This article about using tech tools in your piano teaching was written by Joann Shiel. Joanna has been teaching piano for 16 years, exclusively online for the past 5 years whilst traveling all across the world from Bulgaria to Brazil. She’s a huge fan of tech and loves to try out new tools, activities and games with her students. In her spare time, she loves hiking and learning languages.
As a modern piano teacher, you’re looking to use the most effective tech tools in your piano teaching. But finding the right tools can feel overwhelming. With so many options out there, which resources will make the biggest impact in your teaching?
Teaching piano exclusively online, I have to use tech tools to teach. But it might surprise you that most of my teaching is analogue. Over the years, I’ve whittled down my technology use to just the essentials.
Here are my ride-or-die piano teaching tech tools that will help you teach everything from sight reading to theory, all while having maximum fun!
Tech Tools for Teaching Piano Sight Reading
To improve sight reading, you just can’t beat constantly giving students new music to read and discover.
At times, however, students need to target specific pain points such as recognising pitches quickly, finding landmark notes, thinking about music reading systematically and reading rhythm patterns.
For sight reading, tech tools are perfect for targeting just what’s needed at just the right time in your piano teaching.
Reading Railroad
If you’re looking for a step-by-step, levelled approach to sight reading from the pre-reading level all the way up to grade 3 – 4, then the Reading Railroad series from Vibrant Music Teaching is just what you need. The built-in backing tracks add rhythmic and harmonic support (not to mention a little spice).
A major plus with Reading Railroad is that it only takes 3 or 4 minutes to knock out a quick sight reading exercise, making it easy to fit sight reading into every lesson.
Still not a member of Vibrant Music Teaching? You’re missing out on all the resources to make your teaching life easier and more fun! Learn more and join today at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
Reading Railroad is available as hard-copy booklets in the VMT Library, along with a Google Slides version that teachers can leverage instead, so the backing tracks can be kicked off with a touch of the finger. The Google Slides version is excellent for in-person, travelling or online teachers.
Piano Maestro
Helping students practise sight reading with the flow of music is a breeze with the Piano Maestro app. Plus it works with a variety of methods which you might already be using, such as Piano Pronto or Hal Leonard.
This app teaches students to read music systematically, starting with the left hand before proceeding to the right then combining both and practising with a backing track that waits for the student’s pauses/re-starts. Finally, the student plays along with the full backing track without pauses.
I love to set students up with this app for home practice or to use during group or buddy lessons.
Tech Tools for Teaching Piano Technical Work
Yes, you can even use technology to teach all those important technical skills like scales, arpeggios, chords and more.
YouTube
Once students are comfortable with the basics of scale and arpeggio construction and technique, I’ll often set them up with YouTube videos to help them practise at home between lessons.
Reminder/Demo Videos
To find scale demonstration videos on YouTube, simply enter something like “piano scale demonstrations” in the search bar and you’ll find dozens of options.
If you’re into making things even easier, you can use the YouTube playlists available for free on the Colourful Keys YouTube Channel.
YouTube Playlist: Major Scale Reminder Videos
YouTube Playlist: Harmonic Minor Scale Reminder Videos
Pro tip: Subscribe to the YouTube channel and bookmark these playlists for quick access.
Backing Tracks
Playing scales and arpeggios against a metronome can get pretty boring (and it’s not super musical). So why not give your student YouTube links to backing tracks for whatever scale or arpeggio they’re currently working on?
Try a search for “piano scales backing tracks” or “piano arpeggio backing tracks” to find the best options for your students. If you’re a Vibrant Music Teaching member, you can also access ready-made backing tracks you and your students can use for just about every key imaginable, from C major to B-flat phrygian to C-sharp blues.
Not a VMT member? Why are you wasting your time hunting for resources? Learn more and join today at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
Google Metronome
Sometimes you just can’t beat a metronome to work on scales and technique.
I’m old school. I encourage my students to buy a mechanical metronome because I like the visual reference of metronome markings against tempo musical terms.
If a mechanical metronome is out of the question, a digital metronome also provides that tactile nature of holding something physical.
However, when students don’t have a trusty metronome to hand, I love to use Google Metronome. Is it perfect? Nope! Is it simple? Yes! And I love how easy it is for students to find in a pinch.
And when I’m teaching piano online, I can simply screen-share this simplest of tech tools without (sometimes questionable) ads taking over the screen.
iReal Pro
Want easy tech tools for creating chord patterns and lead sheets for improvising in your piano teaching? Then iReal Pro is just what you need.
You can set up iReal Pro up on your tablet or phone, and you don’t have to do anything fancy to make great use of it.
I especially love to use iReal Pro to help students practise their chords, like when I’m teaching the piano chords challenges from the VMT Library.
Choose from hundreds of premade lead sheets to get started, or set up your own chords chart.
Tech Tools for Teaching Music Theory
There’s certainly no shortage of websites, apps, videos and other techno-gizmos to teach students music theory. Check out my personal go-tos to see if any resonate with you.
Vibrant Music Teaching Screen Games
I use loads of screen games from the Vibrant Music Teaching Library. In the Library, simply hover over ‘Type’ and select the filter ‘Screen Option’ and you can access everything from backing tracks to flashcards for note-reading practice to games for reinforcing terms and symbols.
Take some time to explore this side of the VMT Library, as there’s a game or other online resource for just about everything you could want in your piano teaching – there are hundreds of screen-based tech tools available for members!
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VMT Members can access the printable and screen versions of Key Kites in the Library. Not a member? There are hundreds more screen-based games and resources like this available for members, some with animation and some without. Learn more and join today at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
Pro tip: If you can’t find a screen option for your favourite game, check out this thread in the Vibrant Music Teaching Community to find members who have created their own versions.
(Yes, the VMT Community is yet another reason to join VMT. 😉)
Musictheory.net
If you’re looking to cover everything from staff construction to ear training – including intervals, pitch recognition and key signatures – then you can stop your search at Musictheory.net. This free website includes lessons and exercises that will take you from the basics to the more complicated Neapolitan chord recognition.
This site is nothing fancy and verges on being very dry (I would use it with my older kiddos and teen to adult students), but it’s an excellent tool for drilling music theory concepts already learnt so your students can achieve mastery.
Music Teachers Board
If you, your students or their parents like the “proof” of learning that exams provide, then the Music Teachers Board is your ticket.
MTB Interactive Theory is a completely digital, graded music theory exam that takes students from a foundation exam level up to grade 6. It’s available for both British and American terms.
This approach comes in three different products: learn, practice and exam. I recommend choosing either the “learn” or “practice” packages (depending on your needs), and only add on the “exam” package if you want students to achieve a certified grade and receive a certificate.
What are your essential tech tools for teaching piano?
Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to try them out in my studio. 🙂
If you’re a techie (or an aspiring techie!) who wants to learn more about using tech tools in your piano teaching, we have just the resources for you. See the latest and greatest on our centralised hub page.