Tis the season where we often feel frantic. Holidays, events, performances, family … and suddenly I feel tired just sitting here! Studio life can feel just as frantic – especially if your students will be performing. But providing fun and engaging holiday-related activities will add the push you and your students need to get to the end of the year 🙂

Today’s freebie is a nutcracker themed Spot it! game. Haven’t heard of Spot it? The premise is that every time you grab 2 cards, there will be one and only one matching symbol. Players race to discover the matching symbol first. Whoever identifies it gains the card and a new one is flipped over to compare. Once the cards are gone, the player with the most cards wins!

This game is quick, versatile, and a winner for review in the piano studio! The original creators of Spot it! have come up with several different ways for game play – you can check them out here to add variety in your play.

Suggestions for play –

I’m including a round card version (like the original) and a square card version (same rules, easier to cut and laminate for those in a hurry).

I’ve designed the game to review basic music symbols. But it is nutcracker themed! Pull out your favorite streaming service and listen to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker while you play. It can easily become a music history lesson!

Want to take it a step further? A Child’s Introduction to The Nutcracker is a thorough and beautifully done book that is hot off the press! Alexander includes details on everything from the ballet, the orchestra and it’s instruments, the costumes, the characters, and Tchaikovsky himself. The book is available here 🙂 The artwork is engaging, and you will likely find yourself learning right alongside your students!

Did you miss last year’s 12 Days of Note Reading Christmas? You can still check them out below!

Intro

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12