Ever since I came across D’Net Layton’s post on rhythm blocks many years ago, I’ve had it in mind to make a similar rhythm resource for my studio. Wood blocks cut to size were a bit more ambitious and space-consuming than what I wanted to create, but after lots of pondering and experimenting in the […]
Resources
Free Full-Sized Piano Keyboard
In preparing for piano camp this year, I searched far and wide to find a full-sized piano keyboard that I could use for some music theory games and activities. The few options that I found were much more than I wanted to pay, so I decided to see if I could create a simple printable […]
Free Piano Sheet Music for Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals
Anyone who’s been around here for a while knows that I’m a huge fan of Carnival of the Animals. I’ve used it as the theme for a regular summer piano camp for my students and also for the Piano Expeditions piano camp – To France with Saint-Saëns and His Carnival. Even before that, I used […]
Review of Extreme Heterophony by John Pitts
When composer John Pitts contacted me about reviewing his newest book, Extreme Heterophony: a study in javanese gamelan, I was intrigued for two reasons. Not, mind you, because I had any idea what it was about! But because, firstly, there has been an increased effort in the music education community to explore more diversity in […]
A New Year’s Sale!
To celebrate the commencement of 2022, everything in the Music Matters Blog store is on sale! Just use the code NY22 to receive 20% off your entire order. You may want to get a head start on piano camp ideas for this summer, liven up your lessons with some fun 5-minute games, or launch a […]
New Deck the Halls Christmas Piano Duet
Looking for a quick, fun, lively Christmas piano duet for a couple of students? This page and a half elementary piano duet of Deck the Halls sports a catchy intro, then shares the melody equally between both parts, concluding with a return to the theme from the intro. Simple to learn and fun to play!