Chrissy Ricker
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Fun "First Lesson" Freebies!

8/21/2023

4 Comments

 
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Are you ready for a new year of teaching? Today I am sharing a few of my favorite freebies to help you kick off the first lesson of the year!

These worksheets will give your students an opportunity to review old concepts, improvise and think creatively at the piano, and set goals for the coming year.

Keep reading to see the resource round-up!


Review Activities
1. The "Musical Symbol Scavenger Hunt" worksheet is a great review activity that gets students identifying and drawing musical symbols, as well as counting page numbers and measure numbers in their music.

2. My "Musical Jumbles" are always a hit--and a sneaky way to review sight-reading, ear training, and notation.

Click on the images below for your free PDFs!
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Creative Activities
1. Ease even your youngest students into improv with this fun, haunted house-themed story-telling improv page. You tell the story while students create sound effects to match what they hear.

2. Help students improvise their own piece in sea shanty style with this 2-chord improv activity. (You can also have students notate the melody they create for even more review opportunities.)


Click on the images below for your free PDFs!
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Goal-Setting Activities
1. Help your students both review old favorites and set goals for the future with this combination "Repertoire List and Wish List" printable.

2. Give students a step-by-step process for practicing new pieces with this fun "Practice Cake" printable.


Click on the images below for your free PDFs!
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Want more fun freebies to start the new school year off right? I've got dozens of free resources available on my Free Stuff page. Just click and print what you need!

What do you think? What activities will you be including in your first lessons back this year? Drop a comment below and let me know!

4 Comments
Celeste-tina Hernandez link
8/22/2023 06:16:46 pm

I like the idea of a "practice cake". Who doesn't like cake? I think I'll print out one for each of my students and have them put it in their music binders to refer to when they need help but the teacher or their parent isn't around to help them. Students need to learn to self-help, and I think a practice cake will do the trick!

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
8/23/2023 03:39:48 am

That's exactly how I have used this worksheet--a copy goes into each student's binder at the start of the school year. I hope it is helpful for your students, too! Thank you for your comment!

Reply
Caren Worel
8/29/2023 08:07:00 pm

You are an amazing composer. I love to get your music in the mail/online.
You really add a lot to my studio.
Caren

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
8/30/2023 04:23:55 am

Thank you so much for your kind words, Caren! I'm happy to hear that you and your students have been enjoying my music!

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    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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