Category: Free Stuff

Free Christmas and Winter Repertoire Lists

11/12/2019

One of the projects I like to have my students do during November and December is to create a list of all of the fun holiday music they are learning. I think this is especially important for my younger students, who are very motivated to see their repertoire lists grow as they learn more and more pieces. It is also a great way to create a performance goal for all of my students--I encourage them to use the music on these lists to perform for their families over our holiday break!

Today I am sharing these repertoire list templates with you. Feel free to print these out and use them with your students this holiday season! There is one list for Christmas repertoire, and a second list for winter repertoire that can be used by students who don't celebrate Christmas or by those who want to continue their repertoire lists into the new year.

Click HERE or on the photos below to download both of these repertoire lists in a single PDF file. Happy holidays!

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A Free Thanksgiving Lead Sheet!

10/26/2019

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When it comes to holiday music, Thanksgiving often seems to be overlooked. There are hundreds of well-known Christmas songs--yet how many songs can you think of that are associated with Thanksgiving?

Today's freebie features a classic tune whose lyrics were inspired by a Thanksgiving poem. In 1844, author Lydia Maria Child wrote a poem entitled "The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day" inspired by her childhood memories of visiting her grandfather's house. This poem was later paired with a traditional tune to create the song we now know as "Over the River and Through the Woods," which is often sung during the holiday season.

Today I am sharing a lead sheet activity featuring this famous tune that gives your students a chance to practice their harmonizing skills! This tune can be harmonized using just the primary chords in the key of C major: I, IV, and V7. To complete this worksheet, students will play the given melody, then choose the primary chord that they think works best and write it on the lines provided above the staff. Each primary chord will be used more than once.

Once students have filled in their chosen chords, they can play the complete song and experiment with a variety of left hand accompaniment patterns, such as blocked, broken, or waltz-style chords. More advanced students might also enjoy the extra challenge of transposing this tune, along with their chosen primary chords, to a different key.

Click HERE or on the picture above to download your free copy of this Thanksgiving lead sheet!

What do you think? Will you be assigning any special activities for Thanksgiving this year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

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A Spooky Classical Freebie!

9/28/2019

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October is a great time to introduce a few spooky pieces in your studio--and a great way to introduce your students to Classical favorites that they might hear around Halloween!

Today I am sharing a free, elementary-level arrangement of the opening theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. This fun piece includes several concepts that are great for elementary students: playing both hands in unison, listening carefully for dynamic contrasts, crossing finger 2 over the thumb, and moving both hands down an octave.

Click HERE or on the picture above to get your free copy. And don't forget to check my Free Stuff page HERE for more fun Halloween music!

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Free Christmas and Winter Repertoire Lists

A Free Thanksgiving Lead Sheet!

A Spooky Classical Freebie!

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