This adorable beginning piano game can be used to review both sight-reading and ear training. It includes five notes of the treble staff: Middle C, D, E, F, G. Feed the Music Monster can double as a game AND sight-reading achievement if you’re doing a sight-reading challenge in your music studio.

Perfect for in-person instruction, and adaptable for online piano lessons. Plus, this printable game is a free gift if you sign up for my newsletter.

Supplies:

1. The PDF file, including the monster and monster melody cards, which you can get for free by signing up for my newsletter.
2. White card stock (or printer paper is fine)
3. Scissors
4. Laminator and laminating sheets (optional)
5. Tape
6. A gift bag, cereal box, or paper grocery bag approximately the height and width of the monster
7. A second bag/container

Assembly:

Print the monster and melody pages.

Cut an opening for the monster’s mouth. 

Laminate the pages (optional).

Cut an opening in the monster’s mouth that is wide enough for the melody cards to pass through.

Cut out the monster and the melody cards.

Trace the monster’s mouth onto the gift bag, cereal box, or paper grocery bag.

Cut out the mouth shape from the gift bag.

Attach the monster to the gift bag, cereal box, or paper grocery bag, aligning the openings for the mouth. I use clear tape, rolled into small loops.

Helpful hint: If you don’t want to cut your gift bag, tape the monster onto the bag so that his mouth is above the rim of the bag. Then you can save and reuse your gift bag. 

How to play Feed the Music Monster piano sight-reading game

In-Person Game Option #1: Teacher and Student: Ear Training

1. Place the cards into the second bag (the one without the monster on it) and shake to shuffle.
2. The student draws 2 cards.
3. The teacher plays the melody on one of the cards.
4. If the student correctly chooses which melody the teacher played, the student feeds that card to the monster and puts the other card back into the shuffle bag. If the student chooses incorrectly, both cards go back into the shuffle bag.
5. Continue playing until you run out of time or all the cards have been fed to the monster.

In-Person Game Option #2: Student Only: Sight-Reading

1. Place the cards into the second bag (the one without the monster on it) and shake to shuffle.
2. The student draws a card and plays the melody.
3. If the student plays the melody correctly, the student feeds the card to the monster.
4. If the student plays the card incorrectly, the card goes back into the shuffle bag.
5. The student continues playing until all the cards have been fed to the monster, or until you run out of time.

Quick and Easy Online Option #1: Ear Training

1. Open the PDF file on your computer.
2. Start teaching your online piano lesson in Zoom.
3. Screen share the PDF file, then play one melody for your student.
4. The student guesses which melody you played from the cards visible on the screen.
5. If the student guesses correctly, the student gets to say “I fed the music monster!” or you can say “You fed the music monster!”.
6. If the student guesses incorrectly, the teacher plays the melody again.

Quick and Easy Online Option #2: Sight-Reading

1. Email the PDF file to your student.
2. The student sight-reads one melody.
3. If the student sight-reads it correctly, the student gets to say “I fed the music monster!” or you can say “You fed the music monster!”.
4. If the student sight-reads it incorrectly, the student sight-reads the melody again.

Online Option #3: Boom Cards Version

1. Read more about using Boom Cards here.
2. Preview the first 4 cards of the deck here. Click “Full-Sized Preview” for best results. Purchase the Boom Cards version that you see in the image below here, here, or here.
3. Other levels of Feed the Music Monster are available here.
4. Check out all of my Boom Cards here.

Other blog posts about piano games & activities

• Getting Started with Boom Cards™ in Piano Lessons
• Bundle of 10 Exciting Music Card Games for Beginning Students and Beyond!
• 5 Off-Bench Activities for Piano Lessons
• Save Time With Over 200 Print-and-Go Music Theory Worksheets!