3. Rhythmic Speech Match-Up
I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew it would be a great activity for lessons leading up to Halloween. Create a list of seasonal phrases (i.e. "acorns falling from the trees" or "pumpkins are round, orange, and brown") or use this list of Halloween phrases that match a series of set rhythm patterns. Have students read the phrases out loud and choose the rhythm pattern that matches.
4. Seasonal Pieces
There are so many great pieces out there for fall and my students love having a "special piece" (usually something not from one of their books) to work on in addition to their other assignments! Here are a few of my favorite pieces for fall for elementary students:
The Haunted Mouse (Faber & Faber, Level 1, Lesson Book)
Song for a Scarecrow (Faber & Faber, Level 1, Lesson Book)
Curious Cat (Teresa Richert, Celebration Piano Repertoire, Preparatory A)
Owl in the Night (Catherine Rollin, Celebration Piano Repertoire, Preparatory A)
The Haunted Harp (Christine Donkin, Celebration Piano Repertoire, Preparatory A)
What’s That Noise? (Martha Mier, Celebration Piano Repertoire, Preparatory A)
Shadow March (Chee-Hwa Tan, Through the Windowpane)
Far Away (Teresa Richert, Celebration Piano Etudes, Level 1)
Pumpkin Boogie (Faber & Faber, Level 2B Lesson Book)
Whirling Leaves (Faber & Faber, Level 2B Lesson Book)
The Wind (Chee-Hwa Tan, Celebration Piano Etudes, Level 2)
Autumn Leaves (Linda Niamath, Celebration Piano Etudes, Level 2)
Related post: 15 Supplemental Collections for Elementary Piano Students
5. Candy Corn Dictation
Such a cute idea from Emily at The Sweetest Melody! This is another fun rhythm activity for fall lessons, appropriate for all ages, as the rhythms you choose for dictation can be tailored to the individual student. For example, I might choose duple rhythms with triplets for one student (to reinforce her understanding of triplets), duple rhythms with quarters and eighths for a first-year student, and patterns with more subdivisions for an intermediate-level student.
Related post: 10 Supplemental Collections for Intermediate Piano Students
6. Duet Improvisation
I love playing duets with my students during lessons, especially ones that we create together in the moment. The Haunted House improvisation in The Music Tree, Part 2B has the perfect programmatic title for Halloween-themed lessons! (Note: Since this is an improvisation activity, it's really suitable for a range of levels, since the musical material provided is just a starting place.)