Star Players

When I was in college, I picked up these flashcards for my piano pedagogy file I had to build:

They are a lot of fun, because they are in the shape of stars. I have never used them as traditional flashcards, though, but always as special games or something different.

The trouble was, they were a little too see-through. They are yellow on the printed side, but the backs were just white. {boring} I did not want my students to be able to see through them! So I glued orange and pink cardstock on the back of them.

Because I'm weird like this, here is a picture of my work space:

I worked on these the same night that I worked on doing some more organizing, hence all the different things that are out. And when you are just gluing and cutting, a movie makes things go way quicker. :)

The first few I tried, I just used good 'ol Elmers to glue them on the cardstock. (As seen in the picture above.) I found that this made the stars curl and bubble. Not good. So I dug out a glue stick that I already had (and had forgotten about) that is made for scrapbooking, and guaranteed not to bubble. Bingo! Worked like a charm. I think that rubber cement would also work.

Here are the stars glued onto construction paper:
And then I just simply cut them out.

This week, I came up with a game to play with these stars. Since they have different symbols and music signs on them, I figured it would be a good way to review.

I laid a few out on the floor like this:
I pick new ones for every student so that they are mostly ones that student has already learned. Then the student and I take turns throwing a small beany ball and trying to hit a star. When we hit a star, we go turn it over and talk about what is on the other side. If we miss, the ball goes to the other person. Simple, but fun!

Don't you just love how the camera made them "shine" in this picture??

Since the stars have the answers right on them (grrr) I have the student say what that sign does or means or how many beats it gets, depending on what it is. It makes for a good review!

Its been a fun game so far, and all my students have loved being able to throw things. :) You could easily make this game using just cardstock, or foam shapes, and printing your own signs and symbols on them. I love activities and teaching aids like this where the possibilities are endless!

My Favorite Flashcards

I have mentioned once or twice my insane love of the color-coded flash cards that I use. Here are my reasons why!

They are colorful. I am all about anything colorful, and we all know that bright colors appeal to kids, and many times to adults, too!

They are inclusive. They cover practically everything a student needs to know for a very long time. In fact, off the top of my head I can’t think of anything else a student could drill! Here’s the breakdown:

Yellow: Clef signs and all notes on staff and ledger lines

Pink: Note values, time signatures

White: Musical terms, tempo marks, dynamic signs

Green: Symbols

Blue: Key signatures and intervals

They have more uses than just being boring flashcards. Because they are cleanly printed and large enough to be clearly seen, they can be used to play games as well. Use your imagination! Don’t let them seem like a drudgery, find a way to make them interesting for your students. I shared here how I am using them to help my students into the One Minute Club. They are working extremely well for that purpose!

They are inexpensive. I usually order mine through alfred.com. (Note: When you go to check out, alfred.com will ask you to select a distributor in your area. I usually use musictime.ca or sheetmusicplus.com) I hesitated at first, wondering if it was worth it to buy flash cards or if I should just print my own freebies, but the reasons I mentioned above sold me very quickly. I think I may have pondered it for about 3.5 seconds. It is a wise investment of a few of our dollars!

Here is how I present them to a student the first time. For a beginner, I usually go through the yellow and pink sections and select the ones I feel appropriate for the student. I usually will start with the notes in the Middle C and C positions. I don’t want to confuse the student by giving them ledger line notes, etc. Depending on the student I may just give them the notes in Middle C position and add the others as they learn them. I also select the pink cards that they will learn first - 4/4 time, 3/4 time, quarter, half, and whole notes, etc.

I put these selected cards in a binder clip and assign those to the student for the first few weeks. (I do send all of the cards home with them, though, so that if they get ambitious and want to look through them they can.) For a young student I assign 5 minutes a day/5 days a week. For an older student I assign 10 minutes a day/5 days per week. I encourage them to take them with them when they go places that they will have a few minutes of extra time - waiting rooms, car rides, etc. Unlike regular piano practice, these can go anywhere!

I don’t drill the cards at every lesson, but I do at most. I think that this gives a little motivation for the student to spend quality time with their flash cards during the week. They know I will be checking up on how they are coming!

I also supplement flash cards with games and activities that go over the same notes. More about that here.

I encourage you to check out these flash cards for yourself! I think you will quickly fall in love with them as I did! And I would love to know how you use flash cards in your studio.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked in any way to give this plug about these flash cards. I just seriously adore them and wanted to share the love! There is plenty to go around!