Today I am excited to tell you about a new practice resource made available by Andrea and Trevor over at Teach Piano Today (which, by the way, is an amazing resource full of fun and creative ideas for piano teachers…I am excited to peruse their website more and I’m inspired by their creativity!).
SHHHH… Your Piano Teacher Thinks This is Practice is a book with 88 fun, creative and sometimes random practice exercises and games that will “exhilarate, motivate, and inspire piano students to practice each and every single day… with no hassle, no struggle, no prodding, and no bribing!” (quoted from their website – sounds like a good deal to me!)
The format of the book is super fun, with cute illustrations on each page. It’s kind of like a top-secret notebook full of fun things to do; it is written in a fun and humorous way, and even includes a couple of notes to the neighbors, apologizing for the loud piano music and saying “the book made me do it!” This book seems like something I would have loved as a kid!
As I read through these exercises I found myself smiling and laughing at some of the clever and inventive ways the authors have come up with to encourage children to practice their pieces. Don’t just clap a rhythm…hop it on one leg! Call up a relative and give them a performance over the phone! Each exercise has students drilling measures, playing pieces in creative ways, identifying and practicing difficult measures, working on articulation, turning pieces into fairy tales, balancing on one foot while drilling rhythm, doing number games to determine number of repetitions for a section of a piece, coloring, cutting things out, etc. There will never be a dull practice day with this fun book.
(Here are some sample pages made available by the authors on their website.)
Not only are these exercises creative and fun, but most of them also encourage good and sound practicing techniques. I think that through doing these exercises students will not only have more fun with their practicing, but they will become better and more thoughtful practicers. This book is meant as a supplement to the student’s regular practicing. It is a perfect way to add a little excitement to the practice session.
I really think this is a fantastic resource and cannot wait to use it with some of my students. As there are 88 daily exercises in the book, I can’t help but think what a wonderful summer practicing program this would make! I LOVE that when you purchase the book, you are granted the right to make unlimited copies for your private piano studio. What a great deal!
Andrea and Trevor have been kind enough to offer to give away a copy of their book to TWO lucky Teaching Studio readers! To enter, please leave me a comment! Giveaway ends on Friday, May 1 at 11:59 pm Central time. Winner will be announced Saturday morning.
