Violin Finger Number Vending Machine
I created the violin finger number vending machine worksheet for a little student who is just starting to place fingers on the fingerboard. The finger number vending machine works for viola and cello as well since they use the same finger numbers! I wanted a fun activity to help this budding violinist remember the number for each left hand finger. By seeing the number on the page and then touching the finger and thumb to an object I hope it helps remember the finger number. I also wanted to have a tactile experience of picking up an object between the thumb and finger and not squeezing. So the finger number vending machine…
Chips & Salsa Time Signature Game
I love chips and salsa! So, combining one of my favorite foods with some music theory out comes, Chips and Salsa Time Signature Game! You can adapt this time signature game to use it with one student in a lesson or with multiple students in a group lesson. The overall point of this time signature game is to match the tortilla chip rhythm cards with the correct bowl of salsa. What you need to know to play Chips and Salsa Time Signature Game: 1. The student should understand that “A four on the bottom of means a quarter note gets one beat!” All of the time signature salsa bowls have…
Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Joplin
This great composers note reading worksheet on Scott Joplin. Joplin is called “America’s King of Ragtime.” Joplin was born in Texarkansas, Arkansas. His father was a former slave from North Carolina. His mother was a freeborn African American from Kentucky. Joplin was the second oldest of 6 children. Both of his parents enjoyed making music. Joplin’s father played the violin and his mother played banjo and sang. Joplin began taking music lessons after school and really enjoyed it. Then his parents separated, and as a teenager Joplin tried playing piano on the weekends at party and restaurants to help support his mother and siblings. Joplin’s Music Education One of Joplin’s…
Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Piazzolla
Here is a great composers note reading worksheet on Piazzolla. Astor Piazzolla is a Latin American composer who was born in Argentina. His family moved to New York City when he was 5. Then the Piazzollas moved to Buenes Aires when Astor was 19. Throughout his adult life he lived in New York, Buenes Aires, and Argentina. His father bought a bandoneon from a New York pawn shop. And so Piazzolla’s music education began. Are you wondering what a bandoneon is? It is like an accordion. Piazzolla became a master at playing the bandoneon. He played the bandoneon in his tour band. You can see Piazzolla playing a bandoneon in the youtube…
Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Mozart
This worksheet introduces Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as the next great composer note reading worksheet for beginning violinists and violist. Students will review the notes on the A string and E, F and G on the E string for violin. And viola students will review D string notes, and A, B and C on the A string. Students identify the note name in order to fill in the missing letters to complete words. Then they can read the story about Mozart. It is yet another way to reinforce note names away from the instrument. And at the same time teach them about the lives of the composers. Mozart’s works for violin are a…
The Story of The Nutcracker in Music Notes
This is the story of The Nutcracker, the most famous ballet of all time, in music notes. Just a few facts about what was happening in Tchaikovsky’s life while he was writing the music for this ballet. Many have a family tradition of going to a performance of the Nutcracker every year. While this year might be a little different, thanks to technology we can still access and enjoy the music we have come to love at Christmas. Tchaikovsky based the story on E.T.A. Hoffman’s fantasy story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The BBC has a dramatized recording of this story. There are other audio books and dramatized recordings that you can…
Can You Find the Hidden Notes?
I loved reading Highlights Magazine as a kid. There was always one hidden picture in each magazine. I would spend so much time pouring over these pictures looking for the lists of items. So, here is a fun worksheet using basic music symbols! Can you find the hidden notes and music symbols? This is a list of symbols and notes that a student needs to be able to recognize in order to succeed at solving the puzzle. List of Hidden Notes Treble Clef Bass Clef Alto Clef Whole Note Half Note Quarter Note Quarter Rest Half Rest Whole Rest Time Signature – 3/4 Eighth Notes Forte Piano Mezzo Forte Up…
Rhythm Flashcards
Here are some printable rhythm flashcards. These flashcards use the basic rhythm values that beginning students learn. These patterns are set using 4/4 time, but that is not written on the cards. Often method books introduce rhythm by teaching the names of the note values and how many beats each note gets. There are two patterns on each page. After you print out the rhythm patterns, cut down the middle of the page to create individual cards. I like to print these on card stock so that the flashcards hold up better. How to the Flashcards in a Lesson Students can clap each card and say the names of the note…
Great Composers Note Reading Worksheet – Vivaldi
Here is a great composers note reading worksheet on Vivaldi. While most of the Baroque composers composed for strings, Vivaldi was prolific. He wrote over 200 concertos for violin. Being a violinist himself we see his great love for the instrument as well as his virtuosic skill in all his compositions. He took orders as a priest and served as a priest for year and a half. But due a health condition he was given a dispensation to not participate in Mass. Because of his red hair, he was nicknamed “The Red Priest.” Vivaldi the Teacher-Composer He began to teach violin at Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned girls. Under Vivaldi’s teaching…
How to Draw Quarter Notes
Here is a worksheet on how to draw quarter notes. It’s perfect for young students. Whether the student is learning to play an instrument or just exploring music, his worksheet is perfect for ages 4-6. My young students are just getting ready to enter kindergarten, so their writing and small muscle skills are still developing. These notes are large and the young student can trace quarter notes. The notes are drawn in dot to dot. Students also learn how to draw quarter note stems going up and down. First students trace 5 quarter notes with stems going up. Trace the circle. Color in the circle. Trace the stem. Then, they…
