How to Play Jingle Bell Rock on the Piano
For Early Beginner Piano Students
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A Little Bit About this Song
Whether you are the one learning, a teacher looking for tips for a student, or a parent looking to help your child practice, these tips will quickly help any student learn how to play Jingle Bell Rock on the piano in no time while still having fun.
I arranged this version with early beginner piano students in mind. The rhythm and notes are easy to read and count, and the sheet music uses the music notes students first learn to recognize on the staff.
This piano version of Jingle Bell Rock is best for piano students in method book levels Primer, Level 1, and 2A.
Purchase the sheet music for this song on Sheet Music Plus.
It contains quarter notes and eighth notes, sharps and flats, second and fifth intervals, staccatos, accents, and stepping up and down between piano keys D and C on the piano.
Once you finish reading tips and tricks for this song, don’t forget to check out some of my other articles for more practice tips for learning to play songs quickly! Get that Christmas set list down early for the family to enjoy.
Learn How To Play This Fun Piano Song Using the Following Tips.
Start With Hand Placement Drills
For students in the primer level, familiarize them with the piano keys and where their hands start. Students in method books Levels 1 and 2A can skip this step and jump to the rhythm activities.
Start with some warm-up games to find their place quickly without second-guessing their starting points for each hand. If you have your version of a drill you prefer to use instead, use it! It is all about what works best for you.
Game Suggestions:
Vibrant Music Teaching has several games and activities I use to help students familiarize themselves with the piano keys. With their membership, all their games and activities are printable or copied to Google Docs slides for easy use. My students love these activities.
I also use a timed variation of the I Spy game: Have the student look away from the piano to find various objects you pick out around the room. I pick something in each direction of the room to keep them on their toes. Then I have them look back and quickly place their hands on the keys to find their starting place on the piano using the correct fingers (for this song, Right Hand: 1 on C, and Left Hand: 1 on B). Both are supposed to be found as quickly as possible and timed. When students can jump right back to their starting position without hand shuffling, they are ready to begin playing the song.
Teachers may also wish to provide pictures to students and parents to remind them where to place their hands when at-home practicing.
If students have difficulty stepping down to D on the piano, I also use another game to practice jumping quickly to the lower Left-Hand D note.
Mastering Melody and Listening Skills
Now we are ready to combine aural skills and ear training!
Rhythm Activities
The trickiest part of Jingle Bell Rock is the rhythm!
For Level 2 students, try this three-step approach to solidify the rhythm. For Level 1 students, the 8th note quarter rhythm will be pretty new to them. Instead, try the activity below this one.
Level 2A Activity
Rearrange cutouts of notes and rests into different rhythms on a desk or the closed piano lid. Have the student clap and count out the rearranged rhythm created. - You can also reverse this process by slowly clapping a rhythm and having the student rearrange the note cutouts into the rhythms they hear. Then have the student clap each rhythm back.
Have the student tap and count the written rhythm of the song on the knees. Use the left hand for the left-hand music notes and the right hand for the right-hand music notes. Then do it again. This time, play one piano key for each hand while counting the rhythm. Students may pick which piano keys they want to play for funny sounds.
Now, slowly play the song while continuing to count. Singing the beats helps students actively listen to the melody.
Level 1 & 2A Activity
Use Aural Skills for rhythm. Clap 8th note-quarter note rhythms and have the student clap back what they hear. Try this with and without counting to get them used to hearing the rhythm exercise both ways.
Then do the same activity, but play different rhythms on the piano.
Lastly, play small sections of the song, counting and without counting, and have the student play it back.
To get students in the habit of listening to themselves, have the student take turns singing the rhythm and the lyrics while they play.
Have students listen to Jingle Bell Rock and try to play back what they hear. You may use a recording of the song, or parents/teachers may choose to slowly play this arrangement on the piano to make sure students do not rush the tempo too soon. You can then repeat this activity several times while gradually increasing the tempo. It is best to do this in small increments at-a-time (about 2 bars/measures of music).
Using each of these steps helps to give students a well-rounded approach to music reading, listening skills, singing, and counting rhythms. They will learn the song in no time.
Mastering Performance and Artistry Skills
Once students have the song down, it’s time to start showing off their skills. For even more tips on piano performance, check out my article on recording your piano practice sessions. These performance tips will teach students the habit of listening to themselves play rather than zoning out. It will also prepare them for recitals and family and friend performances.
Purchase the digital sheet music for Jingle Bell Rock pictured above by clicking the link below.
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Jingle Bell Rock Composed by Gary Keady, Gary Lawrence Keady, John Mcintyre Vallins, Phillip Beazley, and John Vallins. Arranged by Laura Reynolds. Contemporary. Score. 3 pages. Laura Reynolds #6111515. Published by Laura Reynolds (A0.810387). |
Piano Teachers and Parents
If you liked this arrangement and practice tips, be sure to check out my others here.
More Piano Holiday Song Recommendations
Music should be fun. So if you’re looking for even more songs and activities students can look forward to playing, here are more resources I love for my studio:
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I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Showcase Solos Pops Level 2 (Elementary Level). Arranged by Jennifer Linn. Educational Piano Library. Children, Christmas, Christmas Secular, Recital. 4 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.129399). |
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Deck the Halls Jazzy Easy Beginner Composed by Traditional. Arranged by Laura Reynolds. Children, Christmas, Jazz, Standards. Score. 2 pages. Laura Reynolds #6120421. Published by Laura Reynolds (A0.810388). |
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All I Want For Christmas Is You By Lady Antebellum. By Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff. Arranged by Laura Reynolds. Contemporary. Score. 3 pages. Laura Reynolds #6111545. Published by Laura Reynolds (A0.810389). |
These next two recommendations have a lot of great popular song requests but are a bit more advanced than this level. Students can still easily learn these with some help using similar tips and practice skills.
If this arrangement was a bit too easy to play and a more challenging arrangement is what you’re looking for then these books are perfect.
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Most-Streamed Christmas Songs -. By Various. Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook. Christmas, Christmas Secular. Softcover. 208 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.666189). |
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Best Modern Christmas Songs -. By Various. Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook. Christmas. Softcover. 128 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.367424). |
Other Apps I Use
I love this Voice Recording App for quickly recording ideas for songwriting compositions or listening to a performance afterward. The best part is its free, but it also has so many features for a great quality recording on the go. It’s not a recording studio by any means, but it does a fantastic job for a phone app and getting decent sound on the go. Its organizational options and display are also nice.
If students do not have a physical metronome, this metronome app helps to physically see the beats while also learning to listen and count a steady rhythm.
Teacher Memberships
Piano teachers, I cannot say how much Vibrant Music Teaching has changed my studio. From organized studio policies, student resources, a great teacher community, webinar classes, and other continuing education resources - the Vibrant Music Teaching community has many great avenues for you and your music studio to grow and learn.
Whichever activity and app you try first, you’ll pick the song up quickly using any of the above tips. Leaving more time and room to learn more fun holiday songs!
