Monster Eyeballs (Note Review)

Here is a Halloween-themed way to review the notes while creating a decoration for your studio.  It’s sure to thrill kids. Except for my own daughter, who said it was creepy and she didn’t want to touch the eyeballs. Other than her, everyone loved it.

What You Need:

• A set of monster eyeballs. These are available at dollar stores around Halloween.
• A bag big enough to hold your monster eyeballs.
• A clear vase, bowl, or other container.
• Flashcards or a sheet of piano music.

Setup:

• Before the lesson, use a permanent marker to write note names on each of the eyeballs.
• Put all the eyeballs in the bag.
• If you’re using flashcards, lay them out face up, but not in order.

How to Play:

• The student reaches in the bag and draws out an eyeball.
• The student then looks through the flashcards or sheet music and finds a note that matches the letter on the eyeball.
• If they correctly find the match, the student can add the eyeball to the vase to add to your Halloween decorations.

Variations:

• For pre-readers, have them play the note on the piano instead of looking for it on the staff.
• For readers who haven’t yet learned all the notes, limit the flashcards to the ones they have learned. You may also want to use treble clef notes separately from bass clef notes.
• For more advanced readers, use flashcards or music with lots of ledger lines, or you can require them to find not the note on the eyeball, but a note that is a third above that note (or a fifth or whatever).