I have absolutely fallen in love with Musical Washi Tape for piano lessons! They help me save time and add a crafty touch to lesson assignment books.
If you’ve never used washi tapes before, you’re in for a treat!
Before giving you all the amazing ideas you can do with Musical Washi Tape, let me show you the different designs.
As you can see, there are so many options for including Musical Washi Tapes in music lessons–ways that will make it easier for you to teach and your student to review theory concepts.
How to use Musical Washi tape
In general, musical washi tape is so easy to use! You either cut or tear it where needed and stick it to any surface. Washi tape peels easily and doesn't leave any residue, so if you don't get it right and need to reposition in the beginning, you can easily do so. The tape sticks permanently after it's left for a while.
Additionally, since it is tape, you can write on it.
These two options make musical washi tape a staple in my music studio!
>>> Get musical washi tape here
Now, for very specific ideas for using musical washi tape.
Practice Chart Washi Tape
Do you find your students losing track of the extra practice charts you print for them?
Having this weekly piano keys washi tape enables you to add a practice chart to every assignment sheet in just seconds!
And, since it’s washi tape, there are several options your students can implement. They can check off the daily practice box, color the box on the piano key, or add the time they practiced on the daily practice key.
Ideas using the standard Piano Keys Washi Tape
You can choose plain piano keys, cat piano keys, dog piano keys, and two-toned piano keys or a combination of them to implement these ideas.
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Teach black key groups
You can use this musical washi tape at your very first lesson and start introducing the two and three black-key groups. Add some tape to the assignment book and circle the key groups or have your student circle and label them.
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Teach note names
Teach key names and the music alphabet to your students by writing the note names on the keyboard washi tape of choice.
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Teach intervals
Demonstrate how intervals look on the piano keys by drawing arrows above or below the musical washi tape.
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Teach and review enharmonics
The keyboard washi tape offers a good visual for you to add arrows and notes about enharmonic notes. This idea can also be used with the blank piano keys washi tape.
Ideas using the blank Piano Keys Washi Tape
Maybe you need a little more flexibility with washi tape. The blank piano keys will help you out!
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Teach scale fingerings
I designed these specifically with scales in mind. You can easily write finger numbers on both the white keys and black keys. But there are definitely other uses as well!
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Teach chords
Use the blank piano keys washi tape to colors the keys for any major, minor, diminished, augmented, or seventh chords. This will help your student better visualize the chords.
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Teach inversions
Just like you use the blank piano keys washi tape for teaching chords, you can use them also to help the student visualize inversions. Additionally, use it to assign students to write the fingerings required for inversions
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Teach pentascales
If your student isn’t ready for full octave scales yet, use the blank piano keys washi tape to teach simple 5-finger pentascales by coloring the keys or writing finger numbers.
Ideas for using the Staff Music Washi Tape
You don’t need to print off a whole page of staff paper for small notation needs. The staff washi tape is easy to keep on hand to use for any time you need to write a few notes down.
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Teach pentascales
Just like you can use the blank piano keys washi tape to teach 5-finger pentascales, you can also use the staff washi tape to help the student understand where those pentascales belong in note reading.
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Teach scales
Combine the piano keys washi tape with the staff washi tape and help your student have a thorough visualization of how the scale applies to both the piano keys and staff.
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Teach intervals, chords, and inversions
Intervals, triads, and inversions will be so easy to teach by writing small examples on the staff washi tape. Like the scales, combining both the piano keys washi tape and staff washi tape will strengthen your student’s ability to visualize the connection between the two for triads, inversions, and even intervals.
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Note names
For more beginner students, you can use the staff washi tape to teach and review note names. Using staff washi tape will make it easy to add these notes to a piece of music that the student may need some note reference for.
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Accidentals
Assign your students short practice writing accidentals on the staff by putting a small piece of staff washi tape in their assignment book.
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Key signatures
Staff washi tape is simple to add a key signature absolutely anywhere needed. Simply draw the clef and needed accidentals.
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Guess the melody
Want to challenge a student with a small excerpt? Write a melody on a small piece of staff washi tape and see if they can guess it!
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Composition
Use the staff washi tape to assign your student a mini composition. This will help them nail down a short, simple melody without being overwhelmed with an entire piece of staff paper.
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Transposition
Help your student practice transposition with small excerpts. Either use a melody they have composed (see #16) or you can assign a measure from a piece they are learning. If you put the staff washi tape in their assignment book, they can do their theory homework in one place.
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Teach composition technique
Review techniques like motives, sequences, inversions, diminution, and augmentation in small, bite-sized assignments with staff washi tape.
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Complete the melody
Write a melodic idea (question) and assign the student to complete it with an answer.
