Halloween PIANO Warm-Ups to Spook Up Your Studio!
I’m in love with warm-ups that teach students about minor scales and different chord qualities. Minor, diminished, augmented… you name it, I love it. And I’m not the only one!
My Students LOVE to Play Minor Warm-Ups.
Check out this short video of my students playing around the Circle of 5ths on minor pentascales. We recorded this a couple of days ago during our group lesson. Listen to the fun rhythm in the bass — it really enhanced up the sound of this ensemble warm-up!
More often than not, I teach warm-ups by rote and then follow-up with short video that I can text their parents and/or descriptive notes in their assignment binders that will help them remember the patterns at home.
Here are some warm-ups I like to use:
- Minor pentascale patterns with different rhythms or articulations.
- Minor or diminished triad patterns.
- Cross-hand arpeggios on minor or diminished triads.
- Cross-hand arpeggios on fully diminished 7th chords.
- Circle of 5ths minor pentascale patterns.
Because I want YOU to get in on the minor warm-up fun too, I created 2 FREE printables for you to use in your studio!
The Halloween Warm-Ups includes minor pentascales and both minor and diminished triads for some extra spooky sounding warm-ups that littles, teens, and adults with all love.
Click to Download PDF
And of course… a Circle of 5ths Chart with minor pentascales. Your students will have so much fun with this, they won’t even know they’re learning theory 😉
Click to Download PDF
Super Fun Warm-Up Tips:
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- If you’re working with a mixed-ages ensemble, younger kids can contribute by playing a single note bass line or even by using percussion instruments instead of playing on the piano. They’re still learning valuable rhythmic skills! Egg shakers are especially great for young ones.
- Another fun way to make an ensemble sound great is to incorporate another melodic instrument. A chromatic glockenspiel has been on my wishlist for a while now! (One of my students said they had one in their regular classroom — how cool is that teacher?!)
- If you’re working with a mixed-ages ensemble, younger kids can contribute by playing a single note bass line or even by using percussion instruments instead of playing on the piano. They’re still learning valuable rhythmic skills! Egg shakers are especially great for young ones.
Hope you enjoy these resources and ideas! As always, thanks for reading.
Be sure to check out my other Halloween posts about Halloween Gear, Minor Vocal Warm-Ups, and Halloween Games!
And don’t forget the cute Halloween Magnet Notes from last week’s post — just click the image below for the FREE downloads.
