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Mean Little Monsters

Looking for something quirky, perky and mischievous? Perfect for Halloween but not limited to it, these pieces are impressive. They sound so much harder than they are! If you've enjoyed my Attention Grabber pieces, you'll love this suite of three short pieces. Late Elementary & Early Intermediate Level.

Available in print and downloadable versions.

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The Month Songs

A piece for each month! Twelve themed pieces, each with its own character, art and whimsical style await your students. Use them as recital pieces, as rewards or just as beautifully constructed teaching pieces. Originally published one-per-month, teachers begged for them to be published all together in a book. Voila! Available in print and downloadable versions.

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Attention Grabbers

Books 1,2,3,4

What the reviewers say:

 

"From the moment these books are in your hands, you and your students will want to open them up and explore the contents. The composer wrote these pieces for her students with ADD, and tested them out with her students of all abilities, including more typical ones. The pieces sizzle with pizzazz! They are designed to be easily learned and remembered, with their infectious rhythms and melodies. There is a good balance of pieces that stay in one hand position, to hand crossing and hand position shifts. Each piece has an attractive hook, as in pop songs."

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"Hidy has written another winner. This series was created for students with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), for whom established repertoire is not compatible. In Hidy's words, these pieces were born "out of desperation," and from her years of teaching experience, she discovered what lies naturally under the fingers.

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She also has a talent for making pieces sound more difficult than they are."   

—California Music Teachers Magazine

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© 2019 by Diane Hidy

You'll wonder how you ever taught without this 32-page book. I made these cards for my students to give them plenty of opportunities to practice all the different skills they were acquiring. This series starts with the simplest possible rhythmic patterns on the Landmark notes Middle C, Bass F and Treble G. Each set becomes incrementally more difficult.

Here are a few of the many different ways to use these cards:

  • Encourage students to write in their own fingering. This paves the way for making true fingering choices later on

  • Circle the thirds before starting to read the flashcards. This helps the student focus on the difference between steps and skips.

  • Help your student write in their own staccatos and slurs. Try them out. Talk to them about why they do or don't like them. 

  • Help the student add dynamics and phrase marks.

  • Print these in their entirety and use them as a book.

  • Print them on heavy paper or card stock and cut them into separate cards. Trying sending home a set with a student and ask them to become proficient with each one. At the next lesson, mix them up and play them in random order. It’s a nice combination of preparation and reading.

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