This mini-essay by Dr. Julie Knerr inspired me to use consistant colors in my teaching this year. For my students in the Piano Safari method, it has really helped secure their understanding of intervals. My students do not mark every interval, but each time a new interval is introduced, we color it a particular color. I made this color chart to hang in my studio so that we use the same colors every time.
Download the Colors Reference Sheet
My students really enjoy coloring their pieces and sight-reading cards before playing. Here is an example of a sight-reading card that a young student colored:
Lauren teaches piano to students of all ages in New Orleans, LA. Teaching is her passion. She enjoys creating resources for her students and is the author of Ready for Theory®.
Hi Lauren! I, like you, had to print something to help me remember which color to use. Not being consistent with color defeats the purpose! I love yours, thanks for sharing. It was great meeting you this week at MTNA as well!
Thanks for your great session! Glad we can keep in touch 😀
I like the idea of using consistent colors! The soft yellow seems very appropriate for rests. I ” hand over the pencil” a lot in lessons and wrote a this blogpost several years ago with other ideas for students to color elements in their music to facilitate learning. I especially love the Crayola erasable colored pencils so students can fix mistakes if they don’t color it right on the first try. colohttp://heidispianonotes.blogspot.com/2010/04/hand-over-pencil-actively-engaging.html