Scroll down the page to see our resources and to download a free PDF document that will allow you to track student progress with regard to developing a "joined up" understanding of the essential elements of music theory
We are constantly bombarded with the message that we live in a modern technology driven world but the truth is that for teaching, learning and assessing the effectiveness of what we have taught you just can't beat pencils and paper. This site delivers hundereds of worksheets covering the melodic and harmonic elements of music theory. The "nuts and bolts" of the subject designed to get ALL of our students on board with the concepts and principles that underpin the subject.
The resources that you can download (with a single click) from this site give a music teacher a simple and easy to understand plan that will help them to make more of, and their students know more about music theory
The short answer is because they work!
The materials on this site can be downloaded to phones, tablets, PCs and Macs and they cost less than a single paper based text book. You can print and distribute them to your students as many times as you like for the rest of your music teaching career
You can download that plan FREE right now!
If you take a look at the lesson plans you will see that the material and lessons are sequenced to take a student from the point that they know absolutely nothing about music theory to a place where they can correctly name notes, construct Major and minor scales and chords as well as understand how keys work
The materials on this site are designed to get them there with the absolute minimum of fuss and confusion
We have literally hundereds of printable resources proven to help music teachers get their message across in a clear and concise way that minimises the potential for confusion.
Follow the link below for an overview of all of the music teaching resources on this site
We need to know what our students have learned so we have a free downloadable document (part of which is shown in the image above) that you can use alongside the free lesson plans
3: The document provides a simple but very effective and accurate Free Music Theory Student Progress Tracking System that provides reliable evidence that your student has learned as well as a diagnostic tool that allows you to pinpoint at which stage they "fall off the bus" in their study and understanding of music theory. Having identified the stage at which they lose touch with the subject then you can set about enacting a plan using our worksheets that will allow them to catch up and progress
Its not all about pencil and paper. The files (presented as PDFs) can be printed from your phone or uploaded individually to smartboards or school technology systems etc making them a truly flexible, modern resource for the classroom music teacher
Follow the link below to find out more about using the materials alongside the technology available to you in the workplace
Irrespective of wether your students want to take Heavy Metal to places its never been before or to gain a qualification from a prestige organisation such as the Royal College Of Music they will need to develop the same understanding of just how notes, scales, chords and keys work
The modern music classroom is (thankfully) a more diverse place than used to be the case. Our students have a wide range of tastes capabilities and prior experience. Sometimes learners who come from a pop and rock background some of them can be a little "resistant" to the idea that music theory has any kind of impact on the music that they love.
This page looks at a "gateway" to music theory by letting them know about the theoretical base of how pop and rock songs are put together. They will be able to understand how the music that they love works and how to go about creating (and understanding) original music of their own
The tracking system above is designed to provide simple and reliable data to music teachers (and their students) with regard to the learners functional understanding of the harmonic and melodic elements of music theory. The other materials on this site offer classroom music teachers a structured series of music worksheets designed to take students from a point where they have little or no functional understanding of how harmony and melody works to a place where they understand scales, chords, key signatures and harmonic systems
Download the 20 pages of free music lesson plans featured above to see how this material can be a "game changer" when imparting a "joined up" knowledge of music theory to the modern music student. Any meaningful understanding of music theory starts with the ability to name notes correctly
Click to Print FREE Note Identification Music Theory Worksheet
The ability to name notes
correctly and with complete authority is the absolute basic skill required in order to
develop a "joined up" knowledge of music theory yet it is a stage that can often be neglected in the modern
music classroom.
As educators we can lose count of the number of times in any working week when we hear our students tell us that
a note of C Sharp is actually "D Flat" or when asked to construct (for example) an A Major scale (containing
only "natural" and "sharp" notes) proceed to identify the first four notes as being "A, B, D Flat and D"?
