Music Education Tools
Free Printable Sheets
Music education tools such as
- free printable guitar chord charts,
- piano scales,
- printable music notes,
- piano keyboards,
- free guitar tablature and staff paper,
- flashcards,
- advice, and more!
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These pages have been student-tested; I use all these pages myself in my teaching.
Piano Teaching Tools
12 Major Scales and Chords for Piano
All the major keys, with one and two-octave scales, arpeggios, chord inversions, & primary chords
12 Minor Scales and Chords for Piano: Natural minor, Harmonic minor, & Melodic minor
These pages are organized just like the major keys, above, but are minor.
Like the regular scales page for the key of C, but with lettered notes for beginners
Not a long list, this page discusses the method books and supplementary music that I keep coming back to, and even rely on
Choosing a Piano Teacher - HOW?
Simple tips that will help you in your search for a qualified piano instructor
A new page, with more sheets to come!
Chord inversions are pretty difficult, but they are SO IMPORTANT for gaining facility sightreading & playing classical music.
With dashed lines to help you cut the cards out; treble and bass clef cards
Perfect for game-time for your younger musicians!
You will have to cut each page in half after printing...
Intervals of 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, and 7ths are a game of hide-and-seek for your students.
This sheet is about interval recognition, not note identification.
Sounding like real music, this chord pattern is FUN and teaches kids the relationships spatially and aurally of "the three main chords".
Contributed by fellow composer Kate Emht of Missouri.
Click on the link above to be taken to her page.
These pages of actual music with names in the note heads will be very encouraging to your beginning players, and increase their repertoire!
These pages are large grand staffs and single staffs with note-heads placed on them for reference, or for guessing!
Broken chords are very important for beginning pianists, once they have the finger coordination.
Plus, they are very pretty and satisfying to play!
Several different keyboards to print and keep for your brand-new students., and to write all over!
Plan something fun for your students.
They need to get together, and making music is a good reason to do it!
Printable Piano Chord Chart for learning major and minor chords
A page of little circles, white and black, that give a visual representation of how the chords LOOK.
All white notes? A "snowman" chord. Black note in the middle? A "hamburger" chord, with white buns and a burger in the middle.
Then we have Oreo cookies, or ice cream sandwiches...
Piano Scales Sheet Music for Beginners, with letters
The letters inside the note heads of these scales make understanding so much easier. These scales help little beginners shape their hands correctly.
Reading Piano Music - note reading difficulties
Ideas for when your students don't seem to understand
The Reluctant Learner and beginning piano lessons
Tips for teaching a challenging child, especially a young one.
Rote Learning for Music Teaching
It's OKAY sometimes to show kids how to play a song bit by bit, without reading a piece of music - it can even be an EXCITING BREAK from routine!
Creeping from one key to the next... which way is the snake going?
Help your student focus on note direction on the musical staff.
Lots of different kinds of staffs for writing on, including some GIANT-SIZED ones for little hands
This 2-page solo or duet (part of a Halloween suite) has the same melody as "Zombies Everywhere," a free piece of sheet music, but "Double Double Toil & Trouble" is greatly preferred by my students.
It must be the rhetorical renderings of the bard, Shakespeare, and the vision of the witches on the moor muttering over their cauldron, in the play "Macbeth"!
Studio Favorite (last year, The Lake Pirates)
Yes, last year! This changes from time to time...
Dear me, I must say that at the most recent recital, we had THREE renditions of this piece, all played by boys (and spaced as far apart as I could manage).
The audience had just about learned the song themselves by the time the recital was over!
Some of Aloys Schmitt's exercises - see some creative ways to use these finger exercises. These are great for finger technique and transposing!
The first note-reading practice my students use.
Up? Or down?
This sheet will test your student's understanding.
Guitar Teaching Tools
Free printable flashcards for guitar
These are all in treble clef.
The flashcards go all the way down to open string 6, a ledger line note.
Small chords, just 3 or 4 strings.
Perfect for small hands.
This page may be all the chords you need for several months.
VERY LARGE, just 2 chords shown per page.
These really help beginners grasp fret-boards.
Lots of charts showing the chords that "go together"!
Print out the keys from A major to G major.
These are what you need if you want to make custom chords for your students - or maybe test their understanding by having them draw chords in!
Guitar Tablature / Piano "Tablature" Staff Guide
These two charts show guitar tablature below the corresponding treble clef staff notes.
One chart is just "white keys"; the other chart shows the sharps & flats as well.
Lots of different size tablature papers for your own melodies or exercises.
You and your students will find some that you can use!
Tips for a challenging child
Singing Warm-Ups & Vocalises
Using the resonance found in puppy dog whimpers, a cat's meow, a mosquito's whine, and the very different feelings and sounds of a gorilla hoot and a panting dog, these warmups are highly useful for beginning singers.
Vocal Warm-Ups for Singing Through the Break
Help your students learn how to pass through the "danger zone" where abrupt sounds disrupt the smoothness of a vocal line.
Singing Vocal Technique for Finding a New Key/Tonality
Using intervals of thirds and fourths, and harmony, help students memorize the sounds of moving up and down by half steps.
