Piano Games AND Music Writing? Yes, You Can Have Both!
If you teach young beginners, you’ve probably felt this tension before: should piano lessons be focused on fun games or serious music theory books?
Many teachers swap in games to keep students engaged but end up leaving out the foundational writing practice that helps students internalize what they’ve learned. Others go the opposite direction, focusing heavily on worksheets but losing that joyful, playful spark that makes kids love piano.
But here’s the good news—you don’t have to choose. 🎲✏️
How to Teach Musical Phrasing to Piano Students (With Help from a Magical Queen)
If you’ve ever wondered how to teach musical phrasing to piano students in a way that truly sticks—especially with your fairy-loving beginners—let me introduce you to Ginny.
Ginny adores all things girly. Princesses, ballerinas (she takes ballet herself), and sparkles? Yes, please. But when it came time to teach her about musical phrasing, my usual superhero metaphors fell flat.
That’s when The Musical, Magical Queen came to the rescue.
It all started with a little red toy piano.
I was three years old. I received a red toy piano for my birthday.
I can't describe how fascinated I was with this little instrument. It was as if this toy was calling to me.
I really wanted a teacher. Of course, being a child in the 1960s (oops - now you can guess how old I really am!) meant that no one would take on a child that young.
On top of that, my dad was in the military - and overseas in the Vietnam War. Not a good time. My parents were not particularly musical. They were very PRACTICAL. Being in the military meant moving around. Pianos were big and heavy at that time.