If you’re looking for Thanksgiving music activities for your piano students, look no further!
As a piano teacher, I know that November can be a very busy time. Sometimes, I accidentally find myself in full-on “get down to business” mode. In my piano studio, we’ve got the National Federation of Music Clubs annual competition we’re preparing for. And, of course, with a holiday recital coming up in December, we’re going all-in on a Christmas piece or two as well. Not to mention the usual lesson book material we don’t want to fall behind on.
Because of this busy time of year, my usual creative lesson activity ideas seem to be lacking in November!
That’s why I created these 7 Thanksgiving Music Games/Activities so I can have something ready to print and play!
Browse through the categories below to find just the right activity at just the right level for each of your students. And make sure you capture the fun of the beginning of the holiday season, which should be a magical time for both kids and adults.
Thanksgiving Rhythm Bingo
The first of seven Thanksgiving music theory resources is Thanksgiving Rhythm Bingo. Of course, I had to make a Thanksgiving version of my number one top-selling music theory game!
Topics Covered: Thanksgiving Rhythm Bingo teaches or reviews note and rest values using fun seasonal phrases.
Who’s It For: With 3 Levels, Thanksgiving Rhythm Bingo is great for very beginning students (who can just imitate rhythms, not read them) to intermediate students (challenge them to read similar rhythms without any picture hints).
How to Use It:
- Print one board for a private lesson student, or print up to 6 unique boards for a party or small group lesson. Use is in a classroom (some boards will be the same if 6+ students are playing).
- Grab a metronome and call out the Thanksgiving phrases in rhythm using the included Teacher Call Order sheet. (For an extra challenge, tap or clap the rhythms…no phrases spoken!)
- An alternative way to play is to print the black and white board(s) and have students color each square/picture as it’s called out.
- Students find the matching square and cover it up.
- First student to get a bingo (5 in a row or all 4 corners) is the winner of that round.
Thanksgiving Note Bingo
And, because who doesn’t love bingo…our second Thanksgiving music activity is also a Thanksgiving-themed music bingo game! If notes on the staff is what you’re looking to review in November, I know of no better or more fun way than Thanksgiving Note Bingo.
Topic Covered: Notes on the Staff
Who It’s For: With 6 Levels, you can hone in on just 5 notes at a time for Primer-level beginner students, or tackle just ledger line notes for intermediate students (and everything in between).
How to Use It:
- Print one board for a private lesson student, or print up to 6 unique boards for a party or small group lesson. Use is in a classroom (some boards will be the same if 6+ students are playing).
- Call out a note description using the included Teacher Call Order sheet. For easier levels you’ll be saying something like “Mashed Potatoes D.” For later levels, something like “Bass Line G” or “A Below Treble Clef.”
- Students find the matching square and cover it up.
- First student to get a bingo (5 in a row or all 4 corners) is the winner of that round.
Use Dice Instead: Sometimes in a private lesson, students enjoy using a bingo board in a dice game. This works with Levels 1-3. Students roll a die to determine with picture they’re going for: 1=Turkey, 2=Stuffing, etc. And they roll a second die to determine which note they’re going for: 1=C, 2=D, etc. If they roll a 6, they may choice. This can take longer as they may keep rolling the same squares that are already covered up, but students get a kick out of it. Better yet, you (the teacher) can print a board for yourself, too. You and your student can each roll a pair of dice and race to see who gets a bingo first!
Pumpkin Pie Rhythm Puzzles
The third of seven Thanksgiving music games also reviews rhythms and note values, but in a very unique way! Pumpkin Pie Rhythm Puzzles set is the perfect way to introduce or drive the concept of time signatures!
Topics Covered: Time signatures, note values, rest values, writing rhythms, and tapping rhythms. I love this activity because it really illustrates the names of notes in a pie-themed visual (quarter note = quarter of the pie), but it also then translates that circular chart visual into a linear measure, as we see it in the music!
Who It’s For: This activity is best used with later Pre-Reading students, Primer students, into Level 1-2 students. Basically, it’s perfect for beginning piano students who are just learning or absorbing the concept of how note and rest values relate to time signatures.
How to Use It:
For very beginning students who haven’t learned time signatures yet, simply have them assemble some puzzles with the basic note values: whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes. Talk about the value of each one in relation to its name (ex: “Quarter note is a quarter of the pie. It gets one beat.”)
For Primer students who are just learning about the 4/4 time signature, present them with the basic note and rest values they already know. Have them assemble a pie. Then have them rewrite it as a measure on the worksheet.
For Level 1-2 students who are familiar with note and rest values and time signatures, add in the eighth note puzzle pieces! Assemble pies, copy to the worksheet, tap it, and maybe even turn the measure into a melody on the keys!
