Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Why Use Color Coded Hand Icons for Music Learning?
Does your student have a problem telling the right hand from the left? Many special needs students have problems with left hand/right confusion. On piano this can be a real issue. Read more to learn about color coded hand icons for music learning.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Hand Icons
Hand Icons used in this post (churien.deviantart.com/art/hand-template-blank-272630198) by Churien is licensed under CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Modified by Geoffrey Keith.
Many students do not know their left hand from their right hand. Have the student make an L with the left hand. (The right hand just makes a corner.) This mnemonic helps many students remember the left hand, which then allows them to tell the hands apart.
Simple, uncolored hand icons placed next to the clefs may be enough for some students. However, other students benefit from color coded hand icons for music learning.
Color Coded Hand Icons for Musical Scores
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
This example shows the placement of the color coded hand icons in the musical score next to the clefs. The green hand icon goes next to the color coded G clef. The pink hand icon goes next to the color coded F clef.
Each hand icon has the finger numbers written in to help the student with fingering. However, some students will need to have their fingers color coded to correctly finger the music.
In piano music, RH stands for right hand and LH for left hand. Add RH and LH to the hand icons to reinforce the meaning of these terms.
Color Coding the Player’s Hands to Match the Color Coded Hand Icons in the Musical Score
Color code the player’s hands so they match the color coded hand icons next to the musical clefs. The pink and green wrist bands help with left and right hand confusion. The right hand has a green band and the left hand has a pink band. I bought girl’s colored hairbands at CVS and repurposed them as multisensory tools.
Conclusion
Using color coded hand icons for music learning is particularly important for special needs piano students. Some students will also need their fingers and hands color coded as well.
Look for where the students get confused and teach to their needs. The next color coding post discusses color coding the clefs. Until next time.
© 2020 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
How to Create Songwriting Rhyme Schemes
Are you confused about how rhyme schemes work? Do you want to get away from using the same old rhyme scheme on every song? You’ve come to the right place! Read more to learn how to create songwriting rhyme schemes. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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A Note Contains Many Pitches: Singing in Tune
Want to sing in tune? Knowledge is power. The following post talks about how singers group pitches as they perform. Read more to find out how the fact that a note contains many pitches can impact singing in tune. Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
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Exploring the Music Themes and Leitmotifs of Star Wars
Do you love the “Star Wars” soundtrack and want to understand it better? Are you a budding composer and want to understand leitmotifs and how to write them? It doesn’t matter if you’re a composer or just a fan, exploring the music themes and leitmotifs of “Star Wars” will be a rewarding experience. Read more to understand themes and leitmotifs, and to get indexed lists of each theme and where it occurs within the film. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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What Is the Basic Idea of Tempo in Music?
“What does the word tempo mean?” The tempo is critical for interpreting a piece of music. However, it’s a somewhat overlooked aspect of playing. Keep reading “What Is the Basic Idea of Tempo in Music?” to learn more about what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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