Vocal Teaching Tips
How to Teach Voice if You are a Beginning Teacher
Getting started; a lesson sheet to give you ideas if you are new to teaching voice.
Teaching Singing to Elementary Students
A question-and-answer page, with a list of specific techniques
Teaching Young Singers Who Can't Yet Read
What do you DO with little ones who want to sing, but can't read notes or even their own language yet?
General Teaching Strategies & Assistance
Wondering how to approach teaching children on the spectrum?
Read about my own experience, and many others' ideas too.
In my experience, these books & music sheets reliably pull students along, offering satisfying and even beautiful music.
Choosing a Piano Teacher - HOW?
Simple tips that will help you in your search for a qualified piano instructor
Left Hand or Right Hand Only - One Hand Alone
Students with one hand may need music written just for them
Plan a time when your students can get together & perform for each other, every now & then, without the pressure of an adult audience.
Games not necessary - they will make their own!
Reading Piano Music - note reading difficulties
Different ways to approach reading notes, when your students are stuck
Rote Learning for Music Teaching
It's OKAY sometimes to show kids how to play a song bit by bit, without reading a piece of music. Help them look for patterns.
"My child has autism; do you know of a teacher experienced with autism and music?"
I get this question a lot from parents anxious to give their son or daughter with autism music lessons.
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
Recent Articles
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Angels We Have Heard on High - Free Christmas Songs Arrangements
Angels We Have Heard on High: children love the fancy "Gloria" chorus, and you can download multiple arrangements for piano, violin, & guitar! -
Gospel Song Jesus Loves Me: Beginner & Easy Piano, Plus Lead Sheets!
Gospel song "Jesus Loves Me" is well-known to many children. Here are easy arrangements to learn the music & each word to Jesus Loves Me, for early piano. -
Easy Piano Sheet Music Swan Lake -Beginners & Intermediate Pianists!
Easy piano sheet music Swan Lake, lovely solos & duets, with lyrics in the beginner arrangements for dreamy students who love imagining. New arrangements! -
The Wellerman Sheet Music: Easy Piano & Lead Sheets!
The Wellerman: Tabs, sheet music & lyrics for piano, guitar, & more! Such a fun, high-energy song to sing & play - learn it fast with letters in the notes! -
Christmas Carol Lyrics Song from the Bible: Free SATB and Guitar Tab
Christmas carol lyrics from the Bible and an old-fashioned carol-like tune combine in this free Christmas song for SATB choir or a solo vocalist with guitar.
Interested in songs from the Bible for your students or church? Check out my other website, SingTheBibleStory.com!
All the first-year material I give my beginner students.
Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!
This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This", available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a brave young queen risked her life to save her people.
A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!
This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.
This book is available as a digital download from this site. Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.
It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!
This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.
And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!" They will be spending more time at the piano.
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A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Kate:
Thanks again for your wonderful website and all your fabulous support!! Your website really has been the best resource that I have found for finding that 'right piece' for the students.
Ruth:
Thanks, Dana, for your excellent customer service.
Amber:
Thank you! THANK YOU!!! For keeping the beautiful art of Opera alive! I stumbled upon this site and I'm so happy I did!
Kim in Washington:
My son is hooked...I've been introducing piano to my son on and off for a year or so, but he's not had much interest. Then I gave him "Monsters Everywhere". He loved playing it with the organ sound on our piano. He memorized it that week and I'm printing off the other Halloween songs to keep him going. I love the detailed instructions on teaching since he is my first student! Thanks so much.
Dana:
That is so neat that your son has experienced the magic and mystery of music through this little song. That is so exciting to me! Thanks for writing, Kim!
Matt:
THIS SITE IS AMAZING!!
I've been teaching guitar for about 5 years now, and I've only just found your website! (I could really have used it 5 years ago) :-)
I teach at primary schools every week day for about 4 hours, so the beginner tabs you have are ideal. Thank you so much for your hard work getting these on the web, you have made many children very happy!!
Comments: Do you have a story or a question about music teaching? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Music Teacher for Special Needs Students... What Books are Best? 
Esther:
I am currently teaching piano to special needs students. The regular Bastien or Alfreds materials are too long and move too quickly. Note …
Piano teacher Not rated yet
Thank you so much for this valuable site. I really appreciate the scales, chords and arpeggios included on the scale sheets. They include everything …
Thomas, adult piano student Not rated yet
Thank you so much for this excellent site. I am an adult student at Grade 3 ABRSM level, in Ireland. I returned to learning piano after many years since …
About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
Recent Articles
-
Angels We Have Heard on High - Free Christmas Songs Arrangements
Angels We Have Heard on High: children love the fancy "Gloria" chorus, and you can download multiple arrangements for piano, violin, & guitar! -
Gospel Song Jesus Loves Me: Beginner & Easy Piano, Plus Lead Sheets!
Gospel song "Jesus Loves Me" is well-known to many children. Here are easy arrangements to learn the music & each word to Jesus Loves Me, for early piano.