For further details and a video demonstrating this puzzle set, check out this blog post all about the Pumpkin Pie Rhythm Puzzles.
Buy Pumpkin Pie Rhythm Puzzles
Thanksgiving Music Worksheets
Music theory review doesn’t just have to be game time. These Thanksgiving Music Worksheets cover a wide variety of topics you likely want to review with your beginner to Level 2 piano students. From piano keys to notes to rhythms, print what you need and save this file for years to come.
Topics Covered:
- Musical alphabet
- Piano keys
- RH = up stems, LH = down stems
- Note values
- Rest values
- Music math
- Identifying notes on the staff
- Drawing notes on the staff
- Steps and skips
- Major pentascales (5-finger scales)
Who It’s For: Pre-reading students will benefit from practice with the musical alphabet, piano keys, and RH vs LH. Primer students will use pages focusing on note and rest values, music math, and steps and skips. And, of course, there are note review pages for Primer through Level 1-2.
How to Use It: Use these worksheets within class as a fun break from the bench. Or send them home as homework during November! The instructions are straightforward and you can print just one page or multiple pages to create a theory booklet.
Buy Thanksgiving Music Worksheets
Thanksgiving Color-By-Note Pages
The fifth of seven music theory games for Thanksgiving is a little bit of everything: it’s a worksheet…but it’s a “doing” activity as well. It’s Thanksgiving Color-By-Note themed coloring pages.
Topics Covered: Notes on the Staff
Who It’s For: With 3 Levels, there’s a coloring sheet for nearly every student! The easiest coloring pages are great for Primer level beginner students who’ve only learned the notes of the Middle C Position. And the most difficult coloring pages are great for Intermediate level students who want to review ledger line notes. And everything in between!
How to Use It: These coloring pages work fabulously in a partner or group lesson setting, or if you have a pair of siblings. Every student knows how color-by-code sheets work, so they can easily work on these pages independently in class or at home.
Buy Thanksgiving Color-By-Note
Compose with Dice (Thanksgiving Edition)
Our sixth Thanksgiving music game suggestion is something a little different. This activity encourages beginning piano student to compose their first pieces at the piano in a gamified (non-intimidating) way. Thanksgiving Compose with Dice combines a theory review of drawing notes and pentascales with creativity and the roll of the dice!
Topics Covered:
- C pentascale composing
- G pentascale composing
- D pentascale composing
- A pentascale composing
- F pentascale composing
- Drawing notes on the staff
- Major pentascales (with included sharps or flats)
- Stem direction
- Rhythms in 3/4 time
- Rhythms in 4/4 time
- Note & rest values
- Song form
- Musical Question & Answer
- Tonic & Dominant
Who It’s For: Thanksgiving Compose with Dice works great with students who are familiar enough with notes on the staff to draw treble clef notes correctly but need review on a new (or old) 5-finger pentascale they are currently working on. Bright Primer students could do this activity. Or Level 1-3 students would really benefit from Compose with Dice.
How to Use It:
- Choose a scale you’d like the student to work on: C, G, D, A, or F major pentascales are included.
- Print the scale cheat sheet and note writing worksheet to match the chosen scale.
- Practice writing notes (using the roll of the dice).
- Print the song sheet that matches your chosen scale.
- Have the student roll to fill in the notes of the melody (RH).
- Play the song and give it a title!
I have a whole blog post dedicated to how to use Compose with Dice for more details.
Buy Thanksgiving Compose with Dice
Thanksgiving Music Theory Puzzles
And the final Thanksgiving music activity is Thanksgiving Music Theory Puzzles. These little matching puzzles are super easy to print, cut (straight lines only), and hand over to a student in place of flashcards.
Topics Covered:
- Piano key names
- Note naming (treble & bass, including ledger lines)
- Intervals (treble & bass, harmonic & melodic)
- Basic musical symbols & dynamics
Who’s It For: Because these puzzles include pre-reading (piano keys) to intermediate level (ledger lines), you can spend $3 and have matching puzzles for all of your beginner-intermediate students.
How to Use It: These puzzles work great as a quick break from the piano during a lesson, an independent activity for a partner or sibling while you’re working with another student, or as a take-home flash-card replacement activity.
Buy Thanksgiving Flashcard Puzzles
Save 40% with the Thanksgiving Music Activities Bundle
You can get all of these music theory activities bundled together at a discount!
Buy the Thanksgiving Music Activities Bundle
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…
If you end up using and loving any of these resources, consider trying the Christmas version in December!
Here’s an article highlighting some fun holiday activities your students are sure to love:
