The First

Lesson
Cheat Sheet
Your guide to assessing, engaging, and
instructing your new student with disabilities

SELENA PISTORESI
 Planning the First Lesson
BEFORE THE LESSON
In Person
Have 3-5 age appropriate activities ready to try - including several off the bench.
Ideas include:
Black key improvisation duet
Movement song (A Ram Sam Sam)
Singalong song (Aiken Drum, an age-appropriate pop song)
Youtube video - you can ask the parent ahead of time for the student's favorite
songs
"Guess the animal this piece is about" using the Aural Animals playlist from
Colourful Keys
RPM-style lesson on music history or an interesting musical topic
Your method book of choice (try the Milestone Method or Occupational
Octaves Piano if the student needs something to grab their attention from day 1)

Online
Prep the parent on the tech setup
Send pictures of a good camera angle - off to the side works great.
Ensure the device can be placed or mounted somewhere. Recommend a tripod if
necessary. The parent cannot support the student and hold the device at the same
time.

Send any sheet music ahead of time, or make sure the parent has ordered the relevant
book(s). If they haven't, you can rely on screen share for the first lesson, but then you
won't be able to watch the student or the keys.

Have 3-5 age appropriate activities ready to try - including several off the bench (see
list above).

Have red and green scarves (or other objects) handy to indicate "stop" and "go".

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 1


Speaking + Regulated
Black key improv duet or
movement song, Ask questions,
explore keyboard, explain C
position and start MM song 1
Speaking + Dysegulated
Improv duet or sing a song. Keep
voice calm, but carry on
instruction. Engage logic by
teaching musical alphabet and
asking questions, explain C
position and start MM song 1
p a M n osse L ts ri F
tnedutS
ni semoc
onaip ot seoG onaip ot og t'nseoD
Ask to go to piano,
Nonspeaking + Regulated make a schedule
Black key improv duet or
movement song, explore
keyboard, explain C position, and
start MM song 1
Still doesn't go
ye K
The following terms are defined in the
Nonspeaking + Dysegulated simplest possible way for our purposes.
Speaking = speaks with words; speech is
Improv duet or sing a song. Keep generally purposeful and easy to understand
Engagement Activity
voice calm, but carry on Nonspeaking = doesn’t speak with words
(see p. 6) until
instruction. Engage logic by (although definitely has something to say!);
ready to go to piano
teaching musical alphabet, speech may be
explain C position and start MM fragmented, repetitive, or difficult to
song 1. Don't ask questions for understand
now - just give instructions and Regulated = Already calm, focused, engaged,
receptive to information
as much hand support as
Dysregulated = Showing signs of intense
necessary.
emotion/impulsivity; not calm
MM = Milestone Method. The books can be
found at https://notablepiano.com/shop/
2
The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020
 Sample First
Lesson Plans
These lesson plans are classified by approximate age groups. However, many of the
activities can be swapped out for higher or lower age groups.

It's a good idea to have at least 3 backup activities for a first lesson to be safe. You're
not yet sure how the student will move, what types of activities they like, or how often
they'll need to switch activities. Plan more than you think you'll need.

Option 1 (approx. 5-8 yo student)

5 min: Introduce yourself, sing "hello" song with movement, such as "Everybody do
this"
10 min: Find C position and play song 1 in MM book 1, or introduce the first 2 songs in
Occupational Octaves Book 1
5 min: "Guess the animal this piece is about" using the Aural Animals playlist from
Colourful Keys - give two visual choices for students with speech challenges
7 min: "Let's make up our own song!" Share a backing track for a black key improv
duet, show student and parent how to play along with it. Demonstrate options
appropriate for their motor skills and level - steady beat, echo phrases with syllables,
etc
Remaining Time: Sing a "goodbye" song. Can be the same tune as the "hello" song with
the word "hello" changed to "goodbye"
Backup Activities: A movement song such as "Rig A Jig Jig" or a familiar folk song, a
keyboard game from Music Moves for Piano Keyboard Games A

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 3

 Sample First
Lesson Plans

Option 2 (approx. 9-13 yo student)

5-10 min: Sing a movement song like "I've Got the Rhythm" or do an RPM-style lesson
on a known musical topic of interest or the topic of your choice
15 min: Find C position and play songs 1-2 in MM book 1, or introduce the first 2 songs in
Occupational Octaves Book 1. Give parent one tip to remember when supporting at
home
10 min: Introduce rhythm cards (from Teach Piano Today). Depending on motor skills
and understanding, either go through several cards or also introduce the backing track
Backup Activities: Have an RPM-style lesson plan ready and/or an age-appropriate
pop song such as "Firework" by Katy Perry or "Best Day of my Life" by American
Authors to use as a singalong or teach chord progression/chord roots.

