Lesson #5

Thank you for coming to class this week and having fun with your child. They love having you there to cheer them on!

Just a reminder, if you are paying monthly, tuition ($75) is due this week. You can scan the QR code on the right with your banking app or use my phone number to pay via Zelle. You can still pay me with Venmo, I just have to pay transaction fees that way.

The kiddos are quickly learning the keyboard basics and moving right along quite nicely. You may be yearning to hear your little one playing beautiful pieces, but remember, this is not just a piano course. We are learning harmony, ear training, singing, and classical music. In time, it will all come together in a more complete and satisfying way than just playing a piece. Enjoy this journey with your child!

I have noticed that the red stickers on the back of the books are still on some of your children's books, which means they aren't on your keyboards at home! Please be sure you use the stickers (which are just electrical tape and should be easy to clean off when the time comes to remove them!) to help your child feel confident with the red chord. We'll be adding another chord soon and they should be confident in playing the red chord before then. Please let me know if you have any questions about placement.

Celebrate Connection      
A few ideas to bring playfulness to practice time!

• Play one song an octave lower
• Play a song at T - U - R - T - L - E speed
• Play for your favorite pet or toy

Need some fun practice ideas? Log in to your Student Portal and download "Practice Fun Cards"!

DO is Home
In Blue Bugs, when we sang “DO is Home,” we were singing middle C to develop relative pitch. The students will be playing the piano this year in the key of C, so we want them to know the name of this note. We also experience and want to instill in them that DO can change and isn’t always middle C.

Kit Kat Keyboard:
Playing all the C's and then all the F's as fast as we can builds our spatial awareness of the keyboard (octave spacing). As the students form visual conclusions about the keyboard layout, they will become comfortable distinguishing all the white keys and developing a feel for the keyboard spacing. By playing all the C's or all the F's as fast as they can, they gain a feel for how far apart each letter key is from the next key of the same letter (an octave). Mix it up later in the week by racing the song up the keyboard, or racing down the keyboard. Suggest they look at their fingers, then look away or even close their eyes!
       
Old Paint
As your child plays this song, you can help them get a feel for which fingers need to go down by pressing the back of the keys while their fingers are in bubble hand shape. If the child is struggling with this or any song, the best way to assist is to press the correct key down at the top of the key near the soundboard. This way, we won’t interfere with the brain trying to send a neural message to the hand.

Sol Fa Mi Re Do
“Who sits on your SOL-FA? MI and RE eating cookie DO!” A catchy phrase to remember the new melodic pattern we are learning. Our big goal is to HEAR and Recognize and also to SEE and Recognize and PLAY the melodic patterns. We will begin playing Sol Fa Mi Re Do next week!

 Using the Student Magnet Board and 2nd year Student Magnet Set, you can build this new melodic pattern with black note magnets.
       
Sally Go Round
This is a fun game to play at home! Emphasize all landing together on BOOM! We are discovering kinesthetic energy, the energy of movement in time. Children have to learn to predict when they need to jump in order to land exactly on the BOOM, just as they need to be able to predict when to lift their hand to play the chord exactly on the beat. This game takes this skill to a full body involvement level.

How to Play Intervals w/Right Hand

We are training the ear to hear layers of sound with the aquatic canon, Solfege Seafriends. By studying each individual part, we will be able to hear them distinctly even when they are played together. This is a great skill that even most adults don't have! (Page 73 in the reference section of your homework booklet shows which sea animal goes with which musical part.)

Check out this fun example of a canon.

Here is a link to all the skills videos as well as the link to be able to purchase a class video to make up for a missed class. (tap or scan)

Please text to let me know your child's favorite Green Turtle Shells song so far! That way I know you've read this newsletter!