The music teacher before me had ordered a full keyboard lab that basically sat in boxes collecting dust for years.  The Classically trained pianist in me was super excited to incorporate keyboards into my elementary music teaching curriculum.

Thinking about the objectives I needed to teach and the various ages and skill levels of my students, I thought about the best ways I could use piano keyboards in the elementary music classroom. Don’t be overwhelmed if you’ve never taught piano before, because I promise it is way more doable than you think (and I explain this even more in this podcast episode.)

 

How Many Keyboards to Use

When thinking of using a keyboard lab in your music classroom, there are a couple of ways you can go about it.

You can set up enough keyboards for every student to have their own, or only set up a few (which is what I did in my classroom).  Honestly, it’s a matter of personal opinion, your comfort level and teaching goals, and the space you have in your classroom.

If you are using a full keyboard lab, students will be at varying skill levels.  Some of your students have taken piano lessons before and some have never touched a piano a day in their life.  Just like you differentiate instruction while teaching other objectives, you will do the same thing while teaching piano skills.

 

What to Teach

The idea of using piano keyboards in the elementary music classroom might make you nervous.  Putting the kids at the keyboards and listening to them bang on the keys sounds like a great time (note the sarcasm).

There are a few different ways you can use keyboards in your classroom.

If you are wanting an idea of a great keyboard to start on (I have the same one in my home), then I recommend the this one that comes with the keyboard, headphones, music stand, pedal and bench.  I recommend some other keyboards you can check out here. If you are wanting a piano, you can find really great ones at your local music stores or even on Craigslist.  Whether you go the digital piano route, or are wanting an upright piano, the choice is really yours.

If Using a Full Keyboard Lab

If you’re using a full keyboard lab, lucky you!  Seriously, that’s incredible and I may or not be slightly jealous.

We all know that your school is short on space.  So, it’s up to you if you want to set up an entire keyboard lab or not.  If so, think about your particular school.  Do you have an empty classroom not being used?  Is there space in your classroom to set up half of the room with keyboards and the other half with other instruments?  Is there a way to do a keyboard lab for one semester while teaching other curriculum the other semester?

While I have never used a full keyboard lab, there are ways to do it if this is the direction you or your school is going.

Using iPads, computers, or other tablets, have the students watch a piano lesson, work through music theory, and teach with the music objectives.

You could seat your students by beginner and intermediate so you can work with the different skill levels at the same time.  Your more advanced students could definitely help your beginners too.

 

If Using a Few Keyboards

If you’re planning to use a few keyboards, there are several ways to implement them into your music curriculum.

Centers in the music classroom are becoming quite a hit.  Set up a few keyboards and use them as one of your center stations.  At the center, students can compose, practice rhythms with the drum sounds, or play a melody you have on their music stand.

Another way to use just a few keyboards is during a lesson.  When teaching students a new song, send a few students to the keyboards and have them play a certain broken chord or even a one note rhythm.  Just like when you have your students play xylophones, recorder, or ukuleles, teach them a few basic piano skills so they can take turns and will know what to play when it’s their turn.

Teaching keyboard in the music classroom will be different than teaching a formal piano lesson.   You have so much to teach and so many objectives to cover, you simply will not have the time to teach the piano skills (unless you’re going the full keyboard lab route).

 

Do you use keyboards in your music classroom?  If so, how do you enjoy using them best? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media as you share this post.   

Also, I’d love for you to share this post or any of the resources on my website with a friend or colleague who you know NEEDS to see it.

P.S.  Are you feeling frustrated or stuck as an elementary music teacher?  Check out these free resources to help you teach elementary music with confidence!