Alien Cow Snatchers: Music Note Name Worksheets

Wondering how to get kids easily learn music theory? Here’s a fun Beginner Music Note Name Worksheets called Alien Cow Snatchers. Let their curiosity guide learning, embrace the wonders of music theory, and embark on an exciting journey of musical discovery! You can also browse MakingMusicFun.net if you are looking for more music theory lessons and activities.

Alien Cow Snatchers | Beginner Music Note Name Worksheets

Playing Instructions

Calling all young musicians! We have an important mission that needs your musical skills! Get ready for an incredibly fun task where you can save the world while having a blast. Your mission, should you accept it, is to conquer the beginner-level musical symbols and terms found in this amazing worksheet pack.

With each correct answer you provide, you’ll rescue an adorable cow from the clutches of aliens. Keep track of your heroic efforts by tallying the number of cows saved at the bottom of each worksheet. Once you’ve completed your mission, report your triumph to your commander and become a legendary champion known for rescuing cows!

The cows are cheering for you and counting on your musical prowess! So grab your musical gear, prepare for an exciting adventure, and let’s embark on this extraordinary mission today!

Contents

Treble Clef Note Name Worksheet
Bass Clef Note Name Worksheet
Viola Clef Note Name Worksheet
More Musical Symbols Worksheet (Clefs, Time Signatures, Rhythms and Rests)
Tempo Terms Worksheet
Answer Key

About the Author

Andrew Fling is the author and founder of MakingMusicFun.net, a website dedicated to music education, as another way to share his passion with a wider audience. as actively spread his love for music by teaching children in both Christian and public schools. He has also provided private lessons to aspiring musicians.

During his childhood, he played the clarinet and trumpet as part of the school band. He pursued higher education at Arizona State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory and Composition. Additionally, he achieved certification in music education for kindergarten through twelfth grade.

MakingMusicFun.net is an online platform dedicated to music education, offering a diverse array of valuable resources. It provides an extensive selection of sheet music tailored for different instruments and proficiency levels. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate pianist, guitarist, or part of a band or orchestra, you can find suitable sheet music arrangements accompanied by piano.

Beyond sheet music, MakingMusicFun.net also offers an assortment of music theory materials. These resources, including worksheets, board games, and listening maps, serve as valuable tools for students to grasp musical concepts and enhance their theoretical understanding. The website aims to make learning music an enjoyable and accessible experience for students and educators alike.

MMF All-In-One Piano Lesson Book, Level 1B – Compare to Alfred’s

Looking for a great piano book series for your kids? MakingMusicFun.net offers a primer though Level 3 that you can download instantly – for about half the price of piano methods you purchase from your local music store. It includes sheet music, music theory worksheets and worksheet answer keys.

MMF! All-In-One Beginner Piano Course – Level 1B

Contents

Introduction
Color That Note Note Name Worksheet | Middle C Position
We Love You America by Fling
Tarantella by Fling
Bingo
Shark Attack! (Jaws Movie Theme Tribute) by Fling
Humpty Dumpty by Fling/Mother Goose
Mexican Hat Dance
Musical Spelling Bee – Treble Clef Note Name Review Worksheet
Musical Spelling Bee – Bass Clef Note Name Review Worksheet
Sweetly Sings the Donkey
It All Adds Up – Basic Rhythm Worksheet (Half Note, Quarter Note, Eighth Note)
The Birch Tree
Little Green Frog
Yankee Doodle
Go Tell Aunt Rhodie – Mother Goose
Cinderella (Dressed in Yella)
Happy Birthday
We Three Kings
Color That Note Note – Worksheet Answer Key
Musical Spelling Bee – Treble Clef Worksheet Answer Key
Musical Spelling Bee – Bass Clef Worksheet Answer Key
It All Adds Up – Worksheet Answer Key
Award Certificate

MMF! All-In-One Beginner Piano Course – Level 1B

Compares Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, Level 1B

This piano method is comparable to the Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, and students may begin the MakingMusicFun series at the same level. Student’s may also progress to Alfred’s Piano Lessons book Level 4 following the MakingMusicFun Level 3 book.

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Browse More Easy Piano Sheet Music and Music Theory Posts:

Scale Sleuth™ | Musical Scales Workbook for Kids
Pirate Quest | Musical Terms Game
Carnegie Hall Park (Matchbox Parking) | Music Theory Board Game
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music | Level 1
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music | Level 2
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music | Level 3
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music | Level 5

Princess Color-by-Note and Rhythm Music Worksheets

This Princess color-by-note rhythm worksheet set is designed to help young music students drill the whole note, half note, quarter note, whole rest, half rest, and quarter rest. Grab your crayons.