Our learners can become confused by the fact that some pitches seem to have only one name while others can be
assigned one of two letter names according to circumstance and our challenge is to help them to develop a sound
theoretical base from which to operate. If they do not develop this base then they come to believe that (and
here's another often another phrase we hear repeatedly)"music theory is too complicated"
Printable PDF Music Theory Worksheet on Scale Spelling
Actually this is a handout rather than a worksheet looking at the whole and half step intervals that combine to create Major and minor scales
It is recommended that students are introduced to scale spelling handouts and theory worksheets after they have been made familiar with note naming and the principles underpinning whole and half step intervals
Printable PDF Music Theory Worksheet on Scales and Chords
Click the text above to download a free printable music theory worksheet which requires students to construct a Major Scale before selecting the root, third and fifth of that scale to create relevant Major Chords
Printable PDF Music Theory Worksheet on Intervals
This printable music theory worksheet requires students to identify, define and notate a selection of intervals
This worksheet uses a variety of intervals and is intended for students at an intermediate stage with relation to the study of music theory. In the early stages it is best to ensure that our learners are familiar with intervals of a whole and half step (which is all that they need to understand in order to construct basic major and minor scales and chords). Our download features a whole range of worksheets dealing with these basic intervals
Music Theory Worksheet on Chords
A printable music theory worksheet that involves learners with the construction and recognition of major and minor chords
Music Theory Worksheets Theory Test
One of our twenty single page "Quick and Dirty Music Theory Tests" designed so as to let you (and your students) identify areas of strength and weakness
There are ten "basic" tests which require students to be familiar with only simple triads as well as Major and Minor Scales and also ten more (such as this one) which feature 7th chords and are aimed at intermediate/advanced students
FREE 20 Page set of Music Theory Lesson Plans
Free Music Theory Tracking System
for your
students
The materials on this site offer classroom music teachers a structured series of music worksheets designed to take students from a point where they have little or no functional understanding of how harmony and melody works to a place where they understand scales, chords, key signatures and harmonic systems
The material below sets out a plan designed to help our students to understand the harmonic and melodic essentials of music theory
The infographic below sets out a clear, simple, step by step process through which a student can be taken from a place where they have no real functioning understanding of music theory to a situation in which they just seem to "get it"
If our students can count up to twelve and can recite the alphabet from A to G then they have already developed the toolkit to understand the melodic and harmonic content of all Western Music
If this is the case then how come they seem to find it so difficult?
Well maybe we're teaching it wrong?
Think about it.......
They love music (hopefully)?
They can count to twelve?
They know the alphabet as far as the letter G? What could possibly go wrong?
Well........... how about asking them to answer questions in a language that they cannot (yet)speak (notated music)?
Don't get me wrong, Notation is very important (indeed we have loads of worksheets that require students to work with it) but my point is that it should be introduced to our learners at the appropriate point in a programme of study? When they have already developed a framework that allows them to understand the basic theories that underpin harmony and melody (notes, scales and chords)?
The idea behind this site is simple. We offer a "one click download" featuring over 300 Printable PDF music theory worksheets and handouts (presented as individual PDF's) dealing with the "nuts and bolts" of music theory that you can print and/or photocopy over and over again?
Some of our materials in more detail...........
Before we start to teach our music theory students about harmony and melody etc it is vital that they first develop an understanding of the "names" assigned to musical notes.
The first printable music theory worksheets that we reccomend that you use are designed to simply make learners familiar with the idea that notes have names?
Below you can see a detail taken from one of our early note naming worksheets (learners write the "correct" name in the circles?) which has been designed to help students to realise that every white note has a single ("natural")name while each black note can be assigned one of two ("accidental") names.
Print FREE Note Naming Music Worksheet
Having mastered the ability to assign the appropriate name (or names) to any given musical note the objective becomes to enable our students to be able to combine sequences of those notes into major (or minor for that matter?) scales.
In order to do this effectively they need to develop a knowledge of "intervals" (perhaps most effectively explained as being the "gap" between two notes?)
At this stage it is not important that all intrervals are covered in one go. All we need to do in order to have our music students progress to the next stage is to have them become familiar with intervals of a half and a whole step?
There are other worksheets (such as the ones shown below) that can be introduced at a later date and which cover intervals and also require learners to provide written notation for the notes identified but in the early stages of study it is enough to ask our students to identify and then name the appropriate pitches?
When learners understand these two intervals it is possible to embark upon the study of scale construction.
In this series of music theory worksheets learners are encouraged to study the intervals (there are eight on each sheet) and to identify the notes on the keyboard. From there they can go on to work out the number of half steps that separate the notes and to provide information relating to the name of the interval. The "W's" and "H's" that you can see between the circles in the detail below relate to the sequence of whole and half step intervals to be found in a major scale.
There are also a series of complementary theory worksheets using the same scales that feature a musical staff with a treble clef so that (more advanced?) students can work with standard notation if desired
Scale construction is perhaps the single most important "building block" when it comes to developing an understanding of music theory?
Our very first set of scale construction music theory worksheets which use only letter names and the relevant #'s and b's are provided with the intention that learners can be introduced to musical notation after they have some experience of constructing scales. The worksheets shown above are designed to be used at the point where musical notation is introduced?
