Tag: pianoträning

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Why Piano Duets Deserve a Place in your Lesson

lizteachespiano

Why Teach Piano Duets?

Here’s why piano duets deserve a place in your lesson: There’s something a little magical about four hands on one piano. Piano duets—whether teacher and student or two students together—bring a fresh energy to lessons. They create connection, encourage listening, and add a little extra fun.

While solo playing builds independence, duets foster collaboration. Students must tune in to rhythm, timing, and phrasing—not just their own, but their partner’s too. It’s music-making as conversation.

The Benefits Go Beyond the Notes

  • Boost Listening Skills: Students learn to hear the whole, not just their part.
  • Strengthen Rhythm & Timing: Duets demand precision and ensemble awareness.
  • Build Confidence: Its good for students who feel a little nervous performing- in a sense they are performing because they are working with another person, but its still low stakes because the other person is not “watching” them.
  • Encourage Social Connection: Piano is often a solo instrument—duets add a sense of team and fun.
  • Improve Sight-Reading: Students are more motivated to read ahead because they need to keep up.

👉 Pro Tip: Keep an easy duet book readily accessible in your lesson- it can be great for if the student needs a break from the task at hand, and can be a good confidence boost and refresh!

Try It This Week

Next time your student’s motivation dips or you finish a piece early, pull out a piano duet. Whether it’s a silly beginner tune or a fun jazz piece, you’ll be amazed at how engaged they become, and you’ll see why piano duets deserve a place in your lesson.

🎹 After all, the best part of playing piano isn’t always the notes—sometimes it is who you’re sharing them with.

A fabulous student and I playing Coconut Rumba by Roy Stratford.

Want More Duet Resources?

Check out these ideas for some duet music- I really like Piano time books, so I’ve linked the one I’m using in the video:

Ready to bring duet magic into your piano playing?

Feel free to get in touch if you’re interested in more tips ideas, or beginning your own musical adventure!

beginner tutorial, Entrepreneur, learning environment, Music Composition, Music Lessons, music production, piano practice, piano teacher, singing lessons, Singing teacher, Uncategorized

Exploring music with Google.

lizteachespiano

As a musician and teacher, you’re always looking for new ways of exploring music. Looking for fun innovative tools to expand your musical lessons? Then Chrome Music Lab and experiment with google are for you!

What are they? 

Chrome Music Lab and Experiment with google are web-based platforms created by Google that provide a variety of experiments so you try exploring music in a visual and intuitive way.

They are very simple, visually engaging, and offer a range of features that appeal to both beginners and experienced musicians.

Here’s why I enjoy using Google experiments in my music lessons:

Easy to Use: The interface is user-friendly for both beginners and experienced musicians. Chrome Music Lab allows you to explore sound and rhythm without needing much music knowledge, making it ideal for young learners. While Experiment with Google is more experimental and less structured, I prefer the visuals and ideas, and it’s not significantly more complicated.

Fun and Creative: They encourage you to experiment and play with sound. Create melodies with “Song Maker” and explore the synthesizers in “Synthesizer AR”

Exploring Sound and Rhythm: The ability to experiment with rhythm, tempo, and pitch in real time helps develop an understanding of how music works. It’s like a virtual playground for musical creativity.

Accessible and Free: It’s  completely free and accessible through any web browser. You don’t need to download anything or set up an account to start creating. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to try making music on the go. I think it is particularly good if you demonstrate and discuss with your student whilst using it. My younger students need different activities in their workshop style lessons, and this is great for that. There is also a function to share your creation with most of the experiments. This means they can continue working on it at home, or share with friends and family what they did in music class!

Educational: Whether you’re just getting started with music or are an advanced learner, Chrome Music Lab and Expeiremtn with google offer great educational tools that can help explain musical concepts.

