A lot of music teachers spend time to make sure students learn about different instruments including a staple in a lot of classrooms, the piano. Here are a few resources for introducing the Piano in music class.
Resources
- A great resoucre from Yamaha: https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/piano/mechanism/mechanism002.html
- A nice clear image of the internal mechanism as well as videos and introductions to the part of the piano from Pianote: https://www.pianote.com/blog/how-pianos-work/
Book
Henry the Steinway and the Piano Recital is a fun book with a talking piano that introduces the piano to students from how it’s made as well as preparation for a concert.
Author: Sally Coveleskie, Peter Goodrich
Illustrator: Laura Friedman
ISBN: 978-1622775088
Check out the book on Amazon
Videos
Here are some videos that show a piano being made and explaining how it works.
- Making of a Steinway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAInt7hIZlU
- How It’s Made – Grand Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxA62CvUDU8
- Animated Action of Upright Piano Key: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kikWX2yOto
- How Do Pianos Work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthnCDTnAGw
Debate
One of my favorite things after introducing the piano is letting the students debate if it is a string instrument or a percussion instrument or something else! (And then I usually introduce the keyboard family.)
Other Resources
Looking for info about piano lessons? Check out this post from my friend Jennifer Foxx about preparing your Toddler for piano lessons: https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/preparing-your-toddler-for-piano-lessons/
Need info about actually TEACHING piano? Check out Jennifer’s blog here: https://musiceducatorresources.com
Hope this gave you some ideas!
