabet on each side. (Some letters will be written more than once.)
3. Clef Blocks – On each side of the blocks write a treble or bass clef.
4. Right and Left Blocks – Write and R or L on each side of the blocks.
5. High-Low Blocks – Write H or L on each side of the blocks.

 

HERE ARE THE WAYS TO USE THE DICE

 

 

1. Have your student roll the dice and find the note.

 

2. Roll the dice and find all of the notes with that name on the keyboard.

 

3. Roll all three, then find the note with the corresponding finger and hand.

 

4. Same as 3 but with treble (high) and bass (low) clefs for high and low notes.

 

5. Have your student roll the dice several times, write the notes on a paper or chalkboard, and play them in succession.

 

6. Roll several dice with note names. Have your student set the dice on the piano music stand and play the notes in succession.

 

7. Roll the dice and place a bead on each key that has that note name. (Students can use a penny or other small object.

 

8. Use the hourglass timer with any of these activities. (The hourglass timer is a small game timer that I use to keep things moving. If you have board games at home you likely already have one.)

 

 

Printable

Hi-Low Flash Cards

These can be downloaded for free at palomapiano.com

 

Only one set is needed. Pick a card and place a penny on the corresponding key.

Example: Middle group of two is D

 

 

MORE ADVANCED DICE GAMES

 

Here are some of the other games you can play using wooden dice.

 

1. Have students roll several dice at once and play all of the notes.

 

1. Have students roll the dice and write the note rolled on the staff. I use a chalkboard with the staff drawn on with a permanent marker.

 

1. Use the dice with the fingering numbers to decide how many times a student will play a certain piece or passage.

 

1. Use the numbered dice to decide how many minutes you will work on a given activity during the lesson.

 

 

Printable

Origami Fortune Teller (2 versions beginning and intermediate).

 

This printable Origami Fortune Teller is part of the free Online Game Package at palomapiano.com

 

Download and send one to your student. Have fun doing the folds together. Then your student can play along with you and follow the prompts.

Find it at palomapiano.com

 

 

Advanced Beginner and Early Intermediate Students

 

Students with a bit of experience can play some fun games as well.

 

Here are a few games I like to play that just use the keyboard.

 

Name that tune – See how many notes it takes for your student to identify a song. It could be a familiar folk tune, pop song, or something from their repertoire.

 

Play Back – Start with one note and have your student find it on the keyboard. Add notes one by one, and see how many your students can get right. Your student can test you!

 

Clap back – same as above using rhythm.

 

Sing Back – Same as play-back except your student sings.

 

Printable

Rhythm Card Deck.

 

They are so much fun!

 

Print a set for yourself and have your students print out their own set.

You can find them here.

You can play games like battle or concentration.

 

To play battle each of you chooses a card from the deck, whoever has the higher note value wins the cards. If you get the same note value, turn three cards over and then one up. The highest note value for that card takes all. Keep track by each of you making two plies of cards so that you can count who gets more cards at the end.

 

Here’s how to play with a regular deck of cards.

 

https://www.wikihow.com/Play-War-(Card-Game)

 

 

Intermediate Students

 

Intermediate students can play games too!

They can play most of the games above.

There is an intermediate version of the Origami Fortune Teller.

 

Here are some fun games to play with older students.

 

Name the composer – This game could be played in a few ways depending upon how much experience your students have with music history. You could give some clues about a composer and see if they can guess who it is. You could name pieces and see if your students know the composer, or you could play examples and see if they can identify the composer.

 

Name the musical period or genre – Along the same lines as Name the composer. Except that you would be playing examples for your students or having them listen to a video or recording.

 

Join as a Free Member 

I have many more ideas so stay tuned. To access the online materials, you will have to join as a free member and log in. You never have to pay anything, and I don’t sell your information or anything like that. Paloma Piano is supported by a number of loyal paying Members.

 

You will then be on my email list where I will be sharing more materials and information for you as you move forward with online teaching. You will also have access to other free resources including method books and music.

 

A few last words,

 

Be confident, you know what you are doing. Online is not much different than in-person your students are paying for your knowledge and expertise.

Have fun, and let your students know that you plan to have a great time teaching them online. Take time to stand up and do a crossing the midline activity at the beginning or mid-point of the lesson. Play a game, let the children meet your pet (if you have one) kids love this.

 

We’ve got this! People are pulling together in amazing ways!

 

Love to you all!

Here is a blog for piano parents.

Pianoparents.net

If you would like to find out about becoming a member of Paloma Piano we have a number of very attractive membership options including a free membership that offers a large number of piano scores, teaching resources, and games. The free membership is forever free and no credit card is needed.  Check it out!

All of the free music and resources can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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