Piano Info & Resources

Teacher Resources

Free, downloadable resources to help students discover the joy of playing the piano.

Lesson Plans

The Piano Revealed - A fun lesson that trains student in the basic parts and functions of the piano mechanisms and acoustics while preparing for a recital. Also includes worksheets for learning the parts of the piano.

Keyboard Puzzles - A lesson that helps young students learn the arrangements of piano keys.

Piano Sounds - A lesson that explores how the different parts of the piano work together to make sounds.

Special Events for Pianists - Ideas for incorporating National Piano Month, Jazz Apreciation Month, Classical Music Month and Music In Our Schools Month into your lessons.

Preparing for a Performance - Use the book "Henry the Steinway and the Piano Recital" along with other tips to help your students get ready for a piano recital. Elementary age level.

The Music Box: The Story of Cristofori - Learn about the history of pianos by reading about the creator of the first modern piano. Elementary age level.

Group Games

Quick and Easy Musical Games - Adapt games kids already know to reinforce and enhance music lessons.

Follow the Music Game - Get the wiggles out while learning common music directions.

Piano Baseball - Turn learning into fun when students compete to see who knows the most about the piano.

Play It, Don't Say It Card Game - Put your knowledge of tempo, dynamics and articulation terms, symbols and marks to work.

Express Yourself - Activities to help your students learn and practice working with tempo, dynamics and articulation terms, symbols and marks.

Piano Science - Help kids connect music and science with experiments and activities that help them explore the concept of sound waves and how the different parts of a piano work together to create the sounds we call music. Elementary and middle school age level.

Explore Sound - These Interesting activities from Exploresound.org will help you learn more about sound. Apply what you learn to how the parts of a piano work together to create sound. Geared towards 6th grade and up.

Puzzles/Worksheets

Name the Piano Parts - Learn the different parts of the inside and outside of grand and vertical pianos.

Piano Parts Word Search - Puzzles for elementary and middle school levels, reproducible.

Test Your Piano IQ Worksheet - Elementary and middle school levels, reproducible.

Pianos Through the Ages - Learn about the history of pianos by completing a word search puzzle. Middle school age and up.

How Does A Piano Work? - Identify the parts of a piano and see how they all work together. Includes a fact sheet, a piano facts quiz and diagrams of the inside of a piano.

Piano Activity Place Mat - Print out your own on 8-1/2" x 14" (legal size) activity mat.

What's It Called - Match the parts of a piano to the correct descriptions.

PLC Treasure Hunt - Explore the student area of the Piano Learning Center by finding the answers to questions on how a piano works, history, care and more.

Teaching Tools

Music Staff Paper - 8 stave, 8 1/2" x 11". Download and print PDF.
Music Staff Paper - 5 stave, 8 1/2" x 11". Download and print PDF.
Student Practice Record - fillable PDF.
Student Reward Bookmarks - Print these colorful bookmarks on cardstock and cut apart for a fun reward at the end of a lesson, reproducible. PDF.
Write A Book Review - Enhance lesson time or integrate music and reading. Includes a review form, suggested book list and sample.

Art

Piano Activity Place Mat - Print out your own on 8-1/2" x 14" paper, reproducible

Origami Piano - Fold your own 3-D vertical piano, reproducible.

Grand Piano Art - Cut, fold and glue your own miniature grand piano. PDF includes full-color, detailed pieces and instructions. From Accoutrements.

Coloring Pages - Sample pages from the PTG coloring book; preschool and early elementary levels, reproducible.

Student Reward Bookmarks - Print these colorful bookmarks on cardstock and cut apart for a fun reward at the end of a lesson, reproducible.

How a Piano Works

How Does A Piano Work? – Identify the parts of a piano and see how they all work together. Includes a fact sheet, a piano facts quiz and diagrams of the inside of a piano.

Name the Piano Parts - Reproducible worksheets you can use to learn the different parts of the inside and outside of grand and vertical pianos. 

What’s the Difference? - Learn about the unique characteristics of an acoustic piano and how the different parts of a piano allow you to “express” yourself.  Includes a student fact sheet, discussion questions and piano exercises. Middle school age and up.

Acoustic Pianos Fact Sheet - Compare the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic and digital pianos.

Basic Rules of Piano Care - Learn how to care for your piano.

How A Piano Works - An introduction to the vertical piano action.

Virtual Factory Tours

Petrof Factory Tour  - A 360 degree panoramic tour that allows you to walk through the Petrof factory and explore images and video clips to see how pianos are manufactured.

Hailun Factory Tour - A 360 degree panoramic tour that allows you to walk through the Hailun factory and explore images and video clips to see how pianos are manufactured.

Steinway Factory Tour - A YouTube video of a tour of the New York Steinway factory narrated by John Steinway.

Yamaha Factory Tours - A series of four YouTube videos describing the process of piano-making at Yamaha from start to performance.

Literature

The Piano In Children’s Literature Reading List - Read aloud to your child or class, assign book reports or incorporate these stories into your lesson plans.

The Music Box: The Story of Cristofori - Learn about the history of pianos by reading about the creator of the first modern piano. Elementary age level.

Write A Book Review - Enhance lesson time or integrate music and reading. Includes a review form, suggested book list and sample.

Science

Tuning Forks - Learn how a tuning fork is used to tune a piano.

Piano Science - Help kids connect music and science with experiments and activities that help them explore the concept of sound waves and how the different parts of a piano work together to create the sounds we call music. Elementary and middle school age level.

Piano Sounds  - A lesson that explores how the different parts of the piano work together to make sounds.

Explore Sound - These fun activities from Explore Sound.org will help you learn more about sound. Apply what you learn to how the parts of a piano work together to make sound. Geared towards 6th grade and up.

Tuning Fork Acoustics - From the National Museum of American History.

History

The Music Box: The Story of Cristofori - Learn about the history of pianos by reading about the creator of the first modern piano. Elementary age level.

Pianos Through the Ages - Learn about the history of pianos by completing a word search puzzle. Middle school age and up.

Piano History Fact Sheet  - See how the piano has changed over the last 300 years.

Videos

How A Piano Works - An introduction to the vertical piano action.

How Piano Actions Work - A link to a video clip of a demonstration by Clarence Zeches, RPT.

Grand Action in Motion - see a YouTube video of a grand action moving in real-time and slow motion.

How an Upright Piano Action Works - 3D animation of an upright action mechanism. Also includes a schematic of all the parts making up the action.

Introduction to Tuning Forks - From the National Museum of American History.

Beginners

Intermediate

Advanced

Helpful Links