Essential teaching materials

When teaching music, it’s always useful to have a selection of helpful resources to hand. Here is my list of essential teaching materials.

Three staple diagrams

It’s useful to have three explanatory diagrams to refer to: a diagram of the note values pyramid, a diagram of the great stave, and either a diagram of the circle of fifths or a key signatures chart. Together, these helpful visual representations give a clear overview of some of the fundamental elements of music.

The great stave diagram shown in the picture is from www.susanparadis.com.

A tablet

Tablets can be very effective teaching tools. Digital versions of metronomes, flashcards and educational games – to name just a few useful apps – can be downloaded onto a tablet, reducing the number of physical materials required in lessons.

A whiteboard

A small whiteboard enables you to quickly write down note values, rhythmic patterns and musical signs. Whiteboards are particularly useful during lessons with young children, who love to trace their hands and label the fingers and practise drawing notes.

Manuscript paper

Manuscript paper is useful for jotting down tunes for sight reading and quick music theory questions. Use a tear-off manuscript pad for convenience; my favourite is the Woodstock Music Manuscript Pad.

3 staple tutor books

It’s beneficial to have three reliable tutor books to hand: one for very young beginners (ages 4-7), one for slightly older children (age 8 +), and another for teenage and adult beginners. I like ‘Tunes for Ten Fingers’ by Pauline Hall, ‘Piano Time 1’ by Pauline Hall, and ‘Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course: Lesson Book Level 1’ by Willard A Palmer for piano lessons.