A better way to teach kids how to read music

I have become a fan of music mnemonics- it’s a creative way to quickly identify a note in the music staff accurately. I have watched my piano students gain confidence when reading music as they use this tool. By associating information with a familiar or catchy phrase, students enhance their retention and recall. From this they gain confidence and momentum to be able to site read.

After years of teaching piano, I found a way to take the traditional music mnemonics to the next level, making it easier to remember which memory phase to use for each set of notes. Let me show you how…

First, I’d like to point out the structure of the picture. I have my students highlight treble clef blue because blue is the color of the sky, to remember high notes. Bass clef is highlighted green the color of the grass, to remember low notes.

The cartoons on the page are all tied to together from the face up high in the sky to the bug down in the grass. The cartoons that represent the high notes in the treble clef are the sun and the bird (things you’d find up in the sky). The cartoons that represent the low notes in the bass clef are the cow and the bug (things you’d find down on the ground).

How to know which memory phrase to use for line notes and space notes?

Here are a few fun and visual ways I help students remember:

Treble clef spaces: “The sun up high with the ‘face’ is in ‘space.’” The word “FACE” spells out the treble clef space notes—face in space!

Treble clef lines: “The bird flies up in the ‘sky’ and lands on the ‘lines.’” (Yes, I’ll even use imperfect rhymes if it helps!)

Bass clef spaces: “The cow down low needs lots of ‘space’ when he eats all that grass.”

Bass clef lines: “The green bug chases a ‘line’ of ants” helps us remember it’s for the bass clef line notes.

Climb up the staff like a ladder

I teach my students to think of the staff like a ladder. If we are trying to figure out a space note in the bass clef we would climb up the bass spaces in the staff saying the memory phrase out loud until we reached our note. If our note was on the forth space we would start at the bottom space saying the phrase: All, Cows, Eat, Grass- the note would be G. See the video for a demonstration

When is it appropriate to start teaching mnemonics?

Once a student is comfortable with knowing the difference between the treble and bass clef, and usually has already learned middle C, and is comfortable playing notes that are whole steps away from each other, then I would introduce the mnemonics. It is usually somewhere in the middle or after the first primer book I will introduce the mnemonics. A book I have found that works well with music mnemonics is the bastien primer books, I will usually start with primer b when introducing the mnemonics.

Why do some teachers avoid using mnemonics?

Quite a few teachers avoid using acronyms or mnemonics nowadays because it can be confusing for students to remember which phrase goes with which clef—and whether it’s meant for lines or spaces. I completely relate to those concerns. That’s why, when I first used mnemonics, I didn’t have nearly as much success as I do now. The Music Memory Phrases Page gave my students a clear formula for knowing which phrase to use with the appropriate clef and note set, and that made all the difference.

But I don’t want my student to rely on mnemonics forever

Mnemonics are by no means something a student will use forever. Just like older students no longer need a memory aide to remember the order of the planets—“My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos”—or the old-fashioned phrase “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey,” these memory aides served their purpose when we were younger. We used so many of them as kids, and now we don’t need them. They were the training wheels that helped us grow and build confidence.

With my more experienced students who have put in the practice, I don’t ask, “What’s the memory phrase for the treble clef lines?” Instead, I simply ask, “What are the treble clef lines?” and they respond confidently: E, G, B, D, F. That’s the moment I let go of the bike—and they ride on their own. No more training wheels!

We’ve all benefited from creative association

Memory phrases have truly become one of the fastest and most effective ways I’ve found to teach note reading to kids. We are all creative beings and have benefited from creative association more than we often realize. (Anyone else memorize that the sun rises in the east from the Beauty and the Beast song? 90s kid alert!)

My hope is that if you decided to throw out the mnemonics a while ago, you might consider giving them another shot—this time in a way that’s still creative, yet more methodical.

The Grand Staff Memory Phrases is available as a resource in both my Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers stores. It’s also included in my Grand Staff Memory Bundle, giving you the best value for your money.
Enjoy the language of music!