This sister duo is always begging to play a game if we have time at the end of their lesson, and I usually try to accommodate them! This week, the younger one was working on all her Major flat key arpeggios and memorizing the corresponding key signatures, so I decided to play a related game.
I gave each of them a set of scale blocks (+an extra “C” block). Then I lined up the flat key signature flash cards and had them line up their blocks according. Once they understood the pattern, I had them scramble their blocks and race to see who could get them put back in the correct order the fastest. When they both were getting this figured out without any problem, I decided to increase the challenge; I scrambled the key signature flashcards and then they had to rearrange their scale blocks in the corresponding order. This proved to be a bit more of a challenge, but was incredibly helpful in determining how well they really knew which key signature was which.
This is one of the benefits of having lots of ready-made tools (like scale blocks and flashcards) at your fingertips. You can spontaneously come up with games and activities that reinforce specific concepts that relate to what the student is studying that week. Plus, I tend to think this is a more fun and effective way to learn and reinforce concepts than filling out worksheets/theory books anyway.
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