In this blog post, I talked about my favorite first lesson activities for a brand-new beginning student. But what kind of activities do you plan for returning students for the first lesson of the school year?
In today's post, I share a lesson plan for returning students, with links to a few of my favorite resources to start your year off on the right foot!
Keep reading for some first-lesson-back inspiration!
In today's post, I share a lesson plan for returning students, with links to a few of my favorite resources to start your year off on the right foot!
Keep reading for some first-lesson-back inspiration!
What does my lesson plan for the first lesson of the school year look like?
Although my lesson plan varies a bit depending on the student, in general I have these four goals in mind for my first lesson of the year:
1. Review favorite summer repertoire and discuss goals for the new school year.
I always find a good ice-breaker activity is to have students play a favorite piece that they learned (or reviewed for fun) over the summer. This is a good way to see exactly how rusty students might be, especially if they spent a lot of time away from the piano over the summer.
This leads quite naturally into a discussion of what goals a student might have for the upcoming year. Is there a particular piece they are itching to learn? A style they would be really interested in exploring? Maybe they want to finish a current repertoire book or participate in a competition this year?
Although my lesson plan varies a bit depending on the student, in general I have these four goals in mind for my first lesson of the year:
1. Review favorite summer repertoire and discuss goals for the new school year.
I always find a good ice-breaker activity is to have students play a favorite piece that they learned (or reviewed for fun) over the summer. This is a good way to see exactly how rusty students might be, especially if they spent a lot of time away from the piano over the summer.
This leads quite naturally into a discussion of what goals a student might have for the upcoming year. Is there a particular piece they are itching to learn? A style they would be really interested in exploring? Maybe they want to finish a current repertoire book or participate in a competition this year?
I like to give each student this handy "Repertoire/Wish List," to keep in their assignment binders.
We start filling out this list in our first lesson and add to it as the semester progresses. Get your free PDF HERE!
2. Brush up on music theory, technique, and note reading that might be rusty.
I like to have a few fun activities planned to review note names, theory, and technique at this first lesson! Here are a few resources that can help:
I like to have a few fun activities planned to review note names, theory, and technique at this first lesson! Here are a few resources that can help:
- Check out my post HERE on 10 activities you can do using puzzle erasers to review all of the concepts mentioned above!
- If you have a computer, tablet, or iPad available in your lesson, the free exercises found HERE on Music Theory.net are great for reviewing note names, key signatures, intervals, and more!
- Want to do a little sight-reading? Check out the free sheet music at G Major Music Theory or on my Free Stuff page.
- Finally, here are a few of my favorite (and fun) worksheets that come in handy for reviewing concepts. Click on the pictures below to download your free PDF:
 Musical jumbles are a sneaky way to review ear training and notation skills. Includes both treble and bass clef worksheets. |  Review major and minor pentascales with this worksheet--even more fun when you build these scales on the piano using puzzle erasers! |  Use dice to help students review intervals up to a sixth! |
3. Pick out some exciting new repertoire to start the year.
I love helping students choose a new piece at this first lesson that will really spark their motivation for the year ahead! Here are a few repertoire ideas from my own catalog:
4. End the lesson with a fun, creative activity.
Here are a few of my favorites that work with students of multiple levels. Click on the pictures below to download your free PDF:
I love helping students choose a new piece at this first lesson that will really spark their motivation for the year ahead! Here are a few repertoire ideas from my own catalog:
- Check out a few of my favorite Halloween arrangements in this blog post.
- Do you have video game fans in your studio? I have lots of new arrangements available over at Musicnotes, with single pieces starting at just $3.99! You can browse them all and filter by level HERE.
- Boost your students' confidence with some exciting pattern-based music! I love teaching patterned pieces because students can learn them quickly, but they often sound more difficult than they are to play. My "Perfect Patterns" series has 4 volumes of engaging, pattern-based music for students from the elementary to intermediate level.
4. End the lesson with a fun, creative activity.
Here are a few of my favorites that work with students of multiple levels. Click on the pictures below to download your free PDF:
 Improvise a 12 bar blues with this activity that can be customized for beginning to intermediate students. |  Create a piece inspired by fall. Includes instructions for how to adapt this activity to students of different levels. |  Improvise an original pop-inspired piece using this famous chord progression. More advanced students can vary the left hand using different accompaniment patterns. |
What do you think? What fun activities do you have planned for your first lesson of the year? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
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