Each worksheet in the set features a difference princess. After your kids complete the worksheet they can do a Google search to learn about city and county of the princess.

Print Music Theory Worksheet

Princess Color-by-Note and Rhythm Music Worksheets

Note to Parents
If you’ve discovered a music theory worksheet that you’d like to share with your kids on this blog, but you’re not quite sure about about rhythms, rests, and note names – don’t worry. Here’s a link that will help:

How to Read Music Made Easy | Beginner’s Guide

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Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep | Free Color-by-Note Worksheet (PDF)
Chomp! Music Theory Game for Kids – Rhythms and Time Signatures
Harry Potter | Free Color-by-Note Worksheet (PDF)
Harry Potter (John Williams) | Music Listening Glyph Worksheets
Jack Be Nimble | Free Mother Goose Beginner Guitar Sheet Music (TAB)

Rhythm Clap Backs | Body Percussion Activities for Music Students

Learning rhythm is an important foundation for developing musical skills and studying piano. Rhythm is a natural part of our daily lives which we experience through our heartbeat, pulse, breathing, the way we move our body when we walk, the sound of falling rain, or the rustling of leaves. However, it is still essential for music students to be taught to read and play rhythm so they can easily identify them when they hear or see them.

Some of the ways to begin ear-training drills for rhythm is through singing, chanting, tap-backs and clap backs. These activities are very useful because they facilitate learning through eurythmics (which are movements in response to sound).

Print Rhythm Clap Backs BUNDLE

Rhythm Clap Backs BUNDLE

    

Perfect for back to school time or anytime during the year! If your students love to do body beats, they will have fun with Rhythm Clap Backs!

This Bundle Includes:
20 Clap Backs
4 Rhythm Notation Worksheets (including answer keys)
1 Memory Game
Plus ‘I Have Who Has Clap’ Back Game!

Rhythm Clap Backs BUNDLE

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Browse More Piano Lesson Resources

10 Piano Games for Kids | Note Names, Rhythms & More
3 Dynamite Themed Music Recital Ideas
No-Stress Way to Announce a Piano Lesson Rate Increase
Monster-Themed Musical Spelling Bee – Free Note Name Worksheet
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep | Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music

No-Stress Way to Announce a Piano Lesson Rate Increase

Are you raising your rates this year and feeling stressed about the response you might get from parents? Some parents will fuss and others might quit. However, if you don’t do something you’ll be worse off this year than you were last year because you’re not even keeping up with inflation.

This post will provide you with ideas to take the stress out of asking for a piano lesson rate increase. Check out four tips for when and how to break the news.

1)  An Announcement in an Email – Many students take the summer off, so an email to parents in August may already be a common routine. Make it a routine that you email every parent about the new year. Tell them about upcoming recitals, new books, and your lesson rate increase. Slide it in there, and don’t make a big deal of it. They probably won’t make a big deal of it either.

Make your lesson rate increase announcement a one-sentence statement: Lesson rates will increase by $___ this year. Easy. Done. If you make it a small dollar every year, rather than skipping years, parents will even roll their eyes, and say, “That’s nothing.” No problem.

2) Same Time Each Year – If you increase rates at the same time each year, parents will expect an increase and ask you about it when they write the check for lessons that month. Once the routine is established, it’s a cakewalk. You just need to get the routine going.

3) Make It Small – One year I left a music studio to teach my students in their homes instead. I increased the rate by $5 to cover travel to their home. Parents wouldn’t have to travel to the music studio, spend the time sitting around waiting while I taught their child, and they’d be saving gas money. It was a great deal, but more than one family wanted to spend. They quit because the jump was too big, and I was sad to see them go.

These days I talk about a rate increase every year in August. Kids are going back to school and many kids are coming back to lessons after having taken the summer off. It’s the perfect time to request for an increase. As a routine, I ask for only $1. It’s enough to keep up with the rate of inflation, and small enough that parents never mind. Some even roll their eyes and say, “That’s nothing.” “No problem.”

Summary
Price increases happen every day out there in the world. That’s because business people understand the reason why it must be done. Music teachers just need to think like business people a little more often, and consider what they need to run a successful business.

Go for it!

