Games

Games make learning fun no matter what your age! Here are some ideas for parents and students that will make your daily practice more enjoyable and effective.

The majority of students under 12 will enjoy all these games. Students over 12 will find the last two especially helpful.

Animal March

Objective: Perform several repetitions.

Supplies: 5-10 small plastic, stuffed, or rubber animals, bugs, etc.

Instructions: Each time your student completes an acceptable repetition, she marches the animal from one location to another. This could be from one side of the piano, music stand, etc to the other side. When all the animals have marched over, your student knows she is finished. Feel free to expand upon this by marching them all back!

Feed your Stuffed Animal

Objective: Perform several repetitions.

Supplies: 5-10 small fake food items that your child's favorite stuffed animal would eat...if he weren't stuffed and your child's favorite stuffed animal.

Instructions: Tell your child that his favorite stuffed animal is very hungry and today he gets to feed him by practicing! Each time your student completes an acceptable repetition he gets to put a food item in his stuffed animal's bowl! Creating a well-balanced diet for your stuffed animal will enable you to get several repetitious activities done in one setting.

Freddy the Frog or Animal Teacher

Objective: This one can fill several objectives: performing a skill accurately, focusing, memory, etc.

Supplies: 1 adult/older sibling + a stuffed animal new to the child.

Instructions:

  1. Tell your child that today she will have a guest teacher who loves helping music students. Introduce her to the stuffed animal (such as "This is Mr. Freddy, the frog"). Tell your child how excited you are that Freddy is here. Tell her that Freddy is shy so he'll only talk to you, the parent.
  2. Following the teacher's instructions, begin practicing. Whenever your child does something really well, Freddy jumps in the air and excitedly tells you what it is and how proud he is. Relay this to your child. Whenever your child does something that could be improved, Freddy whispers in your ear what it is and you relay this to your child. Pretty soon your child will be really excited about pleasing Freddy.
  3. At the end of the practice session let your child hug Freddy. Tell your child that you will do your best to convince Freddy to return tomorrow. Hide Freddy.

"Copy Cat" - Follow the Leader

Objective: Perform a skill accurately.

Supplies: 2 adults/older siblings.

Warning: Parent - ask your child's teacher to clarify the skill and help you to do it first.

Instructions:

  1. Tell your child that you will play a game called Copy Cat. He must copy you exactly. You demonstrate the skill and he copies. The 2nd adult is "judge" and decides whether your child's imitation was exactly like yours. If it did not sound and look exactly the same, the "judge" will make some positive suggestions and the Parent/Student will try again.
  2. Once the student has achieved the skill accurately, the "judge" will close his eyes and the parent and child will play again (in any order). The Judge will try and guess who is playing.

Student as Teacher

Objective: Reinforce what your child is learning or doing well.

Supplies: 1 parent or person any age.

Instructions: Pretend you have forgotten or need help playing something on your child's instrument. Ask her to teach you. When you finally get it, thank her profusely.

Card Memory Game

Objective: To Memorize or Reinforce memory.

Supplies: Pack of numbered cards or numbered slips of paper.

Instructions:

  1. With the help of your child's teacher, divide your child's music into 2-8 measure sections and number them starting at 1. Pick out the corresponding numbered cards and mix.
  2. Pull out one card at a time and play from memory the corresponding section. If you are newly memorizing, learn each section in the order you select the cards.