New Semester. New Goals. Back to the Gym!
Are you one of those folks who makes New Year’s resolutions?
Ok, I’ll be honest- I’m not. Yes. When we begin the new year, I like to take a step back and mentally reassess my routines and life goals…. but physical exercise? At the Gym? That’s not exactly at the top of my list! Yeah, I know it’s healthy for me. Yeah, I know I should just. do. it. But maybe…. well, I could be convinced to take a walk- that does sound relaxing- but only a nice day; and in the warm sunshine… ok, that’s actually one of my favorite things to do.
As a Piano teacher, we deal with students everyday who might feel the same way….. warm up exercises? Really?
Of course, we know it’s important- and it’s an opportunity to teach important concepts in a quick minute- but how can we entice our students to jump in? What if we try something just a little different? I know lots of teachers love to incorporate games into lessons - I present this idea as a game for your fingers……
How about something meant to be easily attainable in a short amount of time- let’s only use 1 Hand at a time.
Something you can add into lessons with little to no effort. Here’s a collection of 10 Creative Warm-Ups, that work best in a group setting, but I’ve also used it with private students too.
Great to use for:
Finger Technic exercises
Teaching Chord Symbols
Identifying Elements of a Song: Melody, Harmony, Bass line, Counter Melody, and focus on Rhythm
Sight Reading
Ensemble Playing
Stylistic Playing: dynamics, shaping the phrase, etc.
“At the Gym”. Each exercise, I mean short piece- because they really ARE more than just exercises; describes an activity that gets us moving.
Waking Up
Each piece has 5 Parts that only uses 1 Hand at a time:
1. Right Hand Melody
2. Right Hand Chords
3. Left Hand Bass line
4. Right Hand Counter melody
5. Rhythm practice.
First: Teach all students together, one part at a time, until they can play it securely & independently.
Second: Assign different students, different parts. Voila! Instant Ensemble.
Third: Let students chose their own part and listen- have students guess which part the others played.
As the collection progresses, notice the dynamics, tempo & mood- let’s explore more musical playing!
Learning Points about “At the Gym” 10 Creative Warm Ups
Waking Up- C Major Pentascale. 4/4. Repeated stepwise notes. Root position chords. Smooth finger movement.
Tip Toe- C Major Pentascale. 4/4. Broken chords. Staccatos. Rests & Steady beat focus.
Arm Circles- C Minor Pentascale. 4/4. Legato wrist rotations. Chord finger dexterity practice. Contrasting LH.
Tai Chi- C Minor Pentascale. 4/4. Slow, smooth, mysterious mood. Shaping the phrase melody.
Stomp & Sing- C Major Pentascale. 3/4. Exploring 3/4. Chords blocked & broken. Lyrical Counter melody.
Dancing- C Major Pentascale. 3/4. Lyrical melody. Chords in thirds.
Leaping- C Minor Pentascale. 3/4. Incorporates rest into melody. Counter melody is the “exercise”.
Heavy Lifting- C Minor Pentascale. 3/4. Very slow tempo. Accents. Shaping the melody.
Reach for the Sky- C Major. 4/4. Interval focus- octave, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th.
Eagle Pose- C Major. 4/4. Introduction to finger crossing, in preparation for playing scales.
Would you meet me “At the Gym”? ⬅️ Try out this FREE copy with your students.
A HUGE Thank you Andrea West and her students for performing:
#4 Tai Chi in their Group Piano Lesson!
I’d love to hear what you think about this idea! Your feedback helps me create new, creative materials that teachers love to use!
Talk to me, I’m listening.
Until next time, Happy Music Making! -Susan.
