Even young kids can learn how to improvise the left hand, and they’ll be thrilled at how impressive they sound. I’ve created free printable sheet music for Away in a Manger and a video tutorial that you’re welcome to use with your students. Click the play button above to learn an easy pattern that creates a beautiful accompaniment to Away in a Manger.
You can print the sheet music for free by clicking on the image. Be sure to watch the video to learn how to use these.
This activity is sure to be a hit with your students. One of my students actually likes playing the accompaniment more than the melody! I’ve done this with kids as young as 5 years old. The only trick with really little students is to make sure they’ve got plenty of practice with scales and chords before you try this.
I created a fun system for teaching kids to play and improvise with scales and chords, and I start this system with most of my students on day 1–even the very young ones. It’s called Piano Magic and if you think it would help you, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter so that you’ll get the announcement when it’s available for purchase.
If you like this video tutorial and the free sheet music, please take just a second to like it, share it and leave a comment. I’d love for others to be able to find and use these resources, and I really do read your comments and appreciate your feedback.
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Third, Start Teaching Piano Improv. It’s fun to play music written by others, but also very fun for kids to create their own songs.
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Great video as always! I hear the baby, so sweet :)
Thanks, Leia. Yes, so the rest of you know that’s my little 4 month old you can hear cooing in the background. He was lying nearby off camera and I didn’t realize that you could hear him so well until I was editing the video. But I can only film at night after my toddler goes to bed, so there wasn’t time to redo, lol! Hope it’s not too distracting. You’re definitely getting to see the real me!
I tried to print the sheet music but it came out blurry. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks for letting me know, Christine. Sometimes combining graphics with music notation has given me trouble. But the kids just enjoy the music more with the graphics. I’ll look into that and see what I can do. When I print it out it’s definitely still usable.
Thanks for sharing this! We have a recital at the beginning of Dec, followed by 2 weeks of lessons…so this is a perfect activity!
You’re very welcome, Melinda. I’m glad to hear that this fun activity will be helpful for you and your students. Let me know how it goes! Good luck with your recital, too!
Thank you for these ideas. I look forward to trying them next week.
This is just what I needed for my students. I know this sheet will help foster their desire to have a good time while learning the piano basics. Thank you so much.