Theory Worksheets are a great way to help kids master musical concepts. I started creating my own worksheets when I realized that some of my students needed much more practice with certain concepts. Even while going through their method books and theory books, they needed more exposure. And my younger students really needed some worksheets that were tailored to their special interests.
I’ve found that many kids are capable of learning music theory at a young age. With lots of practice at home with his mother, I had one four year old student who scored 96% on a first grade level theory exam! And right now I have a little girl who is about to turn six years old, but is on track to pass a third or fourth grade level theory exam by the end of the school year. It’s incredible what can happen when kids get good training with lots of reinforcement!
Why do music students need to understand theory?
They’ll be better at their instrument! There are certain principles that are used over and over in creating music, and when you understand these principles, playing your instrument is easier and more fun. Interpreting written music is easier because the musician is a better sight reader and her understanding of music foundations empowers her to anticipate what is coming next. In addition, when you really understand music theory, and know how to apply it, you’re able to create your own music. Creating music is a whole new world of fun. If you’d like to give it a try, check out these piano improv tutorials. They’re free, super fun, and easy for even a brand new beginner to use and sound amazing!
Why worksheets work well
Worksheets are a fantastic resource for music students, music teachers, and parents of music students. They take little time to prepare and there are lots of music theory worksheets online that you can print for free. Worksheets can also be completed in short amount of time, which makes them ideal for music lessons with short time frames.
Music students need a lot of practice to master these new ideas. You’ll want to teach the concept and then give the students plenty of opportunities to apply what you’ve taught. Worksheets work well because writing reinforces their learning and it’s easy for you to assess if they’ve internalized the concept. It’s also a good idea to really solidify the new concepts by teaching them through various angles. You can use fun music theory games and asking the child to compose a song using the new concept. You can find free piano composition worksheets by clicking on the link.
How to stretch your dollar
You’ll already be saving money when you print worksheets instead of buying tons and tons of workbooks, but say you’d like to save even more. I’d like to share a few quick tips that I’ve learned to help you best use your budget. Setting your printer to the fast setting makes it so that your printer will use less ink each time it prints. I’ve also discovered that my printer alerts me to a low ink cartridge way before I actually need to change it. If I keep a close eye on it, I can usually get much more printing done before I toss the cartridge. I also like to place a worksheet inside a page protector and have my students use a dry erase marker to complete the assignment. This way, I can use the same worksheet over and over.
Important music theory concepts to cover
In this section, I’d like to highlight some key theory concepts you’ll want to be sure to emphasize–whether you’re teaching yourself or if you’re a music teacher helping your students. I’ll also provide links to free worksheets and some brief instructions on how to use them. You’re also welcome to check out the video to see a demonstration of a few of the worksheets.
This is the most basic concept in all of music theory. But it’s also a huge struggle for many beginning musicians. Trust me, if you’ll just push through it and master the note names, everything will get much easier. And if you’re a teacher, do all you can to encourage and help your students master at least the names of all the notes on the grand staff. Nearly everything else we do in music theory builds on being able to quickly identify the notes.
Click on the image to print Alien Notes, or follow these links to see more treble clef worksheets and bass clef worksheets.
The Circle of Fifths
Learning the circle of fifths makes it easy to understand chord progressions. Students also have an easier time learning key signatures and the order of flats and sharps. It takes lot of practice to internalize these concepts, so be sure to utilize a free circle of fifths worksheet by clicking on the link.
Music Intervals
Sight reading your music is so much easier, faster, and much less frustrating when you can quickly recognize music intervals. Again, lots of practice is required to be able to recognize intervals rapidly. Printable music interval worksheets can get you that practice.
To see a complete listing of the music theory worksheets available at eartrainingandimprov.com, click on the link.
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