As piano teachers, we spend a lot of time carefully considering what we want our students to practise during the week. And despite today’s digital world, printed piano assignment sheets still seem to reign supreme.
There are probably zillions of ways to convey music practice notes to your students, from sticky notes or a notebook to shared google docs and tailored practice apps. But if you prefer using a printed piano practice assignment sheet, is your current format working for you?
Does the design get in your way, or does it make your life easier?
The content for this article was originally published in 7 different blog posts from July 2014 to August 2016. It was substantially edited and updated in March 2024.
Music Lesson Assignment Sheet Considerations
When choosing a piano assignment sheet to use in your studio, there are a few questions you should ask yourself:
- Will you use the same sheet for all students, or different formats for different ages?
- Do you simply list assignments, or do you provide practice tips as well?
- Is a lot of color ink OK, or do you prefer something more economical (printer-wise)?
- Should you be able to type in it, or do you prefer hand-written plans?
Once you know what your ideal music practice assignment sheet includes, it’s time to set about either finding an existing one to meet your needs or designing your own.
Design Your Own Practice Sheets
Today, I’m addicted to using the Vivid Practice app. But over my many years of teaching piano, I created a lot of home practice assignment sheets to meet different needs. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
For preschoolers or young beginners up to age 7 or so, I like to keep the notes very streamlined. Simple graphics can be fun and engaging, but be careful not to overdo it – if the page is too busy, it can overwhelm these young kiddos.
You can even create a practice sheet to match a method book, like I did with my customised piano assignment sheet to go along with Piano Pronto’s Roadtrip! series.
For older kids and tweens, I like to have more space to include practice tips and instructions. Adding a way for students to evaluate their own progress can be beneficial, too.
Speaking of having students evaluate their own progress, I’ve even used a double-sided sheet which encouraged students to think critically about their weekly practice sessions.
While our youngest students have fun with bright colours and pre-teens love their emoticons and comics, teens and adults require something a bit more refined. I’d encourage you to keep piano assignment sheets for this age bracket simple and unspecific.
If you love this article and want more help with teaching students how to practise at home, check out our centralised hub page devoted to all-things-music-practice.
Leverage an Existing Assignment Sheet
There are many places online where you can download ready-made piano assignment sheets for free or for a nominal fee, and more are cropping up every day. Simply do a search online, or check out these faves:
- My Weekly Practice Planner from Teach Piano Today
- Assignment Page (with circle of fifths & keyboard) from Susan Paradis
- Back to School Piano Assignment Sheets from Sarah’s Music Studio
- Spring Coloring Assignment Sheets from Sarah’s Music Studio
- Summer-Themed Assignment Sheets from Sarah’s Music Studio
- Winter Assignment Sheets from Sarah’s Music Studio
- Simple Colorful Assignment Sheet from 88 Piano Keys
- Assignment Sheet Central (with space for dictation) from Piano Pantry
- Assignment Sheet (with space for notes to/from parents) from 4D Piano Teaching
Do you have a favourite piano assignment sheet?
Share your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
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Full grade 8 theory and practical from ABRSM.
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