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Introductory and Meet the Keyboard
Week 1: Introductory Lesson
Studio Policy
Review studio policy with parents and answer any questions. Parents fill out registration form
and sign studio policy. Teacher keeps signed copy and leaves a copy with each parent, usually
stapled inside child’s piano folder.
Trace Hands
Materials: Folder for child, crayon
Instruction: Have the children trace their hands onto the front of the folder and write their
names. With a very young child, ask questions to determine if the he knows which hand is right
and which is left. Explain that each finger is important when we play music and later we will
learn more about how to use our fingers, and if needed, spend some time learning right hand
and left hand.
Fishing for Half Notes
Purpose: Introduce note values for quarter notes and half notes
Materials: Note value fish cards with attached paper clips, worm “bait” cards, fishing pole with
magnet.
Teach: Hold up a fish card with a quarter note and point out how the note looks: it’s a dark black
circle with a stem. Tell students that when they see a note that looks like this, they say “ta”. Ask
the students to find two more ta’s.
Now hold up a half note and point out it’s characteristics. It’s a circle too, but empty inside, and
it has a stem. When we see this note we say “half note”. Be sure to use two beats to say half
note and help the children do the same. Ask the students to find two more half notes.
Do a fast quiz to make sure the children understand. Hold up a quarter note and ask the kids
what we say when we see that note. Repeat with half note and review if necessary.
How to Play: Children take turns drawing a worm card and then fishing for the matching note
on a fish card.
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Lines and Spaces Twister
Purpose: Introduce line notes and space notes
Materials: Note flash cards, giant twister grand staff*
Teach: Tell the students that music notes can be on a line or in a space. Hold up a line note
flash card and point out that the note sits right on top of a line. Now show them a space note
and point out that the note is in a space.
Hold up a flash card and ask the student to say ‘line note” or “space note”. Go through just
enough cards to make sure the child understands the concept.
How to Play: Teacher call out “right hand line” and the students all place their right hand on a
line of the giant twister grand staff. Teacher calls out “left foot space” and students place their
left foot in a space. Continue play by calling out different combinations.
Simplify for students who don’t yet know their right side from their left by calling out “hand on
line” and “foot in space”.
*You can create a giant grand staff for floor games on the back of a Twister mat. Use masking
tape to make five lines. If you don’t have a twister mat, you can use masking tape on an old
sheet. A temporary giant grand staff can be made by simply placing long strands of colored yarn
on the floor.
Same or Different Notes
Purpose: Prepare to read music by learning to carefully examine the relationship between two
notes.
Materials: Large Same or Different Notes flash cards, Large Same or Different Faces
Set up: Place the Same or Different faces on the floor in a large circle. Stand in the center of
the circle and have the children stand next to you.
Teach: Hold up a “different face”. Ask the children if the eyes are the same or different. Now
hold up a “same face” and ask the children if the eyes are same or different. Tell the students
that when they see two notes that are the same, they will run and stand on a
Hold up a “same” notes flash card. Point out that the two notes are on the very same line, so if
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the students see a card like this, they should stand on a “same” face. Repeat the process with a
“different” notes flash card.
Take care to review cards that show notes that are in two different spaces. Emphasize that,
although both notes are in a space, they aren’t in the exact same space, so they are different
notes. When they see this card, students should stand on the “different” face.
How to Play: Teacher and students stand in the center of the circle.Teacher holds up a notes
flash card and the children quickly run to stand on a face.
Once every child has chosen their answer, ask them to say out loud “same” or “different” and
have them hop off their face to reveal their answer. Review as needed and then have students
return to the center to play again.
Week 2: Meet the Keyboard
The Music Alphabet
Materials: Alphabet cards- enough for each to complete the music alphabet at least twice
Teach: Tell students that music uses the alphabet just like books do, but that the music
alphabet is even easier! The music alphabet starts with A and only goes to G. Then it starts over
again with A.
Place a handful alphabet cards on the floor in front of each child and ask them to arrange the
cards in order. Remind them that when they get to G, they should place an A next to it and
make the music alphabet a second time.
If time and materials allow, have the students create a long string of letters that shows the music
alphabet 4 times. Check that the students aren’t leaving a gap between G and A so that they
can learn that A comes right after G.
What Letter’s Next?
Purpose: Review the music alphabet
Materials: Alphabet cards
Set up: Place a jumbled pile of alphabet cards in front of the students. Tell the students that you
will hold up a letter and they will try to be the first one to find the letter that comes next. When
they find the correct letter, they hold it high above their head.
How to Play: Teacher holds up a card and students search for the letter that comes next. When
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a child thinks she’s found the correct answer, she holds it high up in the air. Teacher checks her
answer and if she’s correct she gets to keep the card.
Another round begins when teacher holds up a new card and students race to be the first to find
and hold up the correct card. First student to get 5 cards wins.
Black Key Groups
Purpose: Prepare for learning the names of the keys by becoming familiar with the keyboard.
Materials: Keyboard printout (zoomed out) in page protector for each child, dry erase markers
Teach: Help the students learn about the keyboard by asking guiding questions. You might ask
questions like: What colors are the keys? Can you point to a white key? Now a black key? How
many black keys are in this group? What about this black key group?
