Halloween is such a fun time in our piano studio! From Halloween repertoire to spooky activities, we embrace the festivities. Here are some activity ideas you can use this spooky season:
Rhythm Activities
One activity I love to do with my students is create rhythms using Halloween words.
First we brainstorm a list of words that remind us of Halloween (haunted house, ghost, pumpkin, etc.). For younger students, it can help to read a Halloween picture book first.
After that, we clap each word and figure out the rhythm. My beginner students stick to ti-ti and ta rhythms. We write down the rhythm we hear, then play the rhythms on the piano.
Older students could be challenged to use triplets and sixteenth notes when notating. You can also invite them to compose a melody with the rhythms they’ve notated. And voila! They’ve made their own Halloween piece.
Spooky Piano Pieces
One way we make our pieces more fun is adding light and sound effects! We love turning the lights down in the studio for a spooky mood while playing our Halloween pieces.
Hear me out…you can search for “spooky soundtracks” on Youtube and have them playing in the background while your student performs their piece! Just make sure to preview the sound effects before hand to ensure they are appropriate for your students. I recommend doing this with students older than 7/8 and only offering it as a choice – some young students could be frightened by the sounds.
My younger students love to wear these light up pumpkin glasses from the dollar store while playing! We usually invite the parents in a the end of the lesson to watch a mini Halloween performance.
(Piece featured: Glowing Pumpkins by Wunderkeys)
Sensory Activities
I’m a huge fan of hands on activities that get students off the piano bench. These Halloween sensory bin activities not only teach musical concepts, they promote fine motor skills, early literacy skills, cognitive function, inquiry and exploration!
If I’m being totally honest, you will need to set aside a few minutes to set this activity up (not zero prep). However here’s my pro tip for minimizing prep time: set up the activity in an area where it can stay set up. This way, you can leave the activity out all week long (or longer!) and use it with multiple students.
Halloween Scavenger Hunt
In this scavenger hunt Boom game, students hunt for hidden notes & rests. There is a riddle on each page prompting which note/rest to look for, then students must find 5 on each page! My primer students absolutely love this game.
You can play Boom cards right at the piano, or assign this as a home activity on Boom Learning. New to Boom? It’s free to make a teacher account!
Ms Emily Music 