I was teaching a young student the other day and remembered that I had a great little game for teaching the white keys. These Keyboard Puzzle Flashcards are shaped such that they only fit on the correct key. I gave the students 7 D pieces and asked him to place the pieces on all the D’s. Then, I did the same for the C’s and the E’s. He then asked if he could do the rest of the letters even though we had not gone over these yet. He really enjoyed the activity and it reinforced the idea that every key has a specific name and “shape” in the topography of the piano.
I got these flashcards from Flo at Pianimals. If you are not familiar with it, Pianimals is an early level curriculum that teaches the students to read music by finger number initially. Although that might seem “dangerous” to some teachers, I have found that it is quite effective in reinforcing finger numbers in students at the early levels. The pieces are all familiar folk songs and children get very excited that they are able to play songs that they know even at the first lesson. Books B and C move on to teach the student how to read music, so it is not a “read by finger only” approach. I’ve had good success with several students in this program (especially students who might need to move more slowly than others).
Flo has graciously posted the pdf of this puzzle on the free section of their website. She says to feel free to take advantage of this free resource for young students!
