CKQC022: Learning piano keys with the CDE and FGAB songs from Piano Safari

Preschoolers need lots of practice with finding the piano keys if they’re going to be really successful. Older students will automatically start finding these based on patterns – but preschoolers need to be taught strategies to do this.

Along with games, worksheets and other activities, I’ve started teaching all my young students these two songs from Piano Safari’s Pattern Pieces 1.

While they do include the Alphabet Boogie in the main Piano Safari method book, I find that some students can’t easily make the connection to the two groups of white keys. These little songs are really helpful for bridging that gap.

You’ll notice in the clip that I emphasise the most important part is that the student sings along with the letters. This is not only useful for reinforcing the pattern, it also helps my students to learn the letter names since most schools here now use the phonetic alphabet in the beginning years.

What are quick clips?

Colourful Keys Quick Clips are all about giving you a taste of what my lessons are actually like – in action.

I certainly don’t claim to be an expert, and I don’t have all the answers. I just know how much seeing real teaching with real students has helped me to grow and improve as a teacher.

Let me know what you think!

I hope you had fun watching this Colourful Keys Quick Clip. If you have any thoughts or questions, be sure to ask them in the Vibrant Music Studio Teachers group on Facebook or in the comments here, and do make sure to subscribe to my emails and YouTube channel to get notified when a new quick clip is published.

If you want more and extended clips of my teaching, be sure to check out the Vibrant Music Teaching library. There’s tons more like this as well as a whole library of teaching games to boot.

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