If you’ve been looking for easy ways to teach music intervals, we’ve got you.
These ten ideas are not only super simple to incorporate in any lesson, they also cover a variety of levels.
1. Have Students Move with Intervals.
This is a great ear-training exercise that introduces your students to intervals, even if they don’t read music yet.
Play an interval and ask the student to take a step across the room the size of the sound.
Does it sound squished together (2nd)? Take a baby step.
Does it sound far apart (8th)? Take a GIANT step!
Once they move, you can tell them, “That’s a 3rd” to help prepare them for learning to identify music intervals.
2. Teach Students to Identify Intervals on the Piano.
All a student needs to know is simple counting!
Give student a starting key and say, “Now, we’ll play a second above!”
Count the starting key and one key above (“1-2”) and you have your second (you could also count the letter names used).
Ask them to find more seconds on the piano. Then, move to other intervals.
For fun, you can use stickers, little animals, erasers, etc. to place on the keyboard at each interval.
add to your Pinterest teaching board
3. Focus on One Music Interval a Week.
Have a studio-wide interval challenge that is appropriate for preschoolers to highschoolers.
For example, if you’re having a “Third Interval Week,” you can teach your preschool students how to find thirds on the keyboard.
Your elementary students can learn thirds on the staff.
Your intermediate students can find thirds in their music.
4. Teach Students How to Count Intervals on the Staff.
There is no reason for intervals to be hard!
All a student has to do is count the bottom note, every line or space in between the notes, and the top note.
It may be helpful to have larger printed intervals so you can use a pencil to point to each line and space.
You can also name the notes and count the letters used (C-F has C, D, E, F which is four letter names, or a fourth).
5. Have Students Write Their Own Intervals.
This makes for fun whiteboard time! (don’t have a whiteboard? Simply slip a sheet of staff paper inside a page protector and use a dry-erase marker. Or, you can just use pencil on regular staff paper)
Give the student a starting bottom note and direct them to write intervals above.
Once the student is confident in this, you can have them write intervals below your given note.
6. Teach the Difference Between Harmonic and Melodic Intervals.
This is one of the easiest interval concepts.
The interval is the exact same (C-E is always a third) but they can be played together (harmonic) or separately (melodic).
I like to tell my students to remember that “melodic” is like a melody where you sing two separate notes.
“Harmonic” is if two people were to sing together (or harmonize).
You can have your students write the same interval in both forms.
7. Teach Music Intervals by Having Students Find Intervals in Music.
Even if a student doesn’t understand melodic and harmonic intervals, they can still find intervals in the music they’re playing.
However, covering melodic and harmonic intervals first will enable them to find even more intervals in their music!
You can either point to an interval and quiz them (“What is this interval?”), ask them to find a specific interval (“Where is a fourth?” or “Where is a melodic fourth?”), or ask them to point to any interval and identify it.
8. Do Intervallic Ear Training.
Give your students the tools to learn to hear basic intervals by linking intervals with different songs.
Read our blog posts, 105 Songs to use for Ear Training (with a free download!) and Listening Lemurs Fun Ear Training Game for more insight into ear training with intervals.
9. Improvise with Intervals.
Give your student just one interval to create some improvisation with.
For example: open fifths played high on the piano sounds like Christmas!
Seconds played low can sound like a giant stomping around.
What other sounds do intervals make?
Remember to encourage your student to use both harmonic and melodic intervals.
10. Use Interval Flashcards.
If you want to strengthen your student’s visual recognition of intervals, flash cards is an easy way to do it! Of course, we prefer a game to flashcards because it’s the same concept, but loads more fun!
Icy Intervals: An Easy Way to Teach Music Intervals
Upgrade from flashcards with this wintery fun music theory game!
Each student gets an intervals card (with 4 intervals) then they roll a die and travel around the board to claim that interval.
The first player to claim all four intervals wins!
You can easily play this with 2-8 students.
In Icy Intervals, students will learn how to identify various intervals in treble and bass clef and race to claim the correct interval on the board.
There are three focal points on the cards, to play with students of various levels:
- C position intervals (Cards 1-3)
- G position intervals (Cards 4-6)
- Various position intervals (Cards 7-15)
Here’s what you’ll get with the Icy Intervals printable download:
- Icy Intervals game in 2 sizes: US letter & A4
- Icy Intervals game board
- 15 intervals cards (3 in C position, 3 in G position, 9 in various positions)
- 8 penguin game pieces
- 30 fish tokens
- Icy Intervals success poster
- Print release
- How to Play tutorial video
You will get the digital file to print and laminate (optional) for your music studio in both letter size (US) and A4 size (international).
Music Game Club members will also get:
- Icy Intervals activity sheets in 2 sizes: US Letter & A4
- A3 & Poster-sized game boards
- Tutorial videos with bonus gameplay ideas
Membership is only open twice a year. Check out our membership page here for more details.
Icy Intervals was Music Game Club’s December 2023 game of the month. You can get Icy Intervals in the shop here.
How to Play Icy Intervals Music Theory Game
All you need is a die and your students are ready to start claiming their intervals!
It’s one of the easiest ways to teach music intervals!
See how it’s played in the video!
- A complete breakdown of what you get in the music game download
- A step-by-step tutorial for how to play the game
- A few teaching tips and suggestions
Don’t see the video above? Watch How to Play Icy Intervals on YouTube here.
Play Icy Intervals in Group Lessons
There are 8 penguin game pieces, so you can play Icy Intervals with up to 8 players. Plus, members get a bonus poster-sized board so it’s easier for them to crowd around the game board.
Icy Intervals Music Game Success Poster
We believe celebrating music theory game wins with a success poster will build student rapport!
The students have a goal to work toward (taking a picture with the success poster) and you can send the picture to the parents as a way to showcase what their child has achieved during lessons.
It’s a win-win!
These also give you great material for social media posts (be sure to tag @musicgameclub so we can celebrate with your kiddos!).
Icy Intervals Music Theory Activity Sheet
Once the student has completed Icy Intervals music theory game, you can further help them solidify their music theory knowledge with the activity sheet (included with membership).
Students are given five intervals in both treble and bass clef and have to draw a line to the correct answer. Then, they can color the cute penguins.
This is a great send-home activity to reinforce the theory concepts after your students have played the game.
Want Icy Intervals music game to help music intervals in piano lessons?
Icy Intervals, our December 2023 music theory game, is just a taste of what you’ll get when you sign up for Music Game Club!
You’ll always receive:
- A monthly music game (formatted in 2 sizes: US Letter and A4)
- Exclusive Music Game Club membership emails
- Video tutorials
- Themed success posters to go with the monthly game
- Bonus activity review sheet
- Bonus tutorial videos with extra gameplay ideas
The membership is only $9.97/month and you did read all of the above correctly.
You’ll receive a wealth of resources that can elevate your teaching experience and keep student morale high all year.
You’ll maintain the energy and enthusiasm throughout the entire year, ensuring a consistent and engaging experience.
Your students will start asking for their new game each month and be excited to learn new music theory concepts!
Icy Intervals is now available for purchase in our shop here.
>>> Sign up for Music Game Club Membership here
How do you teach music intervals?
Do you have special tips and tricks?
What are YOUR easiest ways to teach music intervals?
Let us know in the comments below.
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