Magnetic Staff Board

While I was doing planning for my summer camps, I really wanted to use a staff board the kids could use to add notes and have it be large enough for the kids to work together as a team. Because I wanted to use it with speed races, I also wanted a way the kids could add notes quickly. Since I haven't come across anything like what I imagined, I decided I needed to make it! I originally thought about using caulk board paint, but really wanted it to be magnetic. Who knew they made magnetic paint?

I picked up two pieces of plywood measuring 2' x 4', painted them with 3-4 coats of the magnetic paint and then covered them with white exterior paint. Once they were completely dry, I used painter's tape to tape off the lines of the staff as you can see here.

Once I did that, I added the treble and bass clefs and it made a great grand staff!

I then used a paper punch to punch out 1 3/4" circles, laminated them and added a piece of a magnet strip to the back side.

I made two boards to help with team races. I have all kinds of ideas for using these. Team races to spell words, work on intervals, note identification, etc. These will also work great in my studio during weekly lessons or group lessons.
Because I have a set of handbells, I'm also considering punching out notes to match the colors of the handbells. All I need is a few pieces of matching colored cardstock which I can get at a local craft store. I'm also considering making some sharps and flats to work on key signatures.

These boards were super simple to make. The most expensive part is the magnetic paint, but one can easily covered the two boards, with a 1/3 of the paint left. I hope this gives you some ideas!

"Circle of 5ths" Rummy

I created a version of the card game, "Rummy" to help reinforce Major Keys and their relative minors. It also helps reinforce the order of the Circle of 5ths.


This would work well with students who have been working with the Circle of 5ths to test what they know. But for those just beginning, you might consider providing a copy of the Circle of 5ths showing the order and the relative minors. I'm planning on using this game all week with my students.

I kept it in black and white and just printed it on colored cardstock to save ink. I would love to hear if you would find this game helpful as well. I am making it available for printout here.

Musical Sequence

I teach some teenage boys who have recently started taking lessons so the challenge is to find materials that work with that age group. I've been working on key signatures and the circle of 5ths so I put together a game to reinforce those concepts. Inspired by the game of SEQUENCE, I made a Musical Sequence game using Key Signatures and note identification in different keys as the basis for the game board.



Here's a closer look at the game board...


Here's a close up look at some of the cards...


If you are interested in having this game for your studio, you can print everything you need here. Instructions are included. The only additional item you would need would be different colored tokens that fit within one inch squares. Enjoy!