Online Piano Games

Have you been on the hunt for online piano games? Looking for ways to keep students motivated, learning, and having FUN while doing online lessons with you?

If you teach the age range of younger students that find sitting still for their lesson time tough, here is my bag of tricks for 15 short games to use when their attention is lagging.

Secret Note Detective

This is one of my favourite online piano games: ask the student to choose one secret note in their music. Then tell them you are going to ask them questions that they are only allowed to say “yes” or “no” to. Try to guess their secret note in less than 10 questions. Choose questions that make the students think about their music carefully. For example, “Is the note under a dynamic sign?” “Is the note in the bass clef? “Is the note in the treble clef?” “Is it a staccato note?” “Is it shorter than a half note?” “Is it after a rest” Your last question guesses the secret note. Then switch and have them guess your secret note.

60 seconds, 5 things

This online piano game is played with a timer and their music. Give them a few minutes to look carefully at their music. Pick one that they know fairly well. Then start the timer for 60 seconds. They try to find 5 things in their music that you call out before the timer runs out. Suggestions: you can have them find a sharp, a flat, key signature, time signature, dynamics, specific notes, steps, skips, chords, the composer, metronome marking, fermata, articulation, etc.

Composition scramble

I use a set of music blocks for this, but you could also write out the seven letters of the music alphabet on index cards, or use magnetic alphabet letters from the dollar store. Even scrabble tiles work! Ask the student to choose two letters. These are going to be the two letters that you DISCARD. Using the remaining five letters, mix them up and put them in a row in front of you. Read the letters to your student and have them play it on the keyboard, one at a time. Try to turn it into a song. (Depending on the skill of your student, ask them to add rhythm, chords, passing notes/neighbour notes, etc.) The only rule is to use the letters in the order they are given.

Storytelling

For this online piano game, you need some random pictures. Children’s storybook drawings are great for this game. Put them all into one file on your computer and then share your screen and “flip” through the pictures. Have the student choose a picture that they like. Ask them to tell you a story about it, using music.

Picture Collage Soundtrack

Put together some random pictures into a collage. Make sure they inspire different emotions, or musical ideas. For example, I have a collage of a superhero, some kids playing on a swing, someone who is really angry, a hide and seek game, someone reading a book, a baby falling asleep, and a kid jumping over a sprinkler. Tell them you are going to pick one of the pictures and play a soundtrack for the picture. Their job is to guess which picture you are playing about. Then have them choose a secret picture from your collage and make up a soundtrack. Then it’s your turn to guess which picture they picked.

Heads, Shoulders, WAIST, Knees and Toes

This is one of those online piano games that’s fun for the littles because it means they can get up and wiggle! I use a 5-finger scale, for example C-D-E-F-G. Starting at the bottom, C=Toes; D=Knees; E=Waist; F=Shoulders; G=Head. Play the scale going up and down and have them put their hands on the body part that goes with the scale note. Then start to mix them up, slowly, and then faster!

Teacher says…

Just like the game Simon Says, the student has to follow the instructions of the teacher, as long as the teacher says “Teacher says…” before the instruction. Some examples could be: “Teacher says, play a black note”. “Teacher says, play Middle C”, “Teacher says clap three quarter notes”. Make your instructions go faster and faster, and then say something that doesn’t start with “Teacher says”. If they follow the instruction, then you caught them, and you can switch and let them give you instructions.

Flashcard Race: Can you beat your own best time?

This is one of those online piano games that helps students who are struggling with reading. For this game, you need flashcards and a stopwatch. Set the timer for 1-3 minutes. Shuffle the flashcards and go through them one at a time. You can narrow the choices to treble clef only, bass clef only, or a certain range of notes. After the timer goes off, take the same flashcards and shuffle them. Reset the timer and see if the student can get through the cards faster the second time.

Question/Answer Relay

Give the student a five finger scale or a key. Play a short phrase that asks a question (don’t end on the tonic). Ask them to play back an answer that will end on the tonic. You can teach them about parallel/contrasting phrases, sequences, etc. depending on their level. Then have them play you a question that you can answer.

What Chord Note Am I Playing

Starting with a simple major chord, play it in broken form. After a short pause, play one of the chord notes and ask them if you played the root, the third, or the fifth. You can try it with major chords, minor chords, diminished, augmented, sevenths, etc. You can gradually introduce the chord as a blocked (solid) chord and do the same thing. Variation: You can do it with a simple five note scale, or with the first three notes of a scale and have them guess which note you started on.

Moving House

Have your students play a five note scale starting on C (Do). Then tell them they are moving house and they have to find the same pattern starting on another note. They can do it by ear, or by learning the visual pattern of half tones and whole tones. Work your way from simple to more complex keys. As they get more advanced, you can introduce simple tunes in C major and have them transpose to other keys.

Rhythm Dictation

Online piano games that work on rhythm are fun to introduce. Beginners: Use half notes and quarter notes to make up simple rhythm patterns that you want them to imitate and then write down. Intermediate: Add eighth notes to the mix. Advanced: Make up a page of one beat patterns that subdivide quarter notes. Link them together to make a bar or two of 4/4 and have them clawback and then write on a whiteboard or manuscript paper. Variation: Play little snippets of music from their grade level or lower and have them try to notate the rhythm.

Play with Feeling!

Make up a few cards with dynamic markings, Italian speed terms, legato, staccato, accented, angry, sad, happy, etc. Randomly pick a card or two and have our student perform their song in that style.

Everyone Loves A Critic

Pick a piece of music to listen to on YouTube (they can do this for homework if the internet connection is bad). They need to find 1-3 things they liked about it. And 1-3 things that they felt could use improvement. Then teach them how to use uplifting, encouraging language to give constructive feedback.

The Music Professor

Play the piece that they are working on. Deliberately insert three mistakes into their song. See if they can spot them and tell you about them when you are finished!

Online piano games are a great way to connect with your student while teaching them musicality, attention to detail, rhythm, expression, composition, improvisation, in a positive, motivating way. Many of these games can be carried over into regular in-person piano lessons as well.

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