NEW Website and Change in BLOG!

I'm SUPER excited to let you know that after months of working on a new website for Birds of a Feather Music Resources, we are now officially launching it!!!

All of our products are now beautifully organized and easy to locate.  We've even added some new items which we'll be highlighting shortly!  There are sample pages and pictures all meant to make your shopping easier!

In celebration of our new website and a new decade, we're having a store-wide SALE!

20% off of $20 or more using the coupon code BOAF2020  

The SALE will last through February so take the opportunity to stock up on all of those items you've been wanting!

The website will also include our BLOG so you can read all future blog posts HERE or at:
      www.BirdsofaFeatherMusicResources.com/bof-blog/

Thank you for supporting us!

One Way to Gain New Students!

Over the years, the most requested resource I've been asked to put up for sale is my early elementary  program.  Many of you have wanted to use it for a summer camp, but it's also designed to use during the morning hours when often we don't have any lesson students.  I've run this program as a class for 4-5 year olds numerous times and gained regular piano students EVERY time!

PIANO DISCOVERY is a wonderful introduction to the piano and lays the foundation for music making.  This program also helps teachers evaluate children and advise parents of their child's readiness for lessons.

There are FIVE areas of focus. They are:
      * Technique
      * The Musical Alphabet
      * Ear Training
      * Rhythm
      * Keyboard Activities

During each class (or day of camp), these concepts are introduced through play - games and activities designed to encourage students to have fun while learning.

After each concept is introduced, it is reinforced numerous times through different activities.

PIANO DISCOVERY includes physical activities that get out all those wiggles AND craft/table activities where students can explore and express creativity.

We've even designed a set of cards specifically for teachers to set up a Display Board so that music concepts that are introduced can be displayed throughout the class or each day of camp.

Of course, the piano is the highlight of the program!  We've included "silent" pianos so that you can introduce technique, the topography, and two songs they will learn to play before they actually approach your piano and "hear" everything they've learned!


If you've been following our blog, you've noticed the ABC & 123 line of resources.  These resources, as well as PIANO DISCOVERY, feature several fun loving bugs that pop up throughout the program.   Any of the resources in the ABC & 123 line work beautifully as companion activities.

PIANO DISCOVERY is laid out as a 5 hour program - 5 classes (or 5 days of camp), one hour each class.  It's packed with activities and music with the understanding that early learners have a very short attention span.  We've also included "extras" you can use or send home with your students and several suggestions for additional activities.

Need more students???  This is a great way to fill morning hours, bringing in more income but also giving you a chance to talk to parents about enrolling their budding musicians in your studio!

With the exception of some craft supplies, we've included everything you need to run the program so why not give it a try??  You'll be thrilled with the results and with the additional students!

Marvin's & Milton's Revenge!

I live in Connecticut and we are under a "watch" for EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalitis).  Thanks to all of those virus-carrying mosquitos, we have to be careful to avoid being bitten!

Well, rather than worrying about it or moaning about the inconvenience, we decided to add a fun spin to this dilemma!  Meet Marvin's & Milton's Revenge!

Marvin and Milton are simply two "misunderstood" mosquitos trying to make their way across the piano keyboard.  This board game is a great way to introduce or review whole and half steps with your early learners.

The game includes the game board, game cards, game pieces - Marvin & Milton - and full instructions.

Each player starts at one end of the game board working their way across trying to be the first to get to the other side.

If you've followed us or used our materials, you know there is always an exciting twist and Marvin's & Milton's Revenge is no different!

Enter...mosquito eating dragonflies!! Snap and all his friends need lunch and Marvin & Milton are in their sights!

BEWARE! There may be a duel or two involved in this game!

This exciting game is part of our ABC & 123 line for your younger students.  You can purchase Marvin's & Milton's Revenge by going HERE or clicking the on the Birds of a Feather Tab above.

SALE EXTENDED!!

Due to its popularity and messages telling me that many of you were sad to miss the SALE , we've extended the SALE on MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, an interactive flip book for your early learners.
We'll go ahead and extend it through the end of October!  Happy Fall!!

