Top 7 Practice Tools Every Piano Student Should Have: #6 Music Clips

Piano students don’t need a lot of accessories to practice… a quality instrument and sheet music is enough! But there are a few tools that make a practice session easier and more effective.

I’m counting down my Top 7 Piano Practice Tools I think every student should have when they are on the bench (plus a bonus one at the end that you might not expect!).

Coming in at number 6 is:

Music Clips

I love simplicity when it comes to a music clip. I’ve been using chip clips since I was a child (and, yes, I have tried all sorts of fancy music clips but none of them worked as well for me as a regular chip clip!). I have two clipped to either side of my book rack on my piano and my students have quickly learned how useful they are!

Now this may seem like a superfluous item to add to a list of practice tools, but I would argue that it is essential. There is nothing more anxiety-inducing than watching our music slowly close or fall off the book rack as we are playing. Knowing that our sheet music is securely in place when we are practicing or performing allows us to focus on the music itself.

After hearing a few of my students comment on how they wished they had their own clips at home, I decided to gift every student a music clip at our last recital (albeit, an embellished one!).

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These are the clips I gave my students and I recommend them for several reasons:

• they are easy for small hands to grip because of their rounded design
• the mouth of the clip has rubber ribbed teeth which keeps the clip firmly in place
• the wire of the spring is snuggly tucked into the handle (I once had the wire of a hairclip pierce right through my finger, so I always looks for how the design of the clip manages the excess wire from the spring)
• they come in a variety of colors
• they are cost effective (as of the time of this writing, each one costs about $1.10)

These clips will help with the common problems we face when wrangling our sheet music:

Hold up sagging pages in a binder:

Clip a book open to the book rack:

Clip a book open across the upper end of the spine:

Another clip I love is the dry-erase board clip from Kikkerland. It not only holds sheet music and books in place but also has its own built in dry-erase board that is SO helpful during practice time!

Students can use the dry erase board to keep track of repetitions and specific parts of their piece that they are working on:

Then, when they move onto their next practice piece, it’s just a matter of erasing the board and starting fresh!

Parents can also use it to write down weekly assignments, little messages of encouragement, and/or practice reminders.

And there we have it!

The number 6 practice tool every piano student should have. Be sure to check out the previous blogpost for other another great practice tool that made my list:

• #7 Mini-erasers

Next up is the Number 5 Practice Tool for effective practicing!

• Top Practice Tools Every Student should Have: #7 Mini-Erasers
  Piano students don’t need a lot of accessories to practice, but there are a few tools that make a practice session easier and more effective… and in the case of mini-erasers, so much cuter! Mini-erasers can be used in a wide variety of activities, from warm-ups to practice challenges, improvisation to fixing wrong notes, and so much more!
• The Die of Destiny
  Sometimes a student will walk into my studio without their usual bounce in their step. I’ve found that a little silliness and a dash of chance gets them in the mood to pull out their piano books and play music. The Die of Destiny is a fun and quick lesson starter to get students playing.
• How to Make your Own Music Theory Dice
  Music theory dice are a great tool to have in your piano teacher arsenal but most of the time what you need isn’t available to buy anywhere. DIY Music Theory Dice are so easy to make and they are completely customizable for any concept you would like to work on with your students.

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