One Minute Club

One Minute Club

This idea came from Susan Paradis' website.  Every month I test my students and see how many notes they can name in one minute.  I use flash cards that are in a preset order, so that the cards get harder as the student moves through them.  I put stickers on the back of my flash cards so I can easily sort them into the levels I want.  Then I have them numbered so they can be in the correct order for each student.  


I only test the student on the notes they have been introduced to, so for example High and Low C in my studio aren't introduced until level 2B, so any student below that wouldn't have to identify those notes.  They must name 22 notes in one minute to get in the club.  This is all the lines and spaces of the Treble Clef, Bass Clef and then Middle C for Bass (stem down) and Treble (stem up) and D above Middle C and B below Middle C.   After they are in the club and learning more notes, I let them pass if they can't think of the note so they can move on to another flash card.

I keep track how many notes each student has named each time and list them on a tally board.  Students are recognized for a personal high score and they are also distinguished by level.  I give each level a color, that matches the color of the book they are studying.  A student in level one may score a 30 because they have mastered the basic 22 notes, but a student in level two may only score a 25 because they have learned 5 new notes and are still working on them.

I also test students for the One Minute Chord Club and Key Club. The students name chords in root position, identifying the chord's root and it's quality, minor or major.  I start with the white keys and then I add inversions and then black key chords such as F# minor.  For keys we do major first and then I have them identify minor keys as well.

When a student gets in the club for the first time, there is a card on Susan Paradis' website that you can give the children.  One Minute Club Card

I like to also give out a certificate at the end of the year recital with the student's highest score of the year printed on the certificate.

The students are very motivated by this and try to achieve the best score possible each time.  I have had students actually ask me for flash cards to practice at home and links to websites, so they can practice their note naming.  What GREAT MOTIVATION!  I definitely see an improvement in the skills of my students through this program.