Add some character(s) to your piano lessons to have fun with music theory and reading
What are these fuzzy characters all about?
Glad you asked!
The players on Team Stickey represent the 7 natural notes of Western music: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
By following the rules of solfa, the players form different Note Teams, and in the process teach concepts such as sharps, flats, key signatures, and reading notation on the staff.
These concepts are then easily mapped to traditional notation, as shown in this animation from the Zigzag of Fifths app.
Ready to play?
Use the FREE printable character sheet to explore the piano and note letter names in a playful way.
Subscribe to the @stickeynotes YouTube channel for videos on how to use the printable characters and more!
More ways to play with Team Stickey
Whether you prefer hands-on or digital, we've got you covered, with interactive mobile apps AND printable resources.
Mobile Apps
Stickey Notes
reading music game
3 levels, each with fully customizable settings to focus on only the notes you want to learn. Each level has a single and 2-player version.
Play to connect:
- note names to keys on the piano
- notes on the staff to note names
- keys on the piano to notes on the staff
Find out more here, or
find Stickey Notes in your favorite app store:
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore
"FANTASTIC GAME FOR LEARNING NOTES AND KEYS!!!"
- Stickey Notes app review from Apple App Store
Zigzag of Fifths
key signatures made easy
Simply slide the window across the Zigzag of Fifths to see the:
- notes
- key signature
- scales
- chords
for every key. Includes 14 bonus activities to interactively explore 7 patterns in the Zigzag
Find out more here, or
find Scale and SticKey in your favorite app store:
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore
"This is a fun, fresh new way to visualize the circle of 5ths!"
Zigzag of Fifths review by Lisa Witt of Pianote
Scale and SticKey
music theory app
Interactively change modes, build Note Teams and more to explore:
- modes
- solfa
- key signatures
- scales
- chord progressions
Find out more here, or
find Scale and SticKey in your favorite app store:
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore
"Finally, musical modes in a fun app!"
Scale and SticKey app review by Rebecca Stewart of Sight Reading Secrets
Stickey Intervals
intervallic reading music game
3 levels, each with fully customizable settings to focus on only the intervals you want to learn. Each level lets you explore intervals, then play a game. Level 1 includes a 2-player game as well.
Play to connect:
- interval degrees to keys on the piano
- notes on the staff to interval degrees
- keys on the piano to intervals on the staff
Find out more here, or
find Stickey Notes in your favorite app store:
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore
Stickey Chords
chord building app
The first activity, Build Chords, is live. I am looking to add a couple more activities to this app; if you have an idea for another activity, please email it to: laura@stickeynotes.co
Build chords to:
- connect a chord name to keys on the piano
- understand why some notes in a chord are sharp or flat
- build your aural skills through listening to chords in different inversions
- learn different types of chords, including major, minor, suspended, augmented, diminished and 7th
Find out more here, or
find Stickey Chords in your favorite app store:
Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore
Printable Games and Resources
Available in the Stickey Notes store on Etsy.
Select the resource name or image for more details.
Get 3 of our most popular music theory resources at a discount:
- Solfa Slider
- Note Team Builder
- Zigzag of Fifths Manipulative Activity
Scroll down for a description and video demonstration of each of these resources.
Understanding the order sharps and flats are added to a key signature has never been easier!
- Feel and see how notes change when adding sharps or flats.
- Color options: Use the pre-colored letters, color in the letter outlines, or write in the note names on a blank template. Perfect for teachers who use colored instruments or have colorblind students.
- Know the major key tonic by looking at the left note in the group of 3 notes.
Spin the relative pitch wheel to:
- See which notes have to become sharp or flat to make a valid Note Team (key signature)
- Know which 7 of the 12 absolute pitches can go together to maintain the same relative spacing
- Color options: Print the pre-colored character sheet or print the grayscale version of the character sheet to color in the hats yourself. Perfect for teachers who use colored instruments or have colorblind students.
Slide behind your piano keys to:
- See what notes belong to a key signature
- Play scales in any mode
- Play diatonic chords using the play-skip-play method
- Transpose songs
This video shows the Solfa Slider being used with the FREE printable characters to make Note Teams on the piano.
Get several posters plus a re-usable student worksheet and hands-on activity to discover:
- The order sharps and flats are added to a key signature
- How many sharps or flats are in each major key
- How to find the relative minor
- The notes of every key and their positions in the scale or diatonic triads
3 activity sets using the printable characters at the piano to explore:
- Keyboard layout
- Sharps and flats
- Key signatures
Best Score Tracker
for Stickey Notes mobile game
FREE digital download!
Students love tracking their best scores, and teachers love love being able to indicate which settings the student should play with each week.
- 3 tracking sheets - one for each level
- Mark the settings to use in the note head
- Changing game settings? Move to the next note and mark the new settings