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Dictation
Similar to guessing the melody, play a short excerpt and have your student transcribe it on a piece of staff washi tape.
Ideas for using Circles musical washi tape
The blank circles washi tape gives music teachers many different pedagogical options. Here are a few ways you can use Circles washi tape in your music studio.
21. Goals
Use the Circles washi tape for tracking goals. This gives the student a handy place to check off when they’ve accomplished their goal or you can draw cute smiley faces inside each circle. If you use this for practice goals, there is sufficient room for the student to log their minutes in each circle.
22. Alphabet Review
Teach music alphabet with Circles washi tape. Write the seven letters in the circles and then, once your student progresses, write alphabet sequences for the student to review.
23. Rhythm Review
Teach rhythm with Circles washi tape. The circles make it easy to teach note values with pie divisions (by shading parts of the circle that correlate to note values). Alternately, you can write rhythm examples inside each circle for the student to review. This could also help a student as they are writing rhythmic dictation or composing.
24. Finger numbers
Teach finger numbers by writing number patterns inside the circles. Have the student tap out the pattern. For more advanced finger number exercises, use two strips of Circles washi tape for both right hand and left hand finger number review.
25. Solfege exercises
Use Circles washi tape for solfege exercises by writing one word in each circle.
Other Ideas for musical washi tape
Create a Musical Story
Write a story with your student. For any word that uses the musical alphabet, use strips of washi tape to spell the words on the staff.
Use Piano Keys & Staff Washi Tape together
Strengthen your student’s understanding of how the piano keys and staff works together by using both the piano keys washi tape and staff washi tape.
All of the ideas above can be used with both. If you draw a chord on the piano keys, use a piece of staff washi tape and write the same chord so students can visually connect the two.
Fun Musical Washi Tape Ideas
Washi tape has countless fun, creative uses! If you’re new to washi tape and have never used it as a craft item before, do a quick search for “washi tape ideas” and you’ll find hundreds of creative ways to use musical washi tape!
Just to get you started, here are a few extra places you can use musical washi tape:
- Scrapbook
- Stationery
- Add a musical touch to students’ assignment books
- Bullet journaling
- Decorate journal / student assignment book
Do you have ideas for music washi tape?
It seems like every day, I think of a new, fun way to use my musical washi tape. Do you use it in a way I haven’t mentioned? If so, comment and share!
Get Musical Washi Tape
Choose from a variety of designs and uses when you shop musical washi tape.
6 comments
I’ve been using several different styles for my piano lessons, and my students are loving them! For myself, I would love to see a ukulele tab washi tape! That would come in handy to put right in my printed sheets and books, and I know it would be great for elementary school teachers too.
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Music Escapades Shoppe replied:
What a fabulous idea Kaly, I am excited to create the ukulele tab washi tape and look forward to sending you the very first one once it’s done. I’d love to hear more about what you’re looking for and will be reaching out. Thank you so much!
More washi tape ideas: Right & Left hands with finger numbers on it. I don’t know how many times I’m reminding students which fingers are which numbers sometimes. LOL! Also, small cute animal faces numbered w/ boxes next to it to put checkmarks on for 3-5 days worth of practicing could be fun.
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Music Escapades Shoppe replied:
Wow! I love these ides especially the animal faces with numbered boxes 😊. Thank you for sharing Anna!
I’ve been using the washi tape to draw on to show hand positions for easy rote songs where the students need help remembering where to place their hands. It’s been easy to write finger numbers right on the keys and the new one with only outlines for the black keys made that even easier!
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Music Escapades Shoppe replied:
I’m so happy that you love the piano key washi tapes and they’re working so well for your teaching! Thank you for sharing 😊
One way I’d like to try to use the keyboard washi tape is for putting a strip on a page and marking the RH or LH fingering for beginner students of where to put there hand position on the keys. Ex: put a "RH keyboard strip above measure 1 of Treble clef, and a “LH keyboard strip” under 1st measure bass clef, and fill in the fingering on washi keys, and point an arrow from the washi key to the printed fingering that’s usually showing for the first note their playing. I feel like I’m constantly reminding them to look at the clues already on the page to guide them to their hand positions.
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Music Escapades Shoppe replied:
What a great idea! I can see how this can be so helpful for beginner students. Thanks for sharing Anna!!
I use the staff lines tape for songwriting. Most notebooks are full pages of either ruled lines or staffs, sometimes a mixture but usually too much of one or the other. I put strips of the tape in my regular notebook as needed and write the melodies with a fine-tip Sharpie. Phenomenally useful.
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Music Escapades Shoppe replied:
Hello Claus! I’m SO delighted to hear that you’re enjoying the staff lines washi tape. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it made my day reading this!