Give each student a copy of the keyboard printout and a marker and ask them to circle all the
groups of 2 black keys. Check their answers and then have them erase their boards. Now ask
them to circle all the groups of 3 black keys.
The Den
Purpose: Introduce the names of 3 keys on the keyboard: C,D,E
Materials: Keyboard (or zoomed in keyboard printout), den cut out
Teach: Hold up the cut out and tell students that this is a den. A den is where wild animals live.
Ask them if they’ve ever heard of a lion’s den.
Now ask the children what letter the word den starts with. After they answer “D” tell them that
we’re going to learn how to find the D key on the keyboard. Point to a group of two black keys
and tell them that these two black keys make a den. Place the cutout on top of the two black
keys with the arrow pointing to the D key, point to the D and tell the students that this white key
is called D.
Now give the children a den cutout and ask them to find the D key. Have them find D keys all
over the keyboard- a high D, a low D, and a D in the middle.
Now ask the students to help you with the music alphabet. Students call out the alphabet while
teacher writes it down for everyone to see. Point to the D you just wrote and ask the students
which letter comes before D. After the students say “C” show them where the C key is on the
keyboard. Next ask the students which letter comes after D in the music alphabet and show
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them where the E key is.
Tell the students that if they find the group of two black keys, they now can find C,D and E. Call
out a letter and have students point to the correct key. Allow them to use the den cut out if they
wish. Add more variety for asking for a high C, a low D, or an E in the middle.
If time allows, you can give the students extra practice by giving them each a zoomed out
keyboard printout and dry erase marker. Ask them to write C on all the C keys, then erase and
write D on all the D keys and so forth.
Army Crawl
Purpose: Practice finding C,D,E on the keyboard
Materials: A keyboard or keyboard printout
How to Play: Two students race against each other, crawling on their bellies. The students lie
side by side on their stomachs a little ways away from the keyboard. Teacher calls out a letter
and students quickly army crawl (use their elbows to pull themselves forward. Legs just drag
behind) to the keyboard. The first student to play and name the correct key gets a point.
Week 3: Meet the Keyboard
Review The Music Alphabet
Materials: Alphabet cards- enough for each to complete the music alphabet at least twice
Review: Briefly review the music alphabet and ask students what comes after G. Give the
children alphabet cards and have them correctly arrange the letters to make the music alphabet
repeat at least once.
Point to the C,D, and E alphabet cards and remind the children that last time we learned how to
find these keys. Today we’ll learn how to find F,G,A,B and we’ll use the group of three black
keys to help us find them.
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May not be shared, reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without the expressed written permission of the publisher.
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The Fox Was in the Grass
Purpose: Introduce the names of the F,G,A,B keys.
Materials: Keyboard (or zoomed in keyboard printout), grass, fox, apple and banana cut outs
Teach: Hold up the grass cut out and tell students that this is grass. Ask them what letter
“grass” starts with. When they call out “G”, ask the children to help you find a group of 3 black
keys. Place the grass cut out on top of the three black keys with the arrow pointing to the G key.
Teach the students that this is where the G key is found.
Let the students each take a turn using the grass cut out to find the G key. Help them find it in
multiple places- a high G, middle G and low G.
Now show the students the fox, apple and banana cut outs. Teach the students this sentence
and help them memorize it: The Fox was in the Grass eating Apples and Bananas. After the
students can say the sentence from memory, place the grass cut out on the keyboard and have
them say the sentence slowly while you place the fox, apple and banana cut outs on the correct
keys. Then let each student take a turn to try to correctly place all of the cut outs.
Now let the children practice finding the F key. Give the child only the grass and fox cut outs
and ask them to correctly place the fox on an F key. They can use the grass cut out as an aide.
When they’ve correctly found an F key, ask them to find a higher F, and then a lower F.
Repeat this process with the A and B keys. Give them only the grass cut out and the cut out for
the key you’re focusing on.
If time allows, you can give the students extra practice by giving them each a zoomed out
keyboard printout and dry erase marker. Ask them to write A on all the A keys, then erase and
write F on all the F keys and so forth.
Twist and Play
Materials: 2 Keyboards or 2 keyboard printouts
How to Play: Divide students into two teams and have each team line up behind a keyboard.
The first child in each line stands with her back to the keyboard. Teacher calls out a letter and
the students quickly turn around and play a key. Review their responses. Send the first student
to the back of the line and the second student from each team then takes a turn.
Single Student Modification: Have the student stand with his back to the keyboard. Tell the
student that you will use a timer to see how many keys he can find in 30 seconds. Start the
timer and call out a letter. Student quickly turns around and finds and plays the correct key.
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Teacher immediately calls out a new letter and student tries to find this key. Continue until the
time is up and tell student how many keys he found. Allow the student to try again to improve
his score.
My Speckled Frog
Purpose: Create a song using the C,D,E keys.
Materials: My Speckled Frog composition worksheet for each child
Instruction: Tell the students that between now and next class they will get to make up their
very own song using the C,D,E keys. Students write one letter (C D or E) on each lily pad to
create the song. We’ll listen to their songs next time we meet!
Students that do not have a piano at home can experiment with sounds using a piano app or
website, or they can create a surprise song. The can create a surprise song by just writing down
letter names on the lily pads and then they’ll hear it for the first time when class meets again.
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May not be shared, reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without the expressed written permission of the publisher.