Note-Naming Worksheets - Reading Music Notes for Beginners
NOTE NAMING WORKSHEETS ought to be more fun than just worksheets. These ones are, because they are real songs and pieces that kids love. With "made easy" notes - keyboard music notes with names, these are songs the kids actually want to play.
Are lettered notes like a "gateway drug", risking the possibility that your students will never learn to read music properly? No! Instead, your students will be playing more music sooner.
Here are all the AlphaNote songs so far:
This is very pretty, especially with secondo chords supplied by a duet partner, with 3 repeating lines!
The famous song written by a reformed slave trader, John Newton
Familiar and stirring as well as comforting.
This Christmas song is famous for the "Glo ---- oria" part, so fun to sing along with!
On the contrary, in the early stages of note-reading, not only can many tears can be avoided and the reward of playing actual music be reached, but understanding of the up-and-down movement of notes on the staff is reinforced!
Ants Go Marching lyrics & sheet music
Not for early beginners, but a student who can use a more complicated fingering.
This is a very fun song to play and sing!
Just a few alphanotes.
From the Nutcracker, this piece is mesmerizing and atmospheric! This is the most approachable of the melodies from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite"
I enjoy seeing students dive excitedly into a new piece and follow the lettered notes carefully, especially in the "helper" versions, where only a few tricky notes or measures are lettered.
I'm excited for you to see your students accept new music more willingly, too!
A song from Wales that describes the happiness of being with the beloved one... this is a famous old song with a arching melody line.
Yes, this is the song greatly loved by younger brothers and sisters and loathed, apparently, by their satiated older siblings and parents!
It starts with the familiar "Jaws" theme - just two different notes! - then jumps right into the theme.
Only a few notes have letter names.
The famous 4-note motif that even kids know is what makes this piece so engaging & exciting!
Most of the pieces on this page are beginner level, with a melody shared by both hands, but a few are more challenging, such as part 1 of Für Elise, with the original notes, Egyptian Dance, The Lake Pirates, and also a LONG VERSION of the Pachelbel Canon (not the one featured directly below...).
"There was a farmer, had a dog, and Bingo was his name-o!"
This song may drive you CRAZY, but it might be just what one of your students likes!
A sailor's song about whaling, with an engaging old tune!
This is a "helper" version.
The link will take you to the page, where you will also find a duet version of Blow, Ye Winds with alphanotes.
Boil'em Cabbage Down free piano sheet music pdf for beginners
This is TOTALLY FUN.
You and your students have to try it to believe it.
They will love how EASY it is, and how - after a week or two - it makes a dynamic duet!
The Cat Came Back lyrics and chords
This link takes you to a page with several different arrangements.
This song with its hilarious lyrics (to kids) can be simplified down to just five notes!
It is two pages long, with lots of lyrics!
To be played with the index fingers...
The initial notes of the first four measures are lettered.
Duets and solos on this page.
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy (a Sacred Harp melody)
An old melody with old-fashioned words describing the condition of mankind
Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly
Click above for the pdf you see here, or go to the main "Deck the Halls" page to find more arrangements of this popular Christmas song!
Yes, I've scoffed at this shortcut approach. Not anymore.
What I've seen is that kids are much more willing to take on a new piece of music if there is a bit of help - or a lot of help - there. They are playing MORE music!
Egyptian Dance free classical sheet music, lead sheet
This link takes you to the page for this mysterious-sounding music.
No, it's not really for beginners, but since it is ALMOST a five-finger song (minus the pretty broken chords), it is within reach of some beginning students with a little bit of help!
This beautiful melody from an opera by Saint-Saen uses an unusual scale to achieve its mysterious atmosphere.
Plus, their interpretation of the "up" and "down" movement of the notes is reinforced - or corrected.
A bit like a video game, this is an instant feedback system that really helps even with familiar melodies. I have seen this with my students!
A popular tune about an older time in America, when mules pulled barges along the Erie Canal
The Erie Canal song with two hands, alphanotes "helper"
The easy descending left hand of the first half of this song is a good challenge for students who already know the melody of the Erie Canal song.
This link will take you to the Erie Canal page with several different arrangements, including one with guitar tabs.
I've had lots of people request music with the note names on it to help them learn piano notes.
Today I gave "All the Pretty Little Horses", AlphaNote version, to a young beginner, and smiled to hear her persevere past the skips in the melody. (Those skips always trip them up.)
My young beginning readers and even pre-readers dive into this music.
With repeating phrases and a familiar tune, this song will be an easy accomplishment for your young students!
Plus, the round is pretty. Follow the numbers at the beginning of each grand staff.
Just the notes of the well-known theme, written around the notes beginners learn first, around middle C
Für Elise original version, part 1 only
With helper notes - the actual notes of Beethoven's famous work.