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Browse Sheet Music and Music Theory posts:

Ode to Joy | Easy Piano Sheet Music – Play and Learn™ Edition
6 Ways to Save on Piano Lessons
Let It Go (Frozen Movie) | Easy Piano Sheet Music
“You Say” by Lauren Daigle (Digital Print Sheet Music)
M&M Note Name Challenge | Free Note Name Worksheet
Carnegie Hall Park (Matchbox Parking) | Music Theory Board Game

3 Dynamite Themed Music Recital Ideas

Many piano teachers will be scheduling music recitals for your students in December, and are already planning for the big day. This post includes a few themed recital ideas to make this recital extra special, along with links to beginner and easy sheet music arrangements your students will love!

Famous Composer Theme
Ask each student to choose his or her favorite composer such as Brahms, Beethoven, or Chopin. Chose a piece for them to learn and have them share a few facts about their composer. IF you want to really go crazy, encourage your students to dress up as the composer they’ve chosen.

Popular Movies Theme
Decorate your studio with movie posters. Ask your students to perform a song from their favorite movie. Serve traditional movie snacks at the reception, like M&M’s, Milk Duds, and buttery popcorn. Create piano recital invitations that look like movie tickets to send home to the parents.

Disney Theme
Host a Disney-themed piano recital. Encourage your students to dress up as their favorite Disney character, such as Ariel, Elsa, Nemo, Jasmine, or Winnie the Pooh. Ask each student to chose and prepare a song from the same movie.

Piano Sheet Music Ideas for Your Recital

Here are a few awesome beginner and easy arrangements. Each one has something that makes it special, and should provide a fun long-term project for your Christmas recital.

Jingle Jazz | Five Christmas Favorites for Easy Jazz Piano Collection/Book

Beyond That Star for Easy Piano Solo by Andrew Fling

Blackbeard’s Ghost for Beginner Piano Solo by Fling

Blackbeard’s Ghost for Easy Piano Solo by Fling

Cantina Band from Star Wars for Easy Piano by John Williams

Catch the Villain for Easy Piano Solo by Fling

Christmas Concerto for Easy Piano Solo by Corelli

Cotton-Eyed Joe for Easy Piano Solo

Grandma’s Gonna Drive the Sleigh (‘Cause Santa’s Got a Cold) for Easy Piano Solo by Fling

He is Born, the Divine Christ Child for Easy Piano Duet

How Far I’ll Go from Moana for Easy Piano

I Saw Three Ships (Jig) for Easy Piano Solo

Jingle Bells Boogie for Easy Piano Solo by Fling

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho for Easy Piano Solo

Theme from Jurassic Park for Easy Piano by John Williams

Malaguena for Easy Piano Solo | Traditional

The Medallion Calls for Easy Piano from Pirates of the Caribbean

Star Wars – Main Theme for Easy Piano by John Williams

Trepak (Nutcracker) for Easy Piano Solo by Tchaikovsky

Up on the Housetop for Easy Piano Solo

Water Music (Theme) for Easy Piano Solo by George Frideric Handel

When Johnny Comes Marching Home for Easy Piano Solo

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Browse More Sheet Music and Music Theory posts:

Free Christmas Sheet Music for Jazz Piano
Free Sheet Music | Chopsticks for Piano (Three Levels)
Toccata in D Minor (Bach) | Two Free Piano Sheet Music Arrangements
Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride) | Free Piano Sheet Music
Christian Hymns | Free Easy Piano Sheet Music

Teaching Dynamics: Linking the Visual Arts to Music

Finding the perfect words to express what you mean and make the concept understandable to young students can be a challenge. When we finally figure out how to express our ideas, we tend to repeat these phrases over and over again.

I have been enhancing my students performances with dynamics (p, mp, mf, f) for many years.  I have accomplished this with two strategies:

1) Define Terms – I teach students to pronounce the terms and defined them.

1) Demonstrate – I play examples and explain the terms. Mezzo Forte (mf) is easy. You don’t need to work hard to play soft or to play loud. Mezzo Piano (mp) and Forte (f) are more challenging because they require extra effort. Piano (p) requires the most effort.

Nothing special here. It has worked well enough, but it was difficult to achieve artistry-level performances with grade school students… until now.

For the past 5-6 years I’ve been taking art lessons, and decided to see if a connection between art and music might help my music students play their music in a much more expressive way.

I introduced value.

Value refers to the visible lightness or darkness of a color, and is one of the most important design elements in a work of art.

So, how does this relate to music?

The following chart shows the four most common dynamic levels and assigns a value to each of them.

I found that drawing a box above a section of the music, and shading it with the appropriate value, gave students a visual indication of how loud or soft the phrase should be played. A light turned on for my students and it transformed their performances.