You can find more information about MY FIRST PIANO BOOK HERE.

You can purchase MY FIRST PIANO BOOK HERE.

Happy Teaching!

Last Day for the SALE!

Just a quick reminder that TODAY is the last day for the SALE on:
MY FIRST PIANO BOOK

A fun and interactive flip book that introduces your youngest students (4-7 year olds) to music and the piano.

You can read more about MY FIRST PIANO BOOK here.

You can purchase MY FIRST PIANO BOOK here.







STUMP JUMP

An exciting adaptable board game that you can adjust to drill all of the music concepts taught by MY FIRST PIANO BOOK.  It also features all of those adorable bugs your students will LOVE!

You can read more about STUMP JUMP here.

You can purchase STUMP JUMP here.





ALSO don't forget about the other adorable bug games!


BUG GAMES BUNDLE

There are 5 games that feature each one of the 5 adorable bugs and one of the concepts taught to early learners.  

You can read more about each game and the bundle HERE.

You can purchase each game separately or as a bundle at a reduced price HERE.

Enjoy!  And HAPPY TEACHING!

Stump Jump!

We recently introduced our new line of early learner resources.  The new line - ABC & 123 - includes an interactive flip book, MY FIRST PIANO BOOK and five new BUG Games featuring early learning concepts and five adorable bugs, Buddy, Dot, Flash, Snap and Octavia!  Each of the five games feature one of these cuties and teaches five concepts - the musical alphabet, piano fingers and hand shape, rhythm, loud and soft dynamics and the keyboard topography.

Well, because we couldn't help ourselves, we decided to create a game that features ALL of the bugs! Meet...STUMP JUMP!

Help your early learners review all of those first music theory concepts with this exciting forest-inspired board game.

The board game is actually in pieces allowing you (or your students) to arrange it in any configuration you want.  Once the game board is set up, you just need to decide which music concept to work on OR for added fun, decide to work on several!  

We've included game cards to allow you complete flexibility!

Each of the bugs, Buddy the Butterfly, Dot the Ladybug, Flash the lightning bug, Snap the dragonfly and Octavia the spider are all featured as player game pieces!  There are all kinds of twists and turns, learning, and FUN involved - all meant to keep your students excited about music!



We decided to put it on SALE as well so take advantage of the lower price while you can!


You can purchase STUMP JUMP! here or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather Tab above.

We hope you and all your students enjoy learning!

ONLY 7 DAYS LEFT FOR THE SALE!!

There are only 7 days left for the SALE on all of the ABC & 123 line of resources!    Be sure to check out MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, an interactive introduction to the piano HERE and all of the "BUG" games HERE.

MY FIRST PIANO BOOK has been a big hit with our youngest students! It's a great way to start lessons or to use with a camp or class.  Start some early learner classes in the mornings to help supplement your afternoon lessons AND you just may find a host of new students coming your way!

You can see more details HERE.

There are 5 "BUG" games that help reinforce all of those new concepts you teach your young students.  Each bug helps encourage and add a bit of whimsy and fun!  You can purchase them separately or as a BUNDLE at a reduced rate.

You can see more details about each game HERE.









The SALE is good through the end of September so you have a week left!!  They've all been very popular so far so get them at a reduced rate while you can!!

Happy Teaching!

Musicians in Training/Fun-lympics IDEAS!

We're so thrilled that so many of you have purchased our MUSICIANS IN TRAINING practice incentive and the bundle that includes the camp, FUN-LYMPICS!  We're running it as well in our studio this year and our students are loving it!  What great practicers we have!!!

I thought I would show you a few pictures of what the studio looks like and how I organized everything in case some of you might need some ideas.

Here's a quick look at the decor:

We hung up the large poster of MUSICIANS IN TRAINING with the logo showing the concepts we're working on all year - Skill, Focus, Knowledge, Endurance & Creativity.

