Most of my piano students celebrate Christmas, and we have a few activity traditions we enjoy each year. In between the business of preparing Christmas repertoire, we set aside most of our usual lesson routines and focus on embracing the festivities of the season (a season that is not long enough in my opinion!)
Here are my Top 5 Christmas Activity Ideas you can try in your studio during the month of December (or earlier!):
Holiday Rhythm Composition
Begin by brainstorming a list of Christmas words with your student (santa, gingerbread, eggnog, etc.) .
Next, match the words with rhythms – I have my students notate the rhythms on a whiteboard.
Lastly, clap the rhythms while speaking (or singing!) the words all in a row. And voila! Your student created their own Christmas rhythm composition.
For an extension, your student could notate the rhythm on a staff and add pitch. For example, they could compose a treble clef melody for the right hand using the word rhythms. More advanced students could go a step further and add chord symbols for the left hand to accompany the melody.
To get some idea of Christmas words and rhythms, you could try playing this Christmas rhythm game before composing.
Christmas Sing-alongs and Duets
Every year I pull out my collection of Christmas books and play with my students. I have them sight read through the right hand melody while I accompany them and we sing along. It’s a low stress, fun way to get through lots of Christmas music and give students a taste of what songs they might want to study in the future! Plus, it’s great sightreading practice.
Christmas Repertoire Sharing
While I don’t currently hold a Christmas recital, my students prepare holiday pieces to share with their family and friends at home.
Here are some ways I encourage them to share their repertoire:
- Ask the grown-up picking up to come back 5 minutes early, to be an audience for a mini performance
- Record the song during the lesson, to send to parents to share with family and friends (yes, I absolutely think taking the time to text recordings to parents is worth it!)
- Encourage students to perform at their holiday parties, school talent shows, etc. – there are opportunities all around if we help students look for them!
Sharing their pieces is a huge motivator for my students!
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
When we need a break from Christmas repertoire, my students love playing this interactive scavenger hunt game. Students must help Santa save Christmas by finding the hidden notes and rests. It’s a great way to review note and rest values and is just so adorable and fun. I also have a winter version available.
Christmas Sensory Bin Activities
These activities are geared towards younger students (ages 3-6) and some students with exceptionalities. They teach musical concepts, promote fine motor skills, early literacy skills, cognitive function, inquiry and exploration!
If you’re looking for budget-friendly ideas on how to set up a Christmas sensory bin in your piano studio, you can check out my blog post here: https://msemilymusic.com/2023/10/08/how-to-set-up-a-sensory-bin-in-your-piano-studio-low-budget/
I hope these activity ideas can inspire you! Merry Christmas!
Emily
Ms Emily Music 