Some experiments to Explore:

  1. Song Maker: Create your own melodies by drawing and clicking on a grid. It’s a great tool to experiment with rhythm, pitch, and scale. You can even share your creations with others!
  2. Rhythm: This tool lets you experiment with rhythmic patterns. It’s a fantastic way for young musicians to develop their sense of rhythm and groove.
  3. blokdust – Build a visually engaging synthesizer.
  4. Yume- you alter the music in the world. Really pretty and great for students who like computer games

By diving into these experiments, you can gain fresh insights into music production, music theory or simply have fun discovering new musical concepts. And since it’s all web-based, you can use these tools anywhere, anytime, with just a browser.

Why Should Musicians, teachers and students Experiment?

It’s easy to get stuck in your creative process. Using tools like Chrome Music Lab and exploring other experiments with Google can help you think outside the box- For your own professional growth and for planning lessons. Keep in mind that they are activities, not lessons– it’s up to you to incorporate them into your lesson and work out how they will demonstrate aspects of music you want learnt. If incorporated creatively, you’ll be exposed to new methods of music that might inspire your next big project!

Entrepreneur, learning environment, Music Lessons, piano lessons, piano practice, piano teacher, Uncategorized

Why music games are a great tool in music lessons.

lizteachespiano

Plus a free resource!

Music games are a great tool in music lessons, particularly for understanding music theory. 

Music games help make learning fun, interactive, and engaging. This can motivate students, especially younger students, (although I mix games into my adult lessons too!) to keep practicing. Here are some key reasons why music games are a great tool in music lessons:

Reinforce Learning: Music games allow students to practice musical concepts in a relaxed, hands-on way. They can reinforce skills like rhythm, note recognition, scales, and dynamics while still feeling like they’re playing a game instead of just “working.”

Improve Retention: Games can help with memory retention. The combination of repetition and playful competition can make musical concepts stick more effectively than traditional methods alone.

Increase Engagement: Not every student learns the same way. Some students find it hard to focus and concentrate for a whole lesson. So I often break my lessons into sections. We focus for a little while then have a brain break- this is a great time for a game. When music is turned into a game, it becomes more interactive and appealing. This can increase a student’s focus and enthusiasm. 

Encourage Social Interaction: I make sure the games I play mean I will have to play as well. Some of my games can work for multiplayer (get a sibling or parent involved!) which encourage teamwork, cooperation, and communication . These social aspects can make you seem more like a person to your student and increases motivation- if your students like you, they will want to learn and interact with you. This is very important.

Beneficial for teachers: This can also be great for you as a teacher- it can be hard to explain certain aspects of music theory and a game can help explain for you. Pre plan a few games in advance to help with time management.

Instant Feedback: Games can provide immediate feedback, which is useful for correcting mistakes right away. This instant response can accelerate learning and help students and parents understand their progress.

Build Confidence: As students win games or achieve small milestones, it can boost their self-esteem and encourage a sense of accomplishment. This can foster a positive attitude toward learning and create a growth mindset. Sometimes I begin a game in class and ask students to complete for homework- so it doesn’t feel like homework exactly, but is still something they think of outside the lesson, and can attempt independent of me.

Develop other Critical Skills: Certain music games focus on developing listening skills, pattern recognition, and problem-solving—all of which are useful for a musician.

Music games help make learning more dynamic and enjoyable while supporting the development of essential skills! I’ve created a very simple tic tac toe style game for students who are learning piano keys. Instead of an O or X, each player will be a particular note on the piano. Enjoy!

beginner tutorial, Music Composition, Music Lessons, music performance, music production, piano lessons, piano performance, piano practice, piano teacher, Uncategorized

Simple music composition: 4 useful chords for creativity!

lizteachespiano

When it comes to making music, sometimes all you need to begin for simple music composition are 4 chords to spark creativity and build something memorable. Here are four versatile chords, and the simple formula they follow.

A chord is a group of notes- to build a chord I would recommend starting with the Root (first), Third (3rd note) and Fifth (Dominant/ 5th note) in a scale. Music theory can seem very complicated, but once you know some building blocks, the more complex steps also follow the same logic.

C major piano scale

The starting scale. I call it this, because it is the first scale students will learn. The reason for this is :

a) It establishes middle C as the anchor for students to look for and recognise notes using C as a guide.

b) It is 12 o clock on the circle of 5ths- the Major scale with no sharps or flats.

