Music Alphabet Games for Young Students

by Patti Kolk

In my bag of teaching tricks, props, and games, I use multiple options to reinforce beginning concepts for young students ages 4-6 years. In my teaching, I have noticed students who appeared to understand a specific concept, but then return the next week not confident with the concept. These music games for young students have been helpful to me as I reinforce concepts.

Musical Alphabet Games

Here are some beautiful letters that you can print with music artwork on them. I printed out letters A-G, representing the musical alphabet, plus 5 additional letters. I cut out the letters and then laminated then.

After laying out letters A-G, I ask the student to put the alphabet in order. After the student does this, I ask him to close his eyes, while I add the additional 5 letters to his row of correctly placed letters. The student has to pick out the incorrect letters in the musical alphabet.

Next, the student closes his eyes and I remove a letter(s) from the musical alphabet. The student identifies what is missing.

Students cannot help to become engaged in the activity as a teacher and student with these over sized printables and eye catching graphics!

Hamster Music Alphabet Games

I like to use props in tandem with the printables as another option. Young students love the collectible eraser craze from Japan! These hamsters with alphabet letters on their tummies are adorable.

I cut out the hamsters and laminate them. Students either use this keyboard from Wendy or sit at the piano.

I have the student place the cards in alphabetical order and place a hamster eraser on each card. Next, we adjust the cards so the scale starts with C through B. I have the student place the hamster eraser on each corresponding piano key. When we are seated at the piano, we place the cards and hamsters across the rack and again find the appropriate match on the keyboard.

There are a variety of erasers that children collect, and I found mine at Michael’s craft store. I have seen them at Oriental Trader’s website, Five Below stores, and Staples. You can also purchase them on Amazon.

Penguin Music Alphabet Games

I like to stick with a theme, if possible with introducing beginning concepts. I love the Penguin erasers that Anne Crosby uses on her site here. So in keeping with the penguin theme, I found penguin themed alphabet cards.

As with the above description of the hamsters’s game, I bought penguin erasers seen in the photo at Piano Anne’s link. Next, I can use a single penguin with the concepts described in Anne’s article.

Here are some penguin erasers from Amazon.

Patti Kolk holds a B.A. from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH. She has taught piano, guitar, woodwinds and voice in the greater Cleveland, OH area for over 25 years. She is a Lifetime member of the Cleveland Piano Teachers’ Organization and served as past president for two years. She has been a member of MTNA and a certified instructor with Music For Young Children program. She has been a marketing consultant and clinician for the Piano Education division of Hal Leonard and has conducted technology workshops in tandem with Roland. Currently, she volunteers her time as a survivor speaker for the American Cancer Society survivors’ program “Voices of Hope” and mentor with Scott Hamilton’s CARES Initiative.