Option 3 (approx. 14+ yo student)

5-10 min: Sing/listen to a preferred song (or song of your choice) and discuss 3 things
about it (tempo, texture, character, lyrics, etc).
15 min: Find C position and play song 1-2 in MM book 1, or introduce the first 2 songs in
Occupational Octaves Book 1. Give parent one tip to remember when supporting at
home. Go as far as the student wants to in the book.
5 min: Compose a song. Use RPM-style choices or any other method
Backup Activities: Show the student how to play a triad (or several); explain that triads
make up a lot of music that they we hear. You or the parent can demonstrate if motor
skills are not there yet. Practice playing a single triad every 4 beats with a metronome
or backing track.

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 4

 Fine-Tuning
Future Lessons

Based on your observations during the first lesson, answer the

following questions:

Can the student copy you independently?

If so, in how many ways: voice, piano, clapping, gestures? Keep doing this.
If not, you may want to spend some time showing the student how to feel the
music and move their body to it in future lessons (movement songs, chanting)

Does the student typically act without prompting?

If not, what prompts might be successful for them in the future? (counting in to
play, handing them an object, saying "you try")

What was the most successful activity during this lesson, and why?

What was the least successful activity during this lesson, and why?

What types of activities does this student seem to enjoy the most (so far)? (singing
along, moving to music, pounding on the keys, improvising, etc.)
Do more of this!

Did you notice any patterns in the student's movements that you can incorporate into
future activities? (i.e. do they tend to "smash", squirm/move around a lot, move slowly
and in a "floaty" way)
Incorporate activities that will allow the student to move in preferred ways. When
teaching new skills, try to branch out one step at a time from motor skills that
they already have

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 5

 Engagement Activities
These are activities you can do off the bench to build rapport, engage the student
musically, and take the pressure off until the student is ready to go to the bench and
play piano.

If necessary, use these activities when first meeting a student or if the student isn’t
ready to sit at the piano. Always try instruction first before resorting to these activities.
Often, a student needs to be intellectually stimulated FIRST in order to give you their
attention.

Singalong with different instruments - guitar, ukelele, piano, rhythm sticks,

drums, whatever you have!

Example song:
[Sung to the tune of “In the Jungle” by The Tokens]:
“In the classroom, the little classroom, Jonah plays the drums (x2)
“And he plaaaaay - ay - ay - ay - ays them really loud!”
“And he plaaaaay - ay - ay - ay - ays them really soft!”

Using an electric keyboard on the floor (or a backing track app like iRealPro), let
the student select a beat, and then improvise over it using the keyboard, voices,
and/or percussion instruments

Improvise on a tablet or smartphone with the app Musiclock

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 6

 Movement activities
Younger students - A Ram Sam Sam (see next page for notation)
All ages - Ball Rolling (for gross motor and meter). Both teacher and student sit
on the floor, about 10 feet apart, facing each other. Place a small ball, about tennis
ball size, on the ground. Say “I’m going to roll this to you while I count to 4. When
you get it, roll it back to me while I count to 4.” Count steadily while emphasizing
the one: “ONE two three four, ONE two three four.” You can also chant a 4-
syllable word, like “WA-ter-me-lon” if you’d like an alternative to counting.
It may take a lot of practice before the student can roll it at a controlled
pace. Enlist the parent to sit with them if necessary.
Once they can roll it back while you count, try it with a metronome at 60
bpm - still with you counting. Vary the difficulty by increasing and
decreasing the speed or changing the meter.

Ask the student/parent for a favorite song and pull it up on Youtube. Play it for 30
seconds and then show the student something about it on the piano.
Pick out the melody line
Play the root of each chord (i.e. C for a C chord, G for a G chord, etc)
Play the chords in the RH as root position triads; sing if applicable
Pull up a quick article about the artist/song/genre/era and read it to the
student, embellishing with demonstrations and movement as much as you
can

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 7

 A Ram Sam Sam
MOROCCAN FOLK SONG

This song is most suitable for younger students (up to age 10).

Hand Motions:
"A Ram Sam Sam" - pound one fist on top of the other 3 times
"Gu-li" - Roll fists hand over hand repeatedly in a spinning motion
"A rafiq" - Lift both hands in the air and wiggle fingers

To introduce hand motions, first *say* (don't sing) the words of the song while having
the student mirror their corresponding hand motions, one section at a time. Say,
"When I sing A Ram Sam Sam, you do this [show]." Then sing the song slowly with the
hand motions.

Variations:
Sing the song several times in a row, getting faster each time
Leave out the last word of each phrase. Keep repeating the song until no words
are left, and you are doing the hand motions while "hearing" the song in your
heads.
Replace all of the words with "meow" or a word of the student's choice

Click here to hear this song.

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 8

 Exact Script for
Introducing C Position
Place a whiteboard in front of the student.

Say, “The white keys on the piano are named after the letters of the
alphabet. I know you already know the alphabet, so you’ll have no problem learning
the key names. We’re going to learn a 5-finger hand position, because you have five
fingers and we want to use all of them.”