God is So Good (or, God is Good)
A simple song about God that uses just 5 notes.
The challenge comes in the "skips" or thirds that make up the melody
A famous song - every beginning band must play it!
The nice thing is that it's actually PRETTY.
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen alphanotes helper
With just SOME of the notes having letter names in the heads.
Greensleeves (What Child is This)
A Christmas song, if you use the "What Child is This" lyrics. This is one of the oldest and most beloved melodies still played today.
This page has a choice of ALL lettered notes, a few helper notes, and shows how to play this duet with a full sound.
Haida, a singing round from Israel
Full of energy and opportunities for clapping, this is a favorite of my singers
Happy Birthday is a difficult melody, but many of your students are going to want to play it!
Lettered notes will help them learn it faster.
Hark How the Bells beginner arrangement, alphanotes helper
This is the famous Ukrainian Bell Carol, also known as "Carol of the Bells" - and also "the Home Alone" theme, to kids who have seen that movie!
Hark How the Bells elementary, a helper version
Just a few AlphaNotes.
This pretty piece is a BLAST for students!
Have You Seen the Ghost of John
This is an amazingly LOVELY vocal round that has very silly words - but also alternate lyrics.
I'm a Pirate piano music sheets for beginners
A fun song for young kids, this piece has a minor melody with strong intervals, repeated phrases, and exciting lyrics!
Check out the page for more versions.
One of the FAVORITE beginner songs, in which strong, drumming open chords can be added a few weeks after conquering the melody
This whirlwind of a melody is in 3/4 time, which makes it hard at first.
Once students learn this song, they LOVE IT, because it is FUN to play!
Irish Wedding longer, helper version
Longer, fancier arrangement, but still do-able for first year students, once they learn broken chords.
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas helper version
This Christmas song can sound cheery or beautiful, depending on the way a duet player adds chords
Lake Pirates helper version - this link will take you to the Lake Pirates page
OH BOY. This song is EPIC.
Sounding much harder than it is (because of octave changes and left hand chord pattern changes), this song is a favorite of boys and girls alike.
The easiest arrangement, shown here, has lyrics.
The other two arrangements are trickier but very satisfying.
A pretty melody with charming lyrics, this is an old folk song, or even nursery tune.
In the Kenneth Branaugh production of "Cinderella", the prince hears Cinderella singing this song and thereby is able to rescue her (Find my Lavender's Blue page and you & your student can watch two videos - the song from the movie, and the movie trailer).
Lavender's Blue helper version
Just a few lettered notes.
Once students can reliably find & form triads, they are ready for this "song," which is really just an exercise that sounds like Louie Louie.
Why would they want to? To understand the I-IV-V chords relationships.
And they want to because is fun and sound COOL!
Despite being common and universal, kids still want to know this song.
I make sure they know it WELL so that they can get started with simple chord practice.
Mary Had a Little Lamb alphanotes helper
Just a few lettered notes.
A folk song from Ukraine, energetic!
A Halloween song that builds suspense even though it mostly moves by steps.
Find more songs like this one at the page Halloween Songs.
This beautiful melody was made famous years ago by Cat Stevens.
The song is quite difficult, being full of thirds and fourths and even fifths!
Good note-reading is necessary, or... this sheet with lettered notes can help a beginner.
This is just the melody of the main theme, with chord symbols.
Easy and pretty!
My Heart Will Go On Titanic Music
This is the beautiful theme from the movie "Titanic". Here, small chords are used in the left hand, and the occasional lettered note, to help beginners master the whole theme.
Known as "O Tannenbaum" in its native country, this is a well-loved carol from Germany
Long and difficult and quite beautiful, a carol about the wonderful night the Saviour of the world was born
Just a few lettered notes in the song
This American melody with the silly words is extra fun when a duet partner adds boogie chords!
Pachelbel Canon in D piano sheet for beginners
Just the melody, needing a duet partner for this famous piece
Pachelbel Canon in D sheet music long and fancy version
This is melody AND chords, a solo!
It includes the intricate fast-moving section that is so pretty.
Page 3 is shown.
A fun ballad - a song story about a lady who leaves her house and lands to go off with the gypsies.
This short song builds tension with only 3 different notes, and will remind you of the "Jaws" theme song.
The same music, but dressed up with dynamic markings!
Legato slurs, accents, and rests add drama to this little piece!
This version has "helper notes" - only a few named notes. It is full of repeating patterns, but that doesn't mean it's repetitious! Indeed, this is a charming bit of music!
Silent Night piano duet with helper notes
This Christmas carol arrangement has rolling chords in the secondo, and the melody in the primo
This sweet lullaby by American Stephen Foster is especially for singers
An old British sea shanty - boys & girls alike enjoy singing this energetic song!
