Teaching Aids: iPad Goodies
It is easier than ever to bring technology into the piano studio. Many teachers are excited to explore creative ways to make use of mobile devices including iPods and iPads. I have created this resource page to give you some “out-of-the-box” ideas.
First of all, may I recommend that you go to the app store and purchase the Multotouch Whiteboard for $1.99. It's worth the toonie when you see what you will be able to do. You can expect to use it just like a white board; practice drawing treble clefs or accidentals, then clear and do it again.
But this app also allows you to import images from your iPhoto library as a background. Then you can draw and erase over this image. What a perfect solution for drawing notes on the staff or filling in a circle of fifths.
I have started a collection of images that you may download and use on your ipad. Go ahead and view the images in the gallery below. If you would like to download, just visit my Dropbox link. The images are optimized for viewing on the ipad.
Go to Dropbox link to view and download my whiteboard backgrounds
iPad Resource Gallery
Flash Cards For Mobile Devices
Imagine how handy it would be to have your flash card collections on your iPad. I have created six levels from beginner to intermediate. You may quickly view a sample from each level in the gallery above. If you would like to download a set just click one of the links below and you will have access to the zipped flash card folder in Dropbox.
Level 1 - Bass C to Treble C with Barnyard Friends landmarks
Level 2 - Line notes and space notes with fingering
Level 3 - Notes with sharps and flats
Level 5 - One note in each hand
Level 6 - Two notes in the RH, one note in LH
What do I do after I download the zipped folder?
My favorite way to use my flash card images is in the iPhoto app that comes with your iPad. Here are some hints to get you going. First of all, your ipad will not open a zipped file unless you have an app like Good Reader. Even then, you won't be able to save the images in iPhoto. So, start by downloading the zipped file to your computer. Most computers are able to unzip the folder automatically. I have carefully labelled the folders and files to help keep you organized.
Now drag the flash card folders into iPhoto or wherever you keep your photos. I like to organize my images into events, so each flash card level will be a separate event. Now connect your iPad to your computer and sync your flash card folders.
Open the photo app on your ipad. Click Events at the top and you should see your new flash card sets. Click on a set to open the event and then click slideshow. I like to set my slideshows to randomize the cards and to swap them every 2 seconds. Now go find a student and give it a try.
More Fun Sight Reading Activities for iPad
Sight reading is a complicated task. There are many individual components that need to work together so students develop fluency, accuracy and confidence in their reading skills. Here is a collage of quick activities that you may use with your students to help develop specific sight reading skills. View samples in the thumbnail gallery above.
- Tick Taps
- This activity isolates the skill of finger independence, observing fingering and playing to a steady pulse. Use these cards in a variety of ways to accommodate many levels. You could begin with RH only, playing the sequence of 12 fingerings at a slow tempo. Move to a faster tempo or subdivide with eighth notes or triplets. More advanced students could work hands together in contrary motion, or read line 1 as RH and line 2 as LH.
- Play Say
- A good mental challenge for advanced students. Play the notes in one hand while naming the notes in the other hand out loud.
- Memory Busters
- A large part of sight reading is the ability to store patterns of notes for short term retrieval. Advanced readers are looking ahead, which means we are really playing patterns from short term memory. Give your student a Memory Buster pattern at the beginning of the lesson. Give him/her a few minutes to memorize it (ghost play in the air but not on the piano). At the end of the lesson the student will attempt to play the full pattern on the piano.
- Sing Sign Play
- An important component of sight reading development is singing. I ask my students to play melodies with RH, sing solfege syllables and sign the solfege with LH. These simple melodies use do-re-mi.
- Double Trouble
- Clapping single line rhythms doesn't deal with the coordination involved in sight reading hands together. Isolate this skill with the Double Trouble rhythms. You could tap with RH and LH on a table top or think of other creative tapping options like lap slaps or toe taps.
If you like these activites, just click the links to download the zipped file from Dropbox. The images are simple jpegs, optimized for viewing on your iPad. Just save the folders on your computer and sync the images to your iPad. You can keep and organize all of your resources in iPhoto.
