Free Download: Piano Muscle Builders for Older Beginners

February 2, 2015 Jennifer Boster

I have been wanting for a long time to make a “muscle builder” technique booklet for older beginners – something similar to the My Muscle Builder Books but less cutesy and more concise, something that could be used by beginners who are teenagers or even adults. I finally have taken one that I made a couple of years ago and revamped it a bit, and I’m excited to offer it to you today as a free download!

Piano Muscle Builders, Level 1: White-Key 5-Finger Patterns covers all of the same material that is in My Muscle Builder Book 1, and much of the same material in My Muscle Builder Book 2. Concepts/exercises in this book include five-finger scales, simple arpeggios, “fancy” arpeggios, and block chords in the fourteen white-key major and minor keys.

As older beginners use this book, my goal is that they accomplish three main objectives: understand what they are playing, learn to play with good technique, and play with a musical purpose. To achieve these goals, this book contains more theory and terminology explanations than the My Muscle Builder Books; each page contains reminders of good technical practices; and exercises include articulation suggestions to make them musical.

I have also included a review at the end of the book to test students’ knowledge of the exercises learned. This review includes spelling all of the major and minor chords, playing the scales and chords all in a row, and notating the major and minor chords on the staff.

This resource is available as a free digital download and is 12 pages long. It may be downloaded in this post, or on the Muscle Builders page of The Teaching Studio Store, or on the Freebies page. I hope you enjoy it!

Piano Muscle Builders, Level 1: White-Key 5-Finger Patterns

12 pages

Now Available: Muscle Builder Book 6

January 28, 2015 Jennifer Boster

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Now available to purchase is the 6th book in the My Muscle Builder Book series! This book is a lot of fun and continues to build on the techniques learned in previous books.

In Book 6 we continue working on hands-alone two-octave major white key scales, this time adding in some interesting rhythms and articulations to help make our scales more even and musical. We begin working on hands-alone two-octave black key major scales as well, using our Sneaky Thumb and Finger Crossover exercises to achieve a nice, even scale.

Students will review chord inversions, playing some inversion exercises in all of the white key minor keys – these exercises include “walking up” the chords one note at a time as well as playing them in block chords.

Next, students will do some simple transposing into the keys of D-flat, E-flat, G-flat, A-flat and B-flat.

And who doesn’t love playing a good, fast chromatic scale?? In Book 6 we learn the right hand and left hand fingerings of the chromatic scale, and then practice each one several different ways – gradually speeding it up with a metronome, playing it in different rhythms – until we get to try and play it at lightning speed!

And finally, students will work on listening and identifying a few different intervals – minor 2nds, major 2nds, and perfect 4ths, 5ths and 8ths. Each exercise is accompanied by colorful diagrams of the notes in each scale and the correct fingerings, so students of any age will be able to become fluent in playing all over the piano.

As always, this product is in the format of a digital download. I recommend printing the Muscle Builder Book in booklet form, with 2 pages per sheet, then folding and stapling together. Each exercise has a little circle that students/teachers can check off or place a sticker on when the exercise is mastered.

Also available is the companion Muscle Builder Extras – Book 6, which includes 2 reference sheets: black key major scales (right hand fingering and left hand fingering) and chromatic scales (right hand fingering and left hand fingering). It also includes a 2-page “Book 6 At a Glance” sheet, a handy sheet where you can check off and keep track of your students’ progress.

Both resources may be purchased in this post, or in the Teaching Studio Store on the Muscle Builders page.

My Muscle Builder Book 6
42 pages, digital download

My Muscle Builder Extras – Book 6
4 pages, digital download

My Muscle Builder Book 4 now available!

September 5, 2013 Jennifer Boster

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My Muscle Builder Book Level 4 is here! I love how it turned out and I’m so excited for it (and the other levels that are also in the planning stages…).

Level 4 of the My Muscle Builder Books builds on piano techniques already learned in books 1 through 3. In this book the student will learn the black-key 5-finger scales, finger cross-overs, the blues scale and more!

Many have asked why I did not introduce the black-key scales in a previous level. I have used these books with students as young as five years old, and I wanted those little fingers to get a chance to get used to the trickier fingerings before diving into the black keys. I am excited to now have all of the major five-finger scales covered in the Muscle Builder Books, and I think students will excel in these black-key scales that contain a lot of thumbs crossing under and fingers crossing over, especially after the material covered in book 3.

In this book, students will also play their scales in many various articulations to encourage expression at the piano. As always, it is in downloadable e-book format. Level 4 contains 22 pages. You will receive a link for instant download following payment.

I recommend printing this as a booklet with 2 pages per sheet, and stapling it together.

Here is a little preview of what you will find in Book 4:

Here’s what other teachers are saying about My Muscle Builder Books!

“The illustrations make it almost impossible for a child to practice errors! The students enjoy seeing their progress and becoming very familiar with the curriculum by the time they are midway through.”

“I like that it’s a book I can distribute to my students without making them buy another book. It has most of the technique things I’d really like them to know and my students like that it’s fast and repetitive. They really like activities that give them opportunities to earn many stickers. I like that they’re more visual with pictures of keyboards rather than notes on a staff.”

“I like that it is colorful without being babyish and the instructions are simple and clear making it “easy” for children to learn.”

“You have done a great job putting this together and made it attractive.”

“I love, love, love your books. Thank you so much.”

You may purchase My Muscle Builder Book 4 here, or you can find it here in the Teaching Studio Store.

My Muscle Builder Book 4
Price: $10.00

Find the other My Muscle Builder Books here:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3

Recommended: Play It Again, Sam!

August 20, 2013 Jennifer Boster

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I just read a really fabulous book that I think any piano teacher will enjoy and be able to utilize in their studio and in their own learning and performing. It is by Marienne Uszler and is called Play It Again, Sam… What, Why, and When to Repeat.

I absolutely loved this book that delves into questions about repetition in piano-playing and teaching. It encourages teachers and students to stay actively engaged in the learning process and to develop an awareness and an inner feedback that will ensure thoughtful and helpful repetitions.

It differentiates between kinesthetic and conceptual learning and gives many helpful, practical tips to help your students learn better and develop better technique. It’s all about differentiating between what type of skill is needed for different musical tasks – is it physical, visual, mental, auditory, or a synthesis of multiple skills? – and then knowing which skills require what type of repetition.

The author discusses how to teach your students to practice thoughtfully. I also loved the discussion on facts vs. “big ideas” and concept “chunking” – or the idea that small facts and basic concepts apply in larger examples and concepts and so on and so on until a student has a really sound understanding of advanced musical concepts and forms.

I was pleasantly surprised at the depth at which this topic was discussed, and kind of blown away by it! I had so many “a-hah” moments in reading this short book. I think it is an amazing resource for any teacher looking to improve their effectiveness.

I actually couldn’t put this book down. I can’t wait to apply these awesome concepts in my teaching and performing!

Find this book and more under my I Recommend page!

Teaching Tip Tuesday: Highlight It!

October 9, 2012 Jennifer Boster

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