Mid Elementary Set:
- Pages: 37 pages, 32 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index
- Format: PDF instant download
Late Elementary Set:
- Pages: 35 pages, 30 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index
- Format: PDF instant download
Mythical Creatures Set:
- Pages: 24 pages, 19 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
Pet Shop Series Set:
- Pages: 27 pages, 21 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
African Adventure Set:
- Pages: 15 pages, 10 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
Canadian Adventure Set:
- Pages: 16 pages, 11 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
Amazon Adventure Set:
- Pages: 14 pages, 9 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
American Adventure Set:
- Pages: 17 pages, 12 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
Outback Adventure Set:
- Pages: 17 pages, 12 giant flashcards
- Extras: Tune index, Blank template included
- Format: PDF instant download
Music Minis™ are designed to help students learn to process and understand the details in music by focusing on the most important building block of music, the music motive. Music Minis™ take the smallest part of music, the music motive, and blow it up into a huge flashcard which forces students to look at the details in music before attempting to play. This helps them establish processing habits that help them be successful in reading and sight reading.
What Level are Music Minis™?
NOTE: Fingering, articulation, pedaling and everything that is included on the original piece is included in all the snippets on the Music Mini™ Flashcards. The current collections of Music Minis™ (more are coming) from which to choose include:
Elementary Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from Music Kids Love®. The smallest note value is the quarter note and rest. Fingering, articulation, pedaling and everything that is included on the original piece is included in the Music Mini™ Flashcards. This collection does not include music from our exclusive Pet Shop Series or our Mythical Creatures Series (these are forthcoming).
Late Elementary Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from late elementary Music Kids Love®. The smallest note value is the eighth note and rest. Fingering, articulation, pedaling and everything that is included on the original piece is included in the Music Mini™ Flashcards.
Mythical Creatures Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from elementary Mythical Creatures series. The smallest note value in this series is the quarter note except in Leprechaun leaps which has an easy, repetitive eighth note motive.
Pet Shop Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our elementary and late elementary Pet Shop series series. The smallest note value in this series is the quarter note.
African Adventure Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our African Adventure Rote and Reading® series. This series includes 3 piece that can be taught by reading, rote, or a combination of both. The smallest note value in this series is the eighth note.
Canadian Adventure Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our Canadian Adventure Rote and Reading® series. This series includes 3 piece that can be taught by reading, rote, or a combination of both. The smallest note value in this series is the quarter note.
American Adventure Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our American Adventure Rote and Reading® series. This series includes 3 piece that can be taught by reading, rote, or a combination of both. The smallest note value in this series is the quarter note.
Amazon Adventure Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our Amazon Adventure Rote and Reading® series. This series includes 3 piece that can be taught by reading, rote, or a combination of both. The smallest note value in this series is the eighth note.
Outback Adventure Music Minis™ – These motives are extracted from our Outback Adventure Rote and Reading® series featuring animals from Australia. This series includes 3 piece that can be taught by reading, rote, or a combination of both. The smallest note value in this series is the quarter note.
Motive Index Included
Each set of Music Minis™ includes a motive index where you can see each card at a glance and know from what piece the motive is extracted. The piece is linked to in the document, so you can easily click and find the piece when using Adobe Reader or most PDF readers.
How Can I Use Music Minis™?
There are so many ways to use Music Minis™ and in addition to this helpful article on how to improve student focus and sight reading, here are specific ways to use them:
- One Minute Challenge – Ask the student to name as many details in the music in one minute. Ding a call bell for every detail they get correct.
- Where Am I? – If you have the corresponding piece (see tune index and the bottom of each card), ask the student to find the motive in the music. Then play the actual piece and ask the student to ding the bell every time they hear or see the motive or a variation of it.
- Back-and-Forth – Take turns with your student going back and forth naming facts about the motive on the Music Minis™. Whoever can’t think of any more facts loses, the other player wins!
- What’s Next? – Have the student study, then play the motive. Ask them if they can guess what note is next in the actual piece.
- What’s the Story? – Tell the student the name of the piece and then ask them to come up with a story for the piece.
Need more activities and games using Music Minis™? Check out this blog post!
Pat –
I purchased the Music Minis and I am so pleased with them. My students are loving them and it is a real eye-opener to me what has been missed (by me) in their music education. So grateful!
Heather –
I have laminated the music minis and found a unique way of using some. We are having as many theory lessons as we can, outside in the fresh air, while the weather is hot and Covid is around.
I have made the music minis into a basketball game where students throw small balls (with crotchets, minims etc on them) with the appropriate hand, into a basketball hoop. Must follow the correct rhythm, of course. Having great fun. Secret weapon for counting!!!!!
Teresa –
My students really like these music minis! They perk right up when I ask them to name everything they see on the card. It shows me what they understand so a great benefit to both of us. They have helped me to use the same idea when they are learning a new piece. I am always too eager to jump right in by asking them to play through the piece. Seeing how much they like telling me what they see on the music minis helps me to hold on and have them identify things in the new piece before playing it. I expect this fun exercise to pay off for all the years they stick with piano! The cards will be great for contest in group lessons.
