Chrissy Ricker
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7 Holiday Hacks to Use in Your Lessons this Season!

12/13/2024

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If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have noticed my "Holiday Hacks" series of teaching tips over the past few weeks. (And if you don't follow me there...what are you waiting for? I share teaching tips, information about new releases, freebies, and more, 5 days a week over on those platforms!)

My "holiday hacks" give you easy ideas for fun ways to use holiday songs to work on ear training, music theory, improvisation, and much more during this busy time of year.

​Today, I am sharing all 7 holiday hacks here in one handy blog post, along with free printables that you can use with your students as you wrap up the year!

Keep reading to see more...


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New Sports-Themed Mini-Books!

2/24/2024

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I am excited to share the newest additions to my "Mission: X" series, now available at Piano Pronto!

"Mission: X, Play Ball!" and "Mission: X, Get in the Game!" are designed to give students reinforcement with RHYTHM! The drills included in each book give students the opportunity to write, chant, and clap the rhythms used in the music.

Each mini-book includes:
  • 4 fun, sports-themed pieces inspired by basketball, baseball, football, and more!
  • An activity page for each piece that introduces the rhythms used in the music.
  • A page of "bonus challenges" that helps students review the concepts introduced in the book.
  • Interesting sports trivia facts that give students insight into the titles of each piece.​

Click on the covers below to see sample pages and listen to every piece in these new books!

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This collection for elementary students focuses on eighth notes, eighth rests, and easy dotted rhythms.
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This collection for late elementary students reviews eighth notes and eighth rests, then focuses on triplets and swing rhythm.
What is the "Mission: X" series?
The "Mission: X" books feature exciting, themed pieces with accompanying activity pages that introduce and reinforce the concepts used in the music. Use this series with:
  • students who need extra reinforcement before moving on to the next level in their method books.
  • students who need an alternative to the traditional method book.
  • students who need more practice with a specific concept, such as counting eighth notes, playing sharps and flats, etc. 

Check out the whole "Mission: X" series at Piano Pronto HERE!
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Musicianship Monthly for December

11/28/2021

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A new month means a new opportunity to incorporate a fun musicianship skill into your lessons! (Want to learn more about Musicianship Monthly and see past activities? Click HERE!)

This month, we will be focusing on an important musicianship skill that often gets overlooked: rhythmic dictation! 

Keep reading for a free, holiday-themed rhythmic dictation activity you can do with your students this month!


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Free Spooky Rhythm Activity Sheets!

9/30/2017

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One of my favorite ways to work on rhythm with my students is to use rhythm words. Chanting words to rhythm notes is a good way to help students develop rhythmic fluency and learn to spot rhythmic patterns.

You've probably seen other examples of activities using rhythm words such as fruit, candy bars, or animals. With October almost here, I decided to create a rhythm activity for my students with a Halloween theme. This activity helps students to learn to recognize and count eighth note and sixteenth note patterns.

To use this activity, print out the rhythm chart and rhythm flashcards, making as many copies as you need to create multiple rhythmic patterns. Then try a few of the following ideas to practice these rhythms with your students:

1. Copycat rhythms: Clap a rhythm while saying the rhythm words from the chart, then have the student repeat. After a few repetitions, clap the rhythm without saying the words and have the student clap it back while saying the correct rhythm words.

2. Identify the rhythm: Clap a rhythm and have students use the rhythm cards to build the correct pattern.

3. Build a new rhythm: Give students a time signature and ask them to build one measure of their own rhythm using the cards, then clap it back.

4. Spot the mistake: create a rhythm using the rhythm cards and clap the rhythm with one beat clapped incorrectly. Ask students to spot the mistake and swap the rhythm card out for the correct one. 

Click HERE to download your free spooky rhythm chart and flashcards.
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What do you think? How else might you use this spooky rhythm activity with your students? Please share in the comments!

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    Author

    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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