Anybody Can Play PIANO 

Straight to the song list

Those who play the piano know there are two completely different visuals: the keyboard itself and the music notation. The Anybody Can Play PIANO deals primarily with the keyboard visual when it come to teaching songs. The NOTES part of the app introduces the notation visual - teaching notation with "Silly Songs" - notes being mixed up over and over so the student has to recognize the notes in order to play the Silly Song.

Students just beginning to learn how to play the piano deal more easily with the key visual and like being shown how to play a song on the piano keys. This is a time when they can learn the pattern of the keys, use specific hand positions, and memorize what they are learning. These are all really good skills - and skills which should continue when they begin to learn primarily via music notation.

During this beginning visual stage is a time when students can also learn definitions, start learning about the music staff, discern between notes placed in different places upon the staff, etc. I always chuckle when I remember a two year old in a preschool who ran to his mom when she entered the room showing her a quarter note flashcard. He told her the name of the note, pointed out and named the stem and notehead, and said the note got only 1 beat - just walk walk walks! She was shocked! Actually at that time I was also quite surprised at the interest of such young children. I was teaching some 3s and up how to play the piano in that school and they asked me if I would do a general music class for the 2 year olds, sooo.....

Students enter the reading stage at different ages...just have to keep doing games and activities with notation until they start actually reading it in order to play on the keys. Even when students can read music notation, the Anybody Can Play PIANO app is a great practice tutor and keeps them in the habit of memorizing pieces as they learn them. And, it keeps them aware of the key visual so they see hand position patterns within a song. They can also use the SHOW ME part of the app and play along which makes them play with proper rhythm. Something else...doing a notation activity with a song the student already knows is quite productive.

The NOTES part of the Anybody Can Play PIANO app starts with only 3 notes and mixes them up over and over to make Silly Songs. When a child is comfortable with a certain level, the next level adds more notes. This is a great way to learn because there is no translation step added. They see the note, then play it. At that point a comment can be made about that note -"Ah, that's a D - the one next to Middle C." I always taught my students this way and they all became wonderful sight readers!

The following is the list of the songs on the app in the order of the Right Hand Alone/Left Hand Alone lists, so whenever you wish to add the second visual - reading music - the notation is here. It follows the pattern of the app: right hand alone, left hand alone, hands together in parallel, and hands together in contrary motion. This is a work in progress, so will take awhile for all the songs to be uploaded.

Tick Tock

To download song number 1: Tick Tock, click Tick Tock

Rain Rain Go Away

To download Rain Rain Go Away, click Rain Rain Go Away

Hot Cross Buns

To download Hot Cross Buns, click Hot Cross Buns

Fluttering Butterflies

To download Fluttering Butterflies, click Fluttering Butterflies

I Like Summer

To download I LIke Summer, click I like Summer

Busy Buzzy Bumblebee

To download Busy Buzzy Bumblebee, click Busy Buzzy Bumblebee

Secret Code

To download Secret Code, click Secret Code

Indian Drums

To download Indian Drums, click Indian Drums

Rain

To download Rain, click Rain

Out of order again......

Jingle Bells

To download Jingle Bells, click Jingle Bells