We all know that video games are pretty popular with teens, particularly boys. So trying to convince them to do their piano practice when there are far more fun things to be doing online can be a real challenge.
Enter PianoMaestro – a really handy app that basically turns learning piano and piano practice in general into a video game.
If you’ve ever taken on a teenage beginner and found that they quickly lose interest learning to read music because it seems such a slow and boring process, then stay tuned for this! Motivating teens just got a whole lot easier.
What’s PianoMaestro about?
Use can use this app as a whole starting curriculum for students or just as an extra bonus in lessons. You can use it to learn classical music, pop music or to practise sight-reading. I’ve found it’s incredibly versatile and really popular with students.
It will appeal to pretty much all ages as well. While it’s probably designed for around ages 8-12, I’ve found it works equally well with teens and even adults.
Advantages
While I’ve only just begun exploring the app, I’ve been using it most with my male beginner students aged about 13-15. Used in this way, it’s a bit like an interactive version of a method book, but with heaps of advantages, including:
The video-game like interface providing increasing challenge and unlocking new levels,
Instant feedback and online scoring providing motivational reasons to keep practising,
Great backing tracks means that simple one or two note melodies are far more exciting to learn, and
The app is constantly updated with new music so it’s far more relevant than any printed method could ever be.
Here’s a quick 8-minute introduction of how I use PianoMaestro to get my students motivated. Please be aware that this is just a small introduction to how this app works.
As I said, these are just the basics. There are heaps more things to explore in this app, including:
Library – Piano Pronto and Alfred method books digitised and incorporated into the app. Supersonics Piano to come!
Summer Camp – Songs that progressively unlock and allow students to teach themselves in a guided multi-step practice process.
Exercises – scales, warmups, etc.
Song library – search by name, genre, etc. Lots of great pop music and songs/pieces of all styles and levels of difficulty.
Sight-reading – Students will find it extra fun because not only do they get to use their iPad, they also get a backing track to play along with. Best of all: students have to keep going when they sight-read to a backing track, so no stopping and fixing errors!
Download it and get started today –Â it’s totally free for teachers and students.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary download of this app for review purposes. I was not required to write a favourable review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own.Â
How to Properly Record Piano without Breaking the Bank
by Diego Cardini
Record Piano Do you have a student who is interesting in recording themselves? Maybe you want to record them to show them what they are doing right or wrong? Maybe your students want their music to be out in the world via YouTube. There are plenty of ways to record a piano, and the first ... How to Properly Record Piano without Breaking the Bank
Motivating teenage piano students | Teen Teaching Toolkit
by Tim Topham
I’ve recently had lots of people ask me about where they can get their copy of my new eBook: The Teen Teaching Toolkit. It’s a totally free resource devoted to helping you engage and motivate your teenage piano students more effectively. Here is what a couple of teachers have recently said about the Teen Teaching ... Motivating teenage piano students | Teen Teaching Toolkit
A Beginner’s Guide to Piano Composition in the DAW
by Doug Beney
Computerizing Piano Composition Computerizing the piano composition process may seem daunting if you’ve never played anything but acoustic pianos. However, the early stages of combining music and computers came about using keyboard instruments, so you’re already accomplished with the primary interface. That said, those early stages were nearly 40 years ago and much has evolved ... A Beginner’s Guide to Piano Composition in the DAW
Helping Students Disconnect through Piano | Hamlet’s Blackberry
by Tim Topham
I’m currently holidaying in Bali and have really enjoyed reading “Hamlets Blackberry” by William Powers. This book argues how our insatiable desire to be connected and ever-attached to our “screens” (his generic term for anything digital connected to the Internet: phones, emails, computers, iPads, etc.) is actually causing far more harm and personal disconnection than ... Helping Students Disconnect through Piano | Hamlet’s Blackberry
Top 4 Piano Teaching Facebook Groups – get connected!
by Tim Topham
I’ve been a Facebook user for some time now. When I first started using it in my mid 20s, it was mainly for connecting with friends, keeping up with news and the usual time-wasting social media activities: browsing the news feed, looking at pictures, playing online games and generally wasting time! In fact, I was ... Top 4 Piano Teaching Facebook Groups – get connected!
OK so I’m just going to get it out there: I’m not a memoriser. Never have been. Always struggled with it and I find it one of the hardest things to do on piano. I never force my students to do it and I’m always in awe of people who can perform securely and comfortably from ... Is the iPad Killing Piano Memorisation?
Tim Topham is the founder and director of TopMusic. Tim hosts the popular Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, blogs regularly at dev.topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as integrated teaching, creativity, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, California Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.
Hi Tim
I’ve been following you a bit, thank you for your commitment and input, it’s been really helpful!
I have a boy student how loves messing around with different keyboard sounds. He’s creative and has a great sense of rhythm. I’d like him to be able to come up with little stories (creating a (drum/percussion) beat that could be looped), putting creative licks on top made up with different sounds). Is there a tool you could recommend (that is easy to handle and not too expensive and not that doesn’t require much technical preparation? I’m sure I’d use this for my other students and myself too! Thank you and keep up the great work! Noemi from Australia
Hi Noemi. Sounds like a fun student! Will be great to capture that creative enthusiasm. There’s a perfect solution for you and that’s GarageBand. Are you familiar with it? You’ll ideally need an iPad (although it does work on iPhone). I have a full step-by-step training course about it with downloadable workbook available to my members: dev.topmusic.co/community. Definitely check it out.
Hi nick. I don’t think offline is an option I’m afraid, however I have heard a few people ask about it on Facebook so it might be something they add in the future. If you’re a Facebook user, search for the group called joy tunes. They are the software developers. Great place to post requests and questions. Enjoy – it’s a great application 🙂
Hi Tim, I have started using PianoMaestro and have also been impressed by its abilities. Just wondering if you would know if it could work offline? I often don’t have internet access, so it would be ideal to sync occasionally to get new songs.
-nick
We use cookies to optimise our website and our service. You can change your settings from the cookie declaration page.
Functional cookies
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Share
5 Comments
Hi Tim
I’ve been following you a bit, thank you for your commitment and input, it’s been really helpful!
I have a boy student how loves messing around with different keyboard sounds. He’s creative and has a great sense of rhythm. I’d like him to be able to come up with little stories (creating a (drum/percussion) beat that could be looped), putting creative licks on top made up with different sounds). Is there a tool you could recommend (that is easy to handle and not too expensive and not that doesn’t require much technical preparation? I’m sure I’d use this for my other students and myself too! Thank you and keep up the great work! Noemi from Australia
Hi Noemi. Sounds like a fun student! Will be great to capture that creative enthusiasm. There’s a perfect solution for you and that’s GarageBand. Are you familiar with it? You’ll ideally need an iPad (although it does work on iPhone). I have a full step-by-step training course about it with downloadable workbook available to my members: dev.topmusic.co/community. Definitely check it out.
You can get a feel for what’s involved with these free resources too: https://dev.topmusic.co/my-new-garageband-course-for-piano-teachers/
Hi nick. I don’t think offline is an option I’m afraid, however I have heard a few people ask about it on Facebook so it might be something they add in the future. If you’re a Facebook user, search for the group called joy tunes. They are the software developers. Great place to post requests and questions. Enjoy – it’s a great application 🙂
Hey Tim, thanks so much for your advice, will check out the facebook group now -nick
Hi Tim, I have started using PianoMaestro and have also been impressed by its abilities. Just wondering if you would know if it could work offline? I often don’t have internet access, so it would be ideal to sync occasionally to get new songs.
-nick