For years, I’ve been collecting videos from all over the internet to use as part of my student’s music lab time. This has resulted in four major sets of videos that are available for FREE here on Piano Pantry:
Access all of these via the menu under “Resources” in the menu.
These videos can be utilized during group classes, as either part of an off-bench music lab time, or as an assignment using an online tool like Vivid Practice or Practice Space.
All videos in the series have some kind of accompanying guide (available in the shop) – whether it be a simple tracking sheet for keeping track of which videos the student has watched or a full listening guide with reflection questions. I also hope to eventually make CSV files available for those looking to utilize them as part of an online assignment tool.
>>January 2024 Update: A CSV File for the Expressive Movement Video series is now available. Find it here.
Both the Christmas and Halloween video sets are a little more in-depth listening guides that include fun facts and information about the piece, as well as reflection questions.
Find details on those in these blog posts:
Christmas Music Videos Listening Activity
Halloween Music Videos Listening Activity
In this post, I’ll share more details on the tracking sheets available for the other two series: music theory videos and fun music videos.
Music Theory Video
The Music Theory Videos series is a compilation of the best videos I’ve found online that teach music theory concepts.
While most of these videos teach individual music theory concepts, I was looking to use them to reinforce what students have already learned in lessons.
Here’s a sneak-peak at some of the videos included:
Comprised of 48 videos, they have been divided into four sets based on a rough/general order in which concepts are introduced in most piano methods. The order may not line up exactly, but you can assign videos based on what the student has already been taught in their lesson time.
From my own experience, I find it doesn’t work well to assign just one video at a time. If you’re using this resource as part of an off-bench / music lab time, switching to a new activity after watching just one video is not ideal (especially since the student generally does it independently). It’s much easier to wait until there are several videos the student is ready to watch and assign several at once.
Curious for more details on how I run my music labs? Check out the Music Labs Made Easy eBook in the shop.
Please know that the list of videos is in no way exhaustive. That is, a video may not be available for every music theory concept.
View the Music Theory Video series here.
Corresponding Music Videos Tracking Sheet
Since I was utilizing this as part of an in-studio music lab time and students weren’t watching videos weekly, I needed a way to track which videos they had watched. Thus, the corresponding tracking sheet!
The tracking sheet includes directions to the student, a place for teachers to “assign” which videos to watch, the video name, who it is from, its length (so they know if they have enough time during their lab to complete it), and space for the student to check-off once they watched it.
Add this to your cart now, or find it in the shop.
Fun Music Videos
The fun music video series is a compilation of a lot of…you guessed it… fun (and inspiring, I might add!) music videos. 🙂
When I started including off-bench music lab time as part of my students’ weekly lesson experience, I found that while there are a lot of apps and programs out there, sometimes you run out of things for them to do!
There were two main reasons I found this happening on occasion:
(1) Students can accomplish quite a bit in a 30-minute lab time.
(2) With younger students especially, you can give only so many lab assignments when they are beginners. Not only are they limited in the musical concepts they can play games for, but any assignment with too much reading and writing is just too difficult for kindergarten, first, and even second graders to do independently.
P.S. For a bit more talk on how to handle music lab time with younger students, visit this post.
Thus was born the Fun Music Videos series!
Comprised of more than 60 videos, the series is organized into 8 sets:
- Classical Music Fun
- Inspirational
- Musical Humor
- Unique Instruments
- Playing with Popular Tunes 1
- Playing with Popular Tunes 2
- Music History
- The Evolution of the Piano
You could even use these videos as a fun way to end (or start!) a group class.
Find the Fun Music Video series here.
Corresponding Fun Videos Tracking Sheet
My students enjoyed these videos, but similar to the music theory videos, I needed a way to track which ones they had watched. I wasn’t necessarily assigning them week after week until they finished the entire series; I was only assigning it every once in a while and using it as a “filler.”
Thus, the corresponding tracking sheet!
The goal was to keep it simple.
Yes, I was using it as a “filler” lab assignment, but I also didn’t want it to just feel like “busy work.” Not only that, but it had to be something I could assign to students of all ages – especially younger students. As I stated earlier, any assignment with too much reading and writing is just too tricky for kindergarten, first, and even second graders to do independently.
Thus, the tracking sheet includes directions to the student, the “set” name, the video name, the length of the video (so they know if they have enough time during their lab to complete it), and areas to rate the video and openly reflect/comment.
While I would love for it to include more background information and reflection questions (maybe someday I’ll create a more in-depth version for older students similar to the Halloween and Christmas video series), my main goal with this was an easy lab that students of any age could use and enjoy.
Be aware that students have been known to continually go back and watch some of their favorite videos several times when they’re supposed to be watching new videos. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 😉
Add this resource to your cart now, or find it in the shop.
Music Labs Made Easy eBook
Curious for more details on how I run my music labs? Get this 15-page eBook that is chock full of all kinds of “pro tips.”
We’ll talk about scheduling, set-up, and organizing labs. Laid out in an easy-to-read format, this book will answer all your questions regarding music lab time!