In some instances, you might draw a box above a four measure phrase and that will be enough. Other pieces are so well written, and your students so capable, that you might want to dig a little deeper -adding value boxes above individual notes.

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Browse More Piano Sheet Music and Music Theory Posts:

Note Name & Rhythm Relay | Music Theory Game
Flash Frog™ | Free Printable Music Flashcards for Beginners
Scale Sleuth™ | Musical Scales Workbook for Kids
Carnegie Hall Park (Matchbox Parking) | Music Theory Board Game
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music/Level 1
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music/Level 2
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 3
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 4
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 5

 

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Learn to Write Music – Book and Music Notation Apps

Most kids won’t grow up to be music composers. However, the opportunity to compose or arrange music shouldn’t be overlooked as it will bring a richness of understanding to their musical experience that you just can’t get any other way.

I started writing and arranging music is high school, and my band director had the jazz and concert band read every single thing I wrote. I learned how to building chords, writing counterpoint, and orchestration. All these experiences made me a better listener and helped me to appreciate the music I played.

If you’d like to try composing with your students, but don’t know where to start, you can print this book – Composing with Kids | Fives “Recipes” for Success. Each “recipe” includes ingredients (like “use this ostinato”, “this form”, or “these rhythms”) and directions on how to combine them. If it sounds a lot like baking cookies… it is!

Download and Print Piano Lesson Book

Composing with Kids | Fives “Recipes” for Success

Music Notation Apps

Seeing your music printed from a professional notation tool is an amazingly satisfying thing. I recently asked one of my students to give Finale Print Music a try, so she download the 30-day free trial. She loved it! One of the big advantages of writing things out with a notation program is that students get to hear a digital performance. Finale’s Human Playback feature is pretty nice. It still sounds like an electronic piano, but sounds very much like a real person is playing.

Noteflight
Noteflight is a web-based app that can be used on you iPad or Desktop. They offer a “try before you buy” account, so you can check things out first.  Noteflight is supportive to teachers and students and includes many materials and lesson plans for download.

Finale Print Music
Finale Print Music is a basic version of Make Music’s Finale software. They also offer a “try before you buy” account, so you can check things out first. I began writing arrangements with Print Music and liked it. It’s a wonderful tool that allows you to write simple piano arrangements, or music for full band or orchestra. The only reason I upgraded was so I could switch clefs mid-measure.

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Browse Piano Sheet Music and Music Theory Posts:

Ode to Joy | Easy Piano Sheet Music – Play and Learn™ Edition
Teaching Dynamics: Linking the Visual Arts to Music
Music Flash Cards | Treble and Bass Clef
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music/Level 1
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music/Level 2
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 3
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 4
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level  5

Teacher Appreciation Week | 7 Ideas for Thanking Your Teacher

It’s teacher appreciation week! That’s right teachers and students – May 2nd through May 6th is all about thanking teachers for all they do.

In 1984 the National PTA established the first week in May as the week to honor teachers – the people who devote their time, passion and skills to educating our children.

Wondering how you can thank them? Here are a few ideas…

1) Give your teacher an award certificate. (Print free certificate below.)
2) Bake cookies. Wrap them nicely in clear cellophane and include a ribbon and a note.
3) Make a Report Card and give them all “A’s”.
4) Give them a gift card for ice cream or their favorite restaurant.
5) Give them a framed photo of both of you.
6) Nominate them for a teacher of the year award, and let them know that you did.
7) Practice. You might not think this a good one, but it one of the best things you can do to make your teacher happy and feel valued.

Download and Print Free Music Award Certificate

Music Teacher Award Certificate

Canon in D | Easy Piano Sheet Music – Play and Learn™ Edition

Here’s new edition of Canon in D for advancing piano students. With this easy piano sheet music edition you not only get the piano solo, but you also get a composer biography for kids and a few fun worksheets that accompany the biography to help introduce piano students to the composer of the music they’re playing.

Get Canon in D | Easy Piano Sheet Music Play and Learn™ Edition

Contents
Canon in D for Easy Piano Solo (2 Pg)
Hey Kid’s, Meet Johannes Pachelbel | Composer Biography
Johannes Pachelbel | Composer Word Search Worksheet
Meet the Composer Job Application (You fill it out for the composer as if they were applying for a job.)

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Browse More Piano Sheet Music and Music Theory Posts:

Pirate Quest | Musical Terms Board Game (Digital Print)
Carnegie Hall Park (Matchbox Parking) | Music Theory Board Game
Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music/Level 2
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 3
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level 4
Free Easy Piano Sheet Music/Level  5