The Bear is Sleeping: Lesson Ideas
The Bear is Sleeping is a traditional song arranged by Alan Bullard. It features in Piano Exam Pieces for Initial Grade in the 2025 & 2026 Piano syllabus.
This resource created by Karen Marshall is designed to be taught over approximately 6 weeks.
Karen Marshall has provided a resource toolkit in the style of her ABRSM Piano Star Skills Builder book. You can find some free sample pages for Karen's book here to download and please visit the ABRSM shop to purchase a copy.
By exploring these activities, you will be:
- Incorporating the other elements of the examination – sight reading, scales/arpeggios and aural skills.
- Teaching to play the piece musically with good technique.
- Using the piece to develop musicianship skills including improvising and performing with expression.
Get started by clicking left and right or using the chapter headings on the right-hand side.
3. Week 3 & 4 – Reading
Random notation for sight reading activities
Ask your pupil to play these random notes, which have been taken from The Bear is Sleeping. Once your pupil has read them, ask them to write the letter names underneath.
Quick sight reading.
Here's some short sight reading examples you can use with your pupil. All of the notes that appear in these exercises are taken from The Bear is Sleeping.
Create a Music Theory Activity Sheet
To connect the theory to the piece, why not ask your pupils the following questions and set these activities.
- Using the random notes above, can your pupil name all the notes? Can they name other notes in the piece and then play them.
- Ask them to write some of these notes on the stave.
- Ask them to draw and explain the following note values; a single quaver, 4 quavers beamed together, a crotchet and a minim.
- Check their understanding of mf, p, f, rit. dim al.fine
- Can they draw and explain a fermata/pause?
- Can they explain the 2/4 time signature and the F major key signature, and write out the scale?