097 - 24 Ways to Use Piano Safari Sight-Reading Cards in Your Teaching

I started using Piano Safari in my studio five years ago. There are a lot of things I like about the curriculum and pedagogical approach, but one of my favorite resources is their correlated sight-reading cards.

Piano Safari has three levels of sight-reading cards available, corresponding with the three levels of their method book series. Each pack includes 80-98 unique cards (depending on the level), divided into color-coded units for easy organization. Each card includes 1-2 sight-reading examples and a rhythmic-reading example.

Level 1 starts with off-staff notation, moving to staff notation beginning on Treble G and Bass C. Exercises include unisons, 2nds, and 3rds.

Level 2 introduces 4ths and 5ths, sharps and flats, and dotted quarter note rhythms.

Level 3 includes exercises in C major, A minor, G major, E minor, F major, and D minor. Meters include 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, and 6/8, and rhythms include eighth rests and sixteenth notes.

The cards can be used as a supplement with any standard reading method, with children or adults, in private or group settings.

In this episode, I’ll share my 7-step teaching process for using these cards in lessons with elementary and early-intermediate students, and 24 creative ways to incorporate them into your teaching.