Andrea –
These are so helpful and fun! My students love seeing how many things they can find on the music minis. They feel so confident when they approach playing the little motives. And I’ve seen them directly transfer this attention and approach to the pieces they’re playing. Everyone feels good about their sight reading skills! One of the best tools I’ve used.
Scarlett –
It was something new and fun for my student! She struggles with sight reading, so it was encouraging to see how many things she noticed.
Kara –
I love the Music Minis because they consist of separate large print snippets which allow students to focus exclusively on the task at hand. The larger print facilitates seeing the printed music in a different way. It is easy to point things out to students and they can see all of the intervals and markings very clearly.
marian –
These are a game changer! They are the musical equivalent of asking a child to try a small bite of food that is unfamiliar to him. These “minis” are a taste of something new but completely reasonable, manageable and pleasing! Brilliant idea!
Pat –
I have been using the Music Minis as sightreading for my online students. I loved your idea of asking students to name __ number of things about the music before playing. It has been a great way to have my students do sightreading over the internet.
I have also used a call bell as they named their ___ number of things about the music. I think the students like it that way.
Marie Cahill –
I inherited a 9-year old student who is already composing but whose reading ability is severely limited. I’ve tried giving him simple pieces with not much success. I love the music minis because they are bite-sized units that are not overwhelming to someone with a great fear of reading. I’m able to talk him through the necessary steps to accomplish the task. “Bite-sized” is the key for me in this situation.
Debbie –
I figured why should the kids have all the fun. I tried it with both and found them equally as enjoyable for all. We tried it with the first measures of their new pieces. I like that Music Minis helps with musical concepts. 👍👏👍👏
Cheryl Langley –
I have used music mini’s with the call bell. Students tell me as many things they can identify in one minute. I have also used music minis with students going back and forth sharing one thing we notice until we run out of responses. I do this to help some students see what they missed. Both have been well received.
Barbara –
Since I started playing the music minis 1 min bell game, I have noticed that my students have started taking more notice of their music whilst playing other pieces and are ‘actively reading’ more now, and are not just relying on memory and/or guessing!
Audrey Smith –
I love the music minis! At the beginning of every lesson I ask the students to observe everything possible while looking at an example of a music mini for 50 seconds as suggested in the seminar. The music minis not only help tremendously with their sight reading skills but they also provide a great review of dynamic markings, tempos, intervals, key signatures, use of accidentals, and so much more. I am noticing my students are really enjoying them too! ❤️
Frida Nemirovsky –
I find Music Minis so beneficial for students to improve not only their sight reading but better understanding of musical details. Large font and small bite did the trick. My students love it!
Ann –
These are a great addition to my studio, and a real confidence boost to those students who think that they can’t sight read! The 5 in 50 game is a real hit, and students often surprise themselves in so far as they spot way more things than they expected to. I also like that each music mini is taken from a real piece – a game changer when you are planning to introduce that particular piece to the student. Thank you Wendy, great idea 👍🏻🙏
margaret m –
My students absolutely love these music minis. In a short time I have seen their preparation to learning a piece much improve. Bought the first set and shortly afterwards the second set. A great resource.
Beth –
I use the Music Minis with online students. The large size makes them ideal to hold up so the student can easily see them. Students find it easier to analyze the one or two measures that are shown because they are not overwhelmed with information.
Emma –
I am really enjoying the August bundle, Short Sheets and Tune up Tunes. The Music Mini prep sheets have already been a great tool. Just yesterday I had a student say, “Yeah, once you learn this (music mini) you learn a lot of the song.” He was playing ‘Dinosaur Drift.’ I smiled and told him he was absolutely right!
Alice Kay –
These are awesome! I love the short format with lots of details ! Thank you for publishing these!!
Angel –
👏Thank YOU for creating so many excellent resources! The Short Sheets and Music Minis are great for helping to teach sight-reading at the piano. And the fact that the Music Minis are large really helps students to get used to noticing all the details on the score.
Maria Jacobsen –
These Music Minis are going to be so helpful to prepare my students for music events. Our music organization has a
Fundamental Fair which includes sightreading, and the State District Festivals also have sightreading included. Students are fearful of this, because they can’t prepare or practice for this . These Music Minis will guide them how to prepare for any sightreading test. The game ideas and steps for successful sight-reading will help the student be more focus and not panic when a piece of music is placed in front of them. I love the examples and will use these often.
Jerri –
The Music minis I ordered I have been using quite regularly with 2 adult students that have difficulty with rhythm and continuity in their playing, those are short and in large print, so they are perfect for older adults, and they can play them with correct rhythm!! I have really enjoyed those, keep making them 🙂 They would never really be interested in the songs that go with them, but the patterns are interesting and motivating. I have them just put a repeat sign at the end and play it through over and over. It helps them to experience good steady rhythm in their playing. THANK YOU!
Melody –
I have loved the Music – Minis – and the children have learned so much – and it has also been a great help with their sight-reading – most of the time they just don’t take the time to look carefully.
Jerri Headrick –
Yes! I say make more 🙂 These have so many uses, I use them with adult students too to increase continuity and flow in their playing, as well as review a few terms, the fact that they are large print helps with older adult students . These can also be used to review terms, transpositions, composing more to it on the spot, have a sightreading contest etc. . . so many fun helpful uses!!