For more on the Circle of 5ths , or more complex music theory, you can of course research. I’ve added a link to a website explaining in more detail, but there are many!

It is also extremely useful to find a music teacher who can guide you on what theory is useful to learn to begin with, and help you build up slowly. They can demonstrate the theory in practice.

The formula for 4 useful chords to know, using the scale of C major as the guide:

  1. C Major (I) The “Root” chord. C Major is often the starting point for many pieces and offers a sense of stability. Its bright sound makes it ideal for both happy and reflective moments in a song.
  2. A Minor (vi) A Minor is the relative minor of C Major, meaning it shares the same notes but has a more melancholic tone. The Minor Harmonic is more frequently used for popular music- the harmonic scale raises the 7th note- but we are getting a little too complicated for simple music composition! This chord brings emotional depth to your progressions and creates contrast.
  3. G Major (V) Known as the dominant chord. G Major has a strong, energetic pull towards resolving back to C Major. It provides a sense of tension that begs to be resolved, making it a perfect choice for building musical anticipation.
  4. F Major (IV) F Major gives your progression a smooth, uplifting feel. As the subdominant chord, it has a soft tension that leads naturally back to the tonic (C Major) or moves to the dominant (G Major), making it a staple in many iconic progressions.

Together, these four chords (C, Am, G, F) create a I-vi-V-IV progression, which is the foundation of countless hit songs.

In classical music this does not follow the rule of Cadences (Cadences don’t end on IV in classical music). However, in modern music it does happen. Think of ending on the IV as an interrupted cadence- the feeling of moving on going somewhere. More the end of a phrase than an official cadence.

Although I was classically trained, it is wise to learn different styles of music to help a variety of students achieve what they want to achieve. Some of my students want to learn music composition and popular music, so learning chord progressions such as these is useful for a well rounded music education. You can play around with these chords in a different order for more options as well.

They’re easy to play, but give endless ideas for crafting melodies, lyrics, and harmonies. Whether you’re writing pop, rock, or even more experimental genres, or looking for more classically structured lessons, please take a look at my music packages. If you’re local maybe try a trial lesson. Thanks for reading!

beginner tutorial, Music Lessons, piano lessons, piano practice, piano teacher, Uncategorized

Application of math in music and a free resource!

lizteachespiano

The application of math in music is a simple one, as music and mathematics share a strong connection, often revealed through the concept of note values. At their core, both disciplines explore patterns, ratios, and structures, making the relationship essential to musical composition and theory.

Note Values Explained

In music, note values determine the duration of a sound. Semibreves (whole note), Minims (half note), quavers (eighth note), and so on, each have a specific value that relates to a common beat. 

For example, a whole note (semibreve)  lasts four beats, while a half note (minim) lasts two. This hierarchical system can be expressed mathematically; a whole note can be seen as the sum of two half notes, or four quarter notes, illustrating how musical time is subdivided. Good fraction practice!

Rhythm and Time Signatures

Rhythm is another area where math shines. Musical beats are divided into fractions, giving rise to the note values like whole, half, and quarter notes. Time signatures, such as 4/4 or 3/4, dictate how these beats are grouped, creating a mathematical framework for rhythm. This structure allows musicians to create complex patterns that are both engaging and logical. 

Application of Mathematical concepts

Composing music involves mathematical thinking—understanding scales, intervals, and time signatures all require a grasp of mathematical principles. This real-world application can make abstract math concepts more relatable and easier to understand.

Enhancing problem solving skills

Musical improvisation encourages creative problem-solving. This flexibility in thinking can translate to math, where finding multiple solutions to a problem is often beneficial.

The application of math in music not only enriches the learning experience but also bridges the gap between the two disciplines, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of both.

I’ve created a simple music math worksheet you can download by going to my Free music resource page. This is a math and music worksheet for people new to music values, incorporating both addition and subtraction. I hope this helps you teach or learn an introduction to music values! Thanks for reading!