Write “C” on the whiteboard. Take the student’s thumb and put it on C, saying,
“This is C. For now, your thumb will be called your C finger.” Help the student play C.

Say, “If this is C, then the next key is D [write D on the board], and this is your D finger
[help them play D with finger 2]”.

C D

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 9

Say, “If this is C, and this is D, [pointing to keys], then what do you think
comes next? C…. D….. [if the student speaks, can wait for response] yes, E!” [write E
and help them play E with finger 3, calling it their “E finger”]

C D E

Say, “Here we have C, then D, then E, [while helping them play each one] so what’s
next? That’s right, F. This is your F finger [finger 4]. If they have trouble playing finger
4, say: “It’s normal to feel like it’s a little hard to make your F finger do what you want
it to do, but it will get easier over time.”

C D E F

Say, “Alright so we have C, D, E, F, and..? Of course, G!” [write it on the board and help
them play it with finger 5]

C D E F G

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 10

Say, “Now each of your fingers has a job, and it’s time to play a song!”

Show them the first C position song. Say, “You already know what all these letters
are. Now, every time you see a dash, that means “hold”. So, G sounds like this [play a
quick G], and “G hold” sounds like this [play a G for two beats while saying “G hold”]

Say, “Let’s play this song!” Count them in by chanting, “1, 2, rea-dy, and….”

When introducing
C position:
Go through at least the first song.
If motor skills are a challenge, just play the first song 2-3 times and possibly move
on to the second.
If these songs are easy, let them move along and play as many as they’d like.
Insist on correct fingering and helping them keep a steady beat from the
beginning. You can aid the student in this as much as they need by using hand-
under-hand support, “counting them in” with a slow steady beat before they start,
and pointing out the holds if they are missed.
If a student misses a "hold", say something like, "You played C just like it says, but
there's a hold next to C. And "C-hold" sounds like this [play C for two beats while
chanting "C-hold"]"

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 11

 Key Points
How to sit while the student plays:
I recommend sitting perpendicular to the bench on one side. This way, you can use one
of your hands to support underneath the student’s hand and your other hand to point
to each note on the page, all without breaking your back! Use a pointer or a pencil to
point along so you don’t have to bend forward the whole time.

Key points:
Introduce C-G all at once
Use a conversational tone, avoiding baby talk
Refer to fingers as “C finger, D finger, etc”
Give effective hand-under-hand support if necessary and with consent
Always count the student in with a slow, steady beat before they start. If they
pause in the middle of a song, count them in again and start from where they left
off.
Always point to the note that they should be playing
Do NOT hum, sing, or say the letter names.
For auditory in addition to visual prompting, tap on the music gently with your
finger/pointer and say (gently) “look up here” or “next.” Again, never say the next
letter on the page or sing the pitches.

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 12

 Addressing
Common Mistakes
What to do if a student…
Looks away from the page often: let them, and then gently prompt them by
saying “next” or “look up here” while tapping the next note on the page.
Don’t get frustrated with them. They most likely are experiencing very real visual
fatigue.
Plays the correct note with the wrong finger:

Hold one of your hands underneath their hand in such a

way that you can prevent the student from using the
wrong finger by pushing your fingers up slightly.
If it happens anyway, say “oh, you just used your [E] finger,
what finger should you use instead?” and point to the note in question

Plays the wrong note: move your finger/pointer one note back, to the previous
note that they played correctly. Then say “great, you just played [C], now what’s
next?” and move your finger/pointer back to the note in question.
Only move on when they’ve played it correctly.

Find the Milestone Method books at

https://notablepiano.com/shop

The First Lesson Cheat Sheet | © Selena Pistoresi 2020 13

 C Position
ONE HAND

C D E F G

E E
D F D F
C G
G C

This is a preview. Purchase the rest of the Milestone Method Book 1

(including duet parts) at https://notablepiano.com/shop/

Copyright ©2020 by Selena Pistoresi

 1. The Mountain

CD E F G G GFED C C
Let's climb up the moun - tain, Then let's walk back down it!

C D E F G
This is a preview. Purchase the rest of the Milestone Method Book 1
(including duet parts) at https://notablepiano.com/shop/

Copyright ©2020 by Selena Pistoresi

 2. Winding River

CDE DE F E FG F
Twist - ing and turn - ing and wind - ing so slow,

EGF DF E F ED C
Fol - low the ri - ver and see where it goes!

This is a preview. Purchase the rest of the Milestone Method Book 1

(including duet parts) at https://notablepiano.com/shop/

Copyright ©2020 by Selena Pistoresi

3. Butterfly Meadow

C DCD EFE F GFG F E

But - ter - flies are flut - ter - ing so gent - ly on the breeze,

D DE C G FEFD C
Look! One just land - ed! Watch it take a drink.

This is a preview. Purchase the rest of the Milestone Method Book 1

(including duet parts) at https://notablepiano.com/shop/

Copyright ©2020 by Selena Pistoresi