Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson on the basics of playing piano.
🎲 What’s included in the activities:
💻 Materials:
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
Upright piano - this is an acoustic piano which means that it does not need any electricity, batteries or an on/off button to be ready to be played on. It has a keyboard and a vertical “box” behind it - hence the name “upright”. The box contains little hammers and strings which help to make a sound mechanically. The upright piano is usually placed against a wall.
Grand piano - also an acoustic piano - no electronics needed. However, grand pianos have a much longer backside to make room for the hammers and longer strings. These are the “big” pianos usually seen in concert halls.
Electronic or Digital Pianos - these pianos are smaller than upright and grand pianos. Some of them can even be easily lifted up and transported from one place to another. These pianos need a power source to work (e.g. electricity). The sound is usually more “artificial” than from an upright or grand piano; however, you can also make cool sound effects with these and even change the timbre.
Toy Pianos - a smaller version of electronic/digital pianos. They are light to pick up, and they usually have no more than 20-30 keys.
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
The teacher is holding up the 2nd finger of the right hand;
The teacher is holding up the 4th finger of the left hand.
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
🕐 Time: 3 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
Use the keyboard on the screen as a hint.
Make sure your fingers are curved and your palm is lifted, not laying flat on the keys!
🕐 Time: 10 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎶 Recommended Songs:
🎲 Activity:
🕐 Time: 5 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
How did you like piano?
What was fun when you played piano?
What was challenging when you played piano?
What other songs would you like to learn to play on the piano?
🕐 Time: 3 min
🎯 Objectives:
🎲 Activity:
Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…
Students will get familiar with various piano types, play the C key and C chord on the piano. They will also try to play the C chord in a song.
The timing and pacing of the exercises in this lesson plan example are approximate and will differ depending on your students' skill level. If the pace of this lesson plan is too fast for you, divide it into several lessons and add additional activities (see 'Activities' section). If the pace of this lesson plan is too slow for you, explore the 'Beyond the lesson' chapter at the end of this lesson plan for additional activities.
⏰ Time: 45 min
🎓 Grades: 1-12
🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will be able to...
💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:
💻 Materials:
🕐 5 min - Introduce the song
🕐 5 min - What kind of piano are you playing on?
Upright piano - this is an acoustic piano which means that it does not need any electricity, batteries or an on/off button to be ready to be played on. It has a keyboard and a vertical “box” behind it - hence the name “upright”. The box contains little hammers and strings which help to make a sound mechanically. The upright piano is usually placed against a wall.
Grand piano - also an acoustic piano - no electronics needed. However, grand pianos have a much longer backside to make room for the hammers and longer strings. These are the “big” pianos usually seen in concert halls.
Electronic or Digital Pianos - these pianos are smaller than upright and grand pianos. Some of them can even be easily lifted up and transported from one place to another. These pianos need a power source to work (e.g. electricity). The sound is usually more “artificial” than from an upright or grand piano; however, you can also make cool sound effects with these and even change the timbre.
Toy Pianos - a smaller version of electronic/digital pianos. They are light to pick up, and they usually have no more than 20-30 keys.
What kind of piano are you playing on today?
🕐 5 min - Exercise 1 - Let's get handy!
The teacher is holding up the 2nd finger of the right hand;
The teacher is holding up the 4th finger of the left hand.
🕐 5 min - Exercise 2 - Do you C the black key pairs?
🕐 10 min - Exercise 3 - Build the C chord!
Use the keyboard on the screen as a hint.
Make sure your fingers are curved and your palm is lifted, not laying flat on the keys!
🕐 10 min - Exercise 4 - Ho Hey, let's play!
🕐 5 min - Discussion