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Welcome to the blog at Melody Payne – Music for a Lifetime!

From piano teaching tips to games and activities for piano lessons, sheet music, and much more, we have something just for you! 

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7 Unique Ways to Rock Your First Month of Piano Lessons

7 Unique Ways to Rock Your First Month of Piano Lessons with Activities Students Love

Want to rock your first month of teaching very young beginner piano students and ensure that they keep coming back for more lessons? This exciting, creative, very affordable bundle of 14 resources will save you time and money. Your students will love the games and activities, and you’ll love the positive results!
10 Ways to Use Sight-Reading Games in Piano Lessons blog post

10 Ways to Use Sight-Reading Games in Piano Lessons

The Feed the Music Monster Piano Sight-Reading Games Bundle can be used for sight-reading games in piano lessons, plus ear-training, solfege singing, online lessons, and group classes, with students of all ages. In this article you’ll find tips for adapting the sight-reading cards for group classes and online lessons. There are even ideas on how the cards can be used for simple ensemble activities in group piano classes.
5 ways to use music coloring pages for first piano lessons

5 Ways to Use Music Coloring Pages for First Piano Lessons

Calling all unicorns and dinosaurs enthusiasts! Here are some free or very low-cost music colouring worksheets designed to help young beginner piano students review finger numbers, piano keys, basic music symbols, and notes of the middle C position. Read on to discover five ways to use these adorable colouring pages today!
114-Page Space Themed Music Worksheets Bundle

Stellar 114-Page Space Themed Music Worksheets Bundle

Teaching music literacy within the confines of 30-minute weekly lessons is challenging. It would seem that a student could ‘just’ learn to read music by practicing their assigned songs at home, yet it doesn’t quite work that way. This 114-page Space Themed Music Worksheets Bundle for piano lessons and music class has been an absolute hit within my studio! It has been a much-needed solution for my beginner through late beginner students who need extra reinforcement.
4 Reasons to Use Feed the Music Monster Treble Clef Ledger Lines Sight-Reading Game

4 Reasons to Use Feed the Music Monster Treble Clef Ledger Lines Sight-Reading Game

Looking for a different way for your piano students to practice their ear training and sight reading skills? Feed the Music Monster is an exceptionally fun and hands-on game that will grab your students’ interest and help them learn at the same time. Music history, anyone? This game has that too! Read on to discover four excellent reasons to use this game in your studio.
The Perfect Middle C Note Reading Game for Beginning Piano Students

The Perfect Middle C Note Reading Game for Beginning Piano Students

The Middle C Note Reading Game is a fun tool for helping beginning students develop fluency as they learn songs that use what is traditionally referred to as “Middle C Position notes”. Students will feel more confident learning new notes beyond F3-G4 as they learn to sight-read these notes faster.
3 Creative Ways to Use St. Patrick's Day Music Colouring Sheets Coloring Pages in Piano Lessons

3 Creative Ways to Use St. Patrick’s Day Music Colouring Sheets

Looking for ways to spice up the month of March in your piano studio or music classroom? These St. Patrick’s Day Music Colouring Sheets are a perfect, dare I say sneaky way to fit both music theory and fun into your lessons. Read on to learn three easy, low, or no-prep ways teachers can use these worksheets!
5 Reasons I Love St. Patrick's Day Music Worksheets for Note Reading

5 Reasons I Love St. Patrick’s Day Music Worksheets for Note Reading

I’ve used the Music Worksheets for St. Patrick’s Day year round in my studio because I’ve found it to be the most comprehensive worksheet set for practicing note recognition and notation with beginners. Here are 5 reasons I love using these St. Patrick’s Day music worksheets with my piano students.
10 Tips and Ideas to Improve Your Piano Teaching

10 Tips and Ideas to Improve Your Piano Teaching

Whether you’re looking for help with running your piano teaching business, practical ideas for teaching certain pieces or age groups, piano student gift ideas, or help with technology for piano teachers, you’re going to find something helpful to improve your piano teaching in our ultimate blog post roundup.
8 Easy Games to Play in a First Piano Lesson

8 Easy Games to Play in a First Piano Lesson

Life as a piano teacher can be pretty demanding at times. If you feel like you’re spending all of your spare time trying to plan the perfect piano lesson for your new beginners, you’re not alone. In this article, I’m going to introduce you to 8 quick and easy games to play in a first piano lesson that are packed with musical benefits.

Preschool Rhythm Activity Cards for Engaging Piano Lessons

These preschool rhythm activity cards are my go-to cards for teaching rhythmic values and time signatures to all of my preschool piano students. They are a must for the preschool piano teacher’s toolbox, and are a resource I wish I had when I was starting out teaching piano lessons to preschoolers.
11 Creative Valentine's Day Piano Activities

11 Creative Valentine’s Day Piano Activities

Valentine’s Day is coming soon! Your students will love the amazing variety of colouring sheets, card games, spinner games, worksheets, and much more that come in this Valentine’s Day bundle of activities for piano lessons. Read on to discover how to combine kids’ love of holidays with your desire to have them learn in exceptionally fun ways!

Welcome!

Hi! I’m Melody Payne, a pianist and piano teacher, educational resource author, a fun-loving wife to the most wonderful and talented hubby I could ask for, and a lifelong learner who loves to share. I want to make your life as a music teacher easier by writing and sharing helpful and relevant music teaching articles, and by creating educational resources with your very own students in mind. If you are a parent who wants to enroll your child in piano lessons, I’d love for us to get started building those skills that can give your child a lifetime of musical enjoyment!

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