Many piano teachers are experimenting with group lessons, and therefore wondering how to play music games in group piano lessons.

There are many benefits to teaching group piano lessons, which I will not include in this blog post, as I would like to instead focus on incorporating music games in group piano lessons.

But to sum it up, group piano lessons are wonderful because…

• It gives piano students a sufficient, full-music experience
• Students learn from each other rather than just the teacher
• Teachers are able to help more students in their limited time

If you are interested in learning more about teaching group piano lessons, check out GroupIlluminatED.

I’m not a group piano expert; however, I do know Music Game Club games inside and out and how you can play music games in group piano lessons.

Why you should add music games in group piano lessons

Music games aren’t a waste of time.

Instead, a good music game will teach the student and solidify their understanding of music theory concepts.

Playing games also helps build good student rapport and can help build student retention.

Adding music games in group piano lessons is really simple: Schedule time for music games.

Remember your goal in teaching music is to give the students a well-rounded experience of both knowledge and application.

For more ideas, check out our blog post, How to Make Time for Music Games in Lessons.

How to Play Music Games in Group Piano Lessons

There are many ways teachers work group piano lessons.

Whether you have 3 in a group or 10, here are some ways you can play music games in group piano lessons.

1) Pair up students

This works with any size group, as you divide your group into pairs and have them play head-to-head.

This is a great way to play Counting Caterpillars and Dynamic Den. 

One of the benefits of pairing students is that they can learn from each other instead of just you as a teacher. 

Instead of you, the teacher, making sure each student gets the right answer, because the students are confirming the answer of their classmates, it will strengthen their observation skills and help them know the correct answers inside and out, which will speed up their retention process.

You can choose to pair your students with a strong/weak knowledge base or students of similar level, depending on the need.

If you want to, you can host a competition that lasts for several weeks where the losers are eliminated and the winners compete against each other until you have two students left.

This will build excitement in your studio as students cheer their peers on.

2) Get a game that involves all students

Some music theory games are created with groups in mind (such as Starfish Staff and Froggy Fifths, March 2023’s Music Game Club membership game), and you can have all of your students playing at the same time.

Depending on the game, you may need to prepare a little more game time in order for everyone to have time to have a shot at winning the game.

Playing a music theory group game is ideal because all of the students are observing as their opponents play.

This can build great rapport between your students and they will also benefit from learning from their peers.

3) Choose music theory games that introduce a concept

If you’re about to work on composition, introducing dotted rhythm, or learning new key signatures, use a music theory game to introduce the concept before you lead your group piano students into the new concept.

4) Choose music theory games that review a concept

If you’re in the middle of a busy season and need a little bit of a break, give your students a music theory game that covers a concept they already know (I mean, all students need regular practice with rhythm and note reading).

Tips for playing music theory games in group piano lessons

If you’re ready to play music games in group piano lessons, here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Verbally reinforce correct answer and any tips to help student find or confirm correct answer – students will hear this over and over and helps with retention
• Reinforce good sportsmanship. Some students are very competitive and may always want to win and may get upset if they don’t. Reinforce the excitement of the winner and acknowledge that everyone did their best and we should always congratulate winner and not be mad or grumpy because we didn’t win (though those are valid feelings and students may feel a certain negative way, it’s a good life skill to be able to feel upset that you didn’t win but congratulate someone else who did win; it might be helpful to point out that some luck is involved – not just pure knowledge/correct answer).
• When playing on a team, decide if your students can help their teammates 
• Always remind students if they get the answer wrong it’s ok
• It’s good to pair faster students with slower students (reaction times) and more advanced with beginners so teams are even and representation is broad

What tips would you add to this list? We’d love to hear, so add your thoughts in a comment!

Music Game Club for group piano lessons

At Music Game Club, we strive to make our music theory games as adaptable and versatile as possible.

We understand that many teachers have both private and group piano studios and we want you to get as much value from each music game as possible.

To see a full list of our current games, visit the Music Game Club shop.

If you try one of these ideas with your piano students, let us know by tagging us on social media @musicgameclub (Instagram, TikTok, & Facebook).

Comment and share!

How do you play music games in group piano lessons?

Do your students have a favorite?

Let us know in the comments below.

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