A series of sheets featuring the major scale formula, musical staff and a keyboard diagram so that learners can gain experience in the construction of scales with reference to theoretical and visual aids. The scale formulae is presented above a keyboard diagram to help with the construction of Major scales. If you look closely at the picture above you will see that there are also a set of boxes printed above the staff in which students are required to supply the letter name of the note (along with any relevant #'s or b's) Other music theory worksheets in the download feature cover the same ground but with the "cheats" (keyboard diagrams and scale formulae) omitted so that students are obliged to come to rely on their developing knowledge of music theory rather than become "over reliant" on visual aids. By using a mixture of worksheets (some with keyboard diagrams/scale formulae and some without) it is possible to appropriately challenge students with differing levels of ability/prior knowledge within the same session?
A set of music theory worksheets that look at the subject of identifying individual chords and then combining the chord types (major, minor and diminished) to give all seven triads that can be constructed from a single scale and which can therefore be found within a single key
A Free Printable Music Worksheet which requires students to invstigate the combinations of correctly named notes that make up major and minor triads. From there, they are challenged to go on to identify the chords in question. This music worksheet (like all of the resources on this site) can be used in the traditional way during classroom sessions can also be compiled with more music worksheets to make up "revision booklets" etc. You can also use these hadouts and worksheets in order to "stretch and challenge" more capable students of music theory while you spend some time working with less able members of the classroom group in order to help them to grasp concepts that they find difficult?
Alongside the music worksheets there are Twenty music theory tests with ten questions/puzzles on each sheet. The first ten look at Major Scales, Minor scales and basic triads whlst the remainder introduce 7th chords and (major and minor) pentatonic scales into the mix.
These test papers can be used for homework or in classroom sessions. They are also ideal for diagnostic or assessment purposes to determine the strengths and weaknesses of particular students.
In addition they also provide an excellent music theory resource for use with substitute teachers when you can't be in the classroom?
A set of music worksheets designed to help your students to understand how to understand, work out, and identify key signatures.
Moving on from triads to 7th chords with an extensive set of resources designed to encourage understanding of the construction of each of the four main types of 7th chord (maj7, m7, m7(b5) and dominant7).
From here the resources go on to look at the the (diatonic) 7th chords found within particular keys. This information is the basis of developing an understanding of jazz forms and sequences and provides an ideal springboard into the exploration of improvisational forms.
Alongside the printable music theory worksheets you also get to download Thirteen letter sized music education handouts explaining the construction of major, minor, pentatonic and blues scales as well triads and 7th chords etc
These music theory resources can be distributed to students and/or printed and displayed as a source of quick reference for your students on your music classroom wall?
There is no "site license" and no subscription fees on a "per student" basis (or whatever?). Life is complicated enough. It's jsimply a case of buy our stuff if you think it could make your life easier and your teaching better? After that you just use it in your music lessons for the rest of your life (at a cost of less than six cents per music worksheet we reckon thats a pretty good price)?
The material on this site is designed to help you to get students from a point where they have little or no understanding of "how music works" to a position where they are able to understand the the principles behind all of the scales, chords and harmonic systems that they are likely to encounter whilst studying music.
If the material presented here were to take the form of a book it would perhaps be three times as expensive and half as useful (after all you can't print the pages of a book as often as you like at the touch of a button)?
I'm still busy putting the descriptions and graphics together for this page but hopefully there is enough material above to give you a flavour of the resources?
In addition to the above materials there are a host of similarly styled resources and worksheets covering minor scales and pentatonic scales (major and minor) as well as a whole load of stuff designed to ingrease student's understanding of blues scales etc?
It is not the intention that every student should complete every worksheet. This material is intended to introduce principles and then test and reinforce understanding of those principles. The music theory worksheets and handouts provide a simple, flexible and powerful resource to music educators and help with the development of a functionable and workable understanding of the principles of music theory.
The worksheets are not specific to a particular style of music or exam syllabus (as the reality is that Bach used the same twelve notes as Charlie Parker?)
Once they have been downloaded you can print these invaluable music education resources and worksheets straight from the hard drive of your computer or drop the files onto a memory stick or phone and take them into your school or college for photocopying etc. Whatever suits the way you work? Any way you choose you can be sure that for the rest of your teaching career you will always have access to first class printable music worksheets.
Enjoy!
Buy your printable PDF Music Theory Worksheets in complete safety via any major credit card (through paypal) or directly through your paypal account if you have one. If you choose to use a credit card, rest assured that we never see your credit card details as paypal do all of that for us.
When Paypal receive your payment you will be immediately invited to click a
"RETURN TO MERCHANT"button.
You will be taken to a page from where you can download the music theory worksheets that you have paid for NOW!
In the (rare) event that something should go wrong with the order/download process just email me at robh@teachwombat.com
I will check the order and send you the links that will get you to your stuff.
Cheers! Rob!
to accompany our Printable Music Worksheets? Click the image below to go to our Music Lesson Plans page from where you can download a twenty plus page PDF of free music lesson plans