A favorite at my studio with pianists, guitarists, & fiddlers, this Irish song is so fun to play! See a couple of videos, and more arrangement choices, at Star of the County Down Beginner Piano Music.
Star of the County Down helper version
Just a few lettered notes
This energetic old favorite spans an octave and also has accidentals, but alphanotes make them easier.
Set in Am, this is a Middle C shared-hands version. For more choices and difficulty levels, see the Tarantelle page.
Yes, that's the book for me! The popular children's Sunday school song.
Perhaps everybody knows this "knick - knack - paddy-whack" song. Only 6 notes, like Twinkle Little Star.
Titanic music "My Heart Will Go On"
This is a pretty but easy version of the main theme from the famous movie, Titanic.
The occasional lettered note, plus small chords in the left hand, make this song easy to master even for beginners.
Toccata by Johann Sebastian Bach, introduction
This is the dramatic organ piece that makes us think of villains! danger! and excitement!
Toccata, very short and simple
Just the first 9 notes, repeated in different octaves
As easy as it comes! Note names in every note-head.
Up on the Housetop the Reindeer Pause
A fun Christmas song with a span of 6 notes.
Up on the Housetop the Reindeer Pause, in the key of C
The song is more singable for children in this key
A great song with lots of energy about a train that travels all across the USA.
The lettered notes aren't in the graphic shown.
Wabash Cannonball melody, helper
Just a few lettered notes.
Add these boogie chords to give some energy to this song!
This very pretty song from Australia is not too hard for a first-year student, with letters in the noteheads!
This often becomes FAVORITE song of young girls (boys, not so much!).
Waltzing Matilda with helper notes
This arrangement is also easy, and a good challenge for a beginning reader
This carol is perfect for the weeks leading up to Christmas!
We Wish You a Merry Christmas, late elementary arrangement, helper notes
Give your student a bit of extra help to nudge them along with this song.
What Child is This (Greensleeves piano music)
This page comes with several different versions - lettered notes & "helper" notes (just a few lettered notes).
This is the same tune as Greensleeves, but with beautiful words about the birth of the baby Jesus
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor, several versions on this page
If parents are okay with this song (lyrics ask what to do with the sailor), it can be very fun, as this is a great melody!
A beautiful old song from the Shape-notes tradition, that asks what kind of love could cause the Lord of Bliss to die for us
White, Orange & Green (for singers, usually)
A fabulous song about love for one's country, with an engaging melody. Not really for beginners, but I do give it to pianists as a lead sheet for chord work.
Wiegenlied, a helping version for singers
Sometimes called "Mozart's Cradle Song", this song is for singers who need help with the notes.
A fun song about life on the sea, set in A minor around the Middle C area
I've had lots of people request music with the note names on it to help them learn piano notes.
Today I gave "All the Pretty Little Horses", AlphaNote version, to a young beginner, and smiled to hear her persevere past the skips in the melody. (Those skips always trip them up.)
My young beginning readers and even pre-readers dive into this music.
It will be fun to see how it goes... reading music notes for beginners is a long process, in any case, and I'm hoping this encourages the learning of more songs, more quickly, rather than a reliance on the little letters inside the note-heads.
Maybe it will end up being like guitar tablature - the kids fight every step of the way against reading standard notation! But I don't think so.
I do want to caution you about ONLY giving lettered-notes songs to your students.
You must continually be moving them along the reading road.
The day may come when you realize they aren't looking at the direction of the noteheads, or learning patterns, but struggling only to read the tiny letters inside the notes.
That actually slows them down. These AlphaNote songs should be more like candy, eventually - an easy snack.
On the first two songs I made in this collection, Mary Had a Little Lamb and All the Pretty Little Horses, I just went ahead and put AlphaNotes - piano music with letters - in every measure, but that was because I was just getting to know this software.
I think what I'm actually headed toward is just supplying the names of the first note of each hand, or perhaps the first measure.
I'll be listing new additions to the "AlphaNote Repertoire" here on this page.
Music for Music Teachers has other great free resources for piano teachers! Take a look:
Rote Learning - leaving the written page behind (or treating it like a map!)
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!
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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.
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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.
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:
I just wanted to thank you for providing music for music teachers.
I have two piano students, one of which is my little sister. This site has been such a blessing! Thank-you so much!
Charlotte:
Thanks for providing such a comprehensive music teaching program with all the relevant tools.
It will make it easy to introduce my 8 g-children and others to music. You are truly a blessing.
Lorelle:
My elementary students love the songs!
One girl kept wanting me to play Cats at Night for her, and she was so excited to start learning it :)
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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.
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