5 Popular Pieces You Can Teach by Rote

The idea of rote teaching is not new, but it has resurged in popularity over the last few years. 

If you are looking for ways to incorporate rote teaching in your studio but aren't sure where to start, this article may help! Today I am sharing 5 popular pieces that can be taught by rote to students from the early beginner level. I'll also share the reasons why rote teaching might benefit your students, and what to look for when choosing rote-teachable pieces.

Keep reading to see the list...

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Why is rote teaching important?
I have personally found many benefits to incorporating rote teaching into my lessons:

• Learning a piece by rote can offer a motivational boost for students whose playing skills are ahead of their reading skills right now.
• The process of learning by rote can help students develop a deeper understanding of technique, artistry, and sound because they aren't bogged down trying to "decode" sheet music at the same time they are learning a new piece.
• Learning by rote, then making the connection to sheet music ("rote-to-note"), can help students develop their skills of pattern recognition since they are learning in detail how a pattern sounds and feels, as well as how it looks on the staff.

What makes a piece a good candidate for rote teaching?
The pieces on this list are a good starting point for rote teaching, but there are of course many other pieces that can be taught by rote as well! When choosing a rote piece, I look for the following criteria:

• a simple and/or repetitive melody line
• a repeated chord progression
• short sections that can be taught in "chunks"
• use of familiar finger patterns like 5-finger scales and chords

Here are 5 of my favorite popular pieces to teach by rote, from least challenging to most challenging! You may teach these pieces by ear, or using a version of the sheet music you already have in your library as reference. I've also included links to sheet music you may purchase at various levels that you can use as part of a "rote-to-note" approach with your students.


1. Calm 1 (Minecraft Theme)
This theme that plays at the opening of Minecraft will probably be familiar to all of the gamers in your studio! As the name implies, this piece has a repetitive, meditative feel and is a great introduction to the pentatonic scale, the damper pedal, and the technique of crescendo.

Even early beginners can have success with this piece by learning just the first four measures, since this opening motive makes up the bulk of the piece. Note that the original piece is in the key of F# major, so you can also teach this piece using only the black keys--a bonus for brand-new beginners.

See samples of the sheet music at multiple levels HERE.
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2. Carol of the Bells
The patterned nature and dramatic minor key make this piece a top request at Christmas time! This piece is also a great candidate for rote teaching since it contains just a few simple motives that repeat throughout the piece.

This FREE worksheet introduces beginners to the main melodic and harmonic motives used in this piece and makes a great reference page for students learning this piece by rote.

​Click on the image to download your free PDF! 
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Want a more complete version of this piece? See samples of the sheet music at multiple levels HERE.
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3. Linus and Lucy (Peanuts Theme)
This lively piece from the Charlie Brown movies is always a student favorite. It is easy to teach by rote since the melody and harmony are so repetitive, and they can easily be simplified for less advanced students (as shown in the beginner version of the sheet music linked below).

Most younger students will probably be successful learning this piece in the key of C major (as shown in the sheet music linked below), however more advanced students might wish to try it in the original key of Ab major.

See samples of the sheet music at multiple levels HERE.

4. Fur Elise
How many times have you had a student arrive to their lesson and excitedly play the opening of "Fur Elise" that they learned from a friend? I think one of the reasons this piece has endured in popularity is the fact that it does have a simple, repetitive melody and uses just a few chords in the left hand.

If you would like to take a "rote-to-note" approach to teaching this piece, this handy version of "Fur Elise" contains the complete first section, with a practice page that features the main musical motives from the piece.

​Click on the image to purchase this version of the sheet music with a practice tips page.

5. Passacaglia
The Handel-Halvorsen version of the "Passacaglia" has become "Tik Tok famous" in recent years due to its popularity on the social media platform. This piece is also a great candidate for rote teaching because it uses a repeated chord progression and just a few melodic motives in the right hand. 

The original version of this piece is in G minor, however you can also teach it in A minor (as shown in the sheet music linked below) to help it fit under the hands a bit more comfortably. 

See samples of the sheet music at multiple levels HERE.

What do you think? Have you ever taught any of these pieces by rote? What other well-known pieces would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. If you are looking for even more pattern-based pieces to incorporate into your curriculum, take a look at my "Perfect Pattern" series of original pattern-based pieces for students at every level HERE.