We also hung the awesome sports pennants around the room.  They really came out great and add SO MUCH festivity to the studio!

We hung the team scoring chart across parts of two windows (wall space is sparse in the studio!) and the Team Scores sign.

We also made another sign (not included in the incentive) that we use to encourage kids when practicing starts to wane.  We're trying to help them "push through" those weak moments!

The incentive is packed with cards to use with all of the games.  In looking for a way to corral them, I purchased a bunch of "crayon boxes" from a local Walmart that work perfectly!  Then I found a slotted container in my stash at home that works perfectly to hold them.

I set the container on our game table and it's available for any game/sport we do in a lesson.  If I need to use more of the table, it has a handle so I can easily remove it.

Here's a closer look at the container. It has handles that snap the lid on. It works easily and because the boxes are flat, they are also convenient to stack if needed.  I used my label maker to label each box.

Side note:  these are available on-line but were significantly more expensive even on the Walmart site then actually purchasing them in the store.

The containers work perfectly for cards, but also help corral the game pieces and any other items (dice, post-its, etc.) that you may need.  I have found that if everything is easily assessable right where I need it, it saves precious teaching time.

I have a half-wall on one side (there are stairs behind it) so I used the top to put the Aquatics course.  I then used the lower wall to display the gymnastics and the golf course/equestrian event.

When you don't have a lot of wall space you use whatever you can!

To the right of the Aquatics, I used the rest of the half wall top to corral everything I need for the golf course and the equestrian eventing.  I've already played a few holes of golf this week since we just started and my students have really enjoyed it!

For areas where I don't necessarily have a table available, I've been using clear plastic containers.  I placed all of the game instructions in clear plastic sleeves (job tickets) to keep them protected and because you can put two in one sleeve (back to back), they work great!




These are just a few ideas that I hope helps you if you've purchased MUSICIANS IN TRAINING leading to the FUN-LYMPICS. If you haven't, considering joining those of us who are helping our students celebrate music AND the upcoming summer Olympics!

You can read more about MUSICIANS IN TRAINING and FUN-LYMPCS HERE and can purchase them HERE.

ALSO:  The SALE on all of the BUG games and our newest interactive book, MY FIRST PIANO BOOK is still going on for another 12 days, so be sure to check them out HERE.  They are just SO ADORABLE!

Happy Teaching!

What's BUGGING you?

We mentioned in an earlier post that Birds of a Feather Music Resources has developed a line specific to 4 and 5 year olds!  ABC & 123! We've already showcased MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, a fabulous interactive book that introduces music basics, but we know that the key to retention for these young kiddos is repetition!

With that in mind, we developed FIVE games that highlight a musical concept and five adorable bugs that are part of this line.  Here's a look at each game:

BUDDY Knows the MUSICAL ALPHABET
One of the first concepts we teach beginners is the musical alphabet.  This game board features, BUDDY, the adorable butterfly and we use his wings to play!

Students practice the musical alphabet forward AND backward trying to be first to reach the end of one of Buddy's wings!  

BUDDY Knows the MUSICAL ALPHABET includes the game board, game cards, two BUDDY game markers, and full instructions.

You can purchase BUDDY Knows the Musical ALPHABET HERE or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather tab above.

DOT Knows MUSICAL FINGERS
When approaching piano finger numbers often we first have to start with LEFT and RIGHT hands.  DOT, our cute ladybug, is just the bug to help with that! 

This exciting board game uses students' hands and fingers for the game pieces - a sure way to practice left and right and the  piano finger numbers!

DOT Knows MUSICAL FINGERS includes the game board, game cards, and full instructions.

You can purchase DOT Knows MUSICAL FINGERS HERE or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather tab above.

FLASH Loves RHYTHM
FLASH, the lightning bug, wants to help teach your students about whole notes, half notes, dotted half notes, and quarter notes!  

Students use FLASH game pieces and game cards to make their way across the field and try to be the first to reach the moon!

FLASH Loves RHYTHM includes the game board, game pieces,  game cards, and full instructions.

