This is sort of a funny thing to post on a beautiful spring-like day!

The other day was a morning like this, there was a hint of spring in the air while I drove my son to school. After being cooped up during a bleak and dreary winter with sick kids it made me so happy to see some blue sky and feel a warm breeze! I instantly thought of Chopin’s Prelude in G Major and came home and listened to it – I love this beautiful piece! I always think of a spring stream when I hear this piece (and maybe I didn’t make that up – a quick google search told me that Cortot assigned the epithet The singing of the stream to this little piece).

Well, as is common in Utah during this time of year, the springtime morning quickly turned into a winter blizzard by lunchtime. I decided to celebrate by making this cute little chord-spelling worksheet! Those who are still experiencing winter might find this little activity useful!

Students fill in the middle sections of each snowman with the middle note of each chord. Included are all of the major and minor chords (including white-key and black-key chords). The first page of each of the major and minor sections includes just the white-key chords, so you can assign just that page to younger students or those who have not yet learned all of the other keys.

Download Snowman Chords and other fun freebies and teaching materials in the Playful Piano Shop. And happy spring – er, winter!

I have been on a Russian piano music kick lately, listening to and discovering and rediscovering so many beautiful pieces by Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Medtner and others. Russian music truly is unique and beautiful, I think it really captures the sadness (and hope!) and history of the people of that vast land, and contains some of the best musical storytelling. My parents lived in Russia for three years as missionaries in Siberia, so I have a soft spot in my heart for that land and its people.

I am excited today to introduce my Russian Piano Pack, now available for purchase in the Shop! I have put together over 30 pages of piano resources, all with the theme of Russia and Matryoshka dolls, that cover topics in music theory, technique, music history/appreciation, piano literature, composition and efficient practicing techniques. The worksheets and activities could be used with private students in individual lessons, but also would be effective in group settings or classes, and the pack would make a great month- or semester-long studio unit of Russian piano music.

Activities included in this pack:

• Notes of All Sizes – Students order 8 different note values from longest to shortest by placing them on Russian nesting dolls of different sizes.
• Nesting Doll Dynamics – Students order dynamics from loud to soft on Russian nesting dolls.
• Russian Doll Rests – Students order rest values from longest to shortest on Russian nesting dolls.
• Matryoshka Melody – Students use the same principle of Matryoshka dolls fitting inside each other to compose their own Matryoshka melody.
• Minor Matryoshka Scale – Students learn the three different types of minor scales and play them in the key of C (and transfer the principles and patterns to scales in other keys).
• Russian Piano Music Listening Assignment – Students are introduced to some great Russian piano literature by learning about 8 of the great Russian composers for piano. Includes composers’ names and dates and assigns student one of their great pieces to listen to, take a few notes on and give it a 1-5 star rating depending on how much they liked it. Also includes suggestions of other pieces to listen to for each composer if the student would like to explore their piano works further. A great resource for a studio unit on Russian piano literature, this could be used as a several-weeks assignment for individual students or utilized in a group class or camp setting.
• Practicing Problem Spots with Russian Matryoshka Dolls – This printable resource uses the principle of Russian nesting dolls to teach students how to efficiently practice their way out of problem spots in their literature. Includes printable nesting doll “flashcards” to print and laminate and give to students to help them practice effectively.
• Matryoshka Doll Printables – Includes two different sets of Matryoshka dolls to print and utilize for teaching in your studio or even to decorate your studio during a unit on Russian piano music. One set includes white boxes on each doll so you can laminate and have students write things in using a dry-erase marker.