You can purchase FLASH Loves RHYTHM HERE or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather tab above.

OCTAVIA Knows the KEYBOARD!

Teaching the letter names of the white keys has never been SO MUCH FUN with this sweet spider and her card game!

Students make matches while trying not to be caught in OCTAVIA's web!

OCTAVIA Knows the KEYBOARD! includes the game cards and full instructions.

You can purchase OCTAVIA Knows the KEYBOARD!  HERE or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather tab above.

SNAP! Knows LOUD and SOFT!

BEWARE of SNAP! the mosquito-eating dragonfly! Losing this game makes you a WINNER!

Players make matches using forte and piano to help them move their opponent's game piece!

SNAP! Knows LOUD and SOFT includes the game board, game cards, game pieces and full instructions.

You can purchase SNAP! Knows LOUD and SOFT  HERE or by clicking on the Birds of a Feather tab above.

Are you a new teacher looking to build your music resources or do you find that you need some fresh resources that will appeal to your youngest students?  Our charming bug games will make a PERFECT addition to your studio or classroom and are available for purchase individually OR as a set with a bundle savings!  

To purchase the games individually OR as a bundle go HERE or click on the Birds of a Feather tab above!  Happy Teaching!

My First Piano Book - A Flip Book for Early Learners and A SALE!

I'm really excited today to showcase a new line of resources designed for your early learners!  ABC  & 123 specifically provides material for 4 and 5 year olds.  The Piano Flip Book has been so popular that we decided to create a flip book that introduces young students (4-5 year olds) to the piano and beginning music theory.  

Meet MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, a fun and games book!

This interactive flip book is a fantastic way to start your young beginners. What better way to begin piano lessons than to introduce the piano with a fun coloring-sticker activity book!

In addition to the piano, MY FIRST PIANO BOOK introduces:
               * The Musical Alphabet
               * Musical Hands and Fingers
               * Simple Note Values
               * The Topography of the Keyboard
               * Line and Space Notes
               * Treble and Bass Clefs
               * Dynamics - forte and piano

As each page introduces one of the concepts above, students draw, color, fill-in-the-blanks, and add stickers!  We've also introduced five adorable and lovable bugs that will show up in all of the resources in the ABC & 123 line.  

We really wanted to make this flip book something that students would be excited to share with their parents and siblings so unique to this flip book, on each page there is a section titled, "At Home".  "At Home" provides detailed instructions for activities and games for students to complete during the week to reinforce what you've just taught them and to engage the family in the learning process.  

MY FIRST PIANO BOOK also provides flashcards for you to use right in lessons and for the "At Home" sections . There are cards for reviewing finger numbers, left and right hands, note values, etc.  We've even included a spinner!  All of the cards and the spinner have their own pockets in the flip book.

Once your student completes MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, there is a certificate of completion right on the back cover! 





So to recap...here's what's included:
             * A 14 page interactive music book
             * 9 pockets that include 8 sets of cards & 1 spinner 
                         Musical alphabet cards
                         Hands cards
                         Finger number cards
                         Note value cards
                         Keyboard cards
                         Clef cards
                         2 Sets of Dynamics cards (f and p)
              * A sheet of stickers
              * 18 "At Home" activities
              * A set of Award Stickers with for each of the Adorable Bugs!
              * Printing Instructions
              * Teacher Instructions
              * Parent Instructions for the "At Home" activities

MY FIRST PIANO BOOK can be used in lessons OR if you want a way to add students in the morning hours, consider using this interactive book with an early learner piano class by working on the book a page or so at each class over a few weeks.  MY FIRST PIANO BOOK would even work great for  homeschoolers!

We've put MY FIRST PIANO BOOK on SALE for the entire month of September!  Save 20%!  AND, this one time purchase allows you to make unlimited copies for your own studio!

Keep in mind that we have even MORE resources for this line coming very soon!

To purchase MY FIRST PIANO BOOK, simply go HERE or go to the Birds of a Feather tab above.