Here you can find all the information for the classes each week!
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Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | Blue Bugs Lessons
Lesson #6
Don’t forget, parents come next week! :)
Listening to the music can spontaneously include doing some of the actions too! For instance, if you hear the song Umburra, sit down and pick an object to pass around on the beat. If you are practicing Bill Grogan’s Goat, have your student clap 4 times or nod their heads 4 times, between each line, etc. The more senses you use while "playing" the more your student will internalize. If you have the storybook of Bill Grogan’s Goat read it to your child. Let your student pretend "teach" a Let's Play Music class to you, their siblings, or stuffed animals. This is great music practice and it's FUN for them!
Umburra
Learning to anticipate a beat and feel the beat internally is necessary when developing little musicians. The Umburra game helps us to do just that! Practice it at home when you are "playing" with your students. Pass the stick on the beat and whoever has it at the end of the song is the winner!
El Gallo
El Gallo translated means “The Rooster”. During your "play" time have fun working on the pronunciation of these words. Soon we’ll be singing it in harmony using a round and learning harmonic rhythm. When a child sings harmony they develop the ability to sing in tune and independently sing parts of music. It's quite a skill!
A Frog went A-Hoppin'
Today we simply introduced this song, but this song will soon teach us how to read leaps on the staff and play leaps on the bells.
Jungle Rhythm
Using our “Jungle Rhythm” song we had the students walk like the elephant while I was the lion. This allowed them to hear how a beat can be divided and subdivided.
I've Been to Harlem
On the autoharp we played the song, I’ve Been to Harlem in major and then again in minor. We are training the ears to recognize the difference between the two tonalities which helps us to recognize that music can help touch our emotions and influence those listening to music.
Rhythmic Notation
Today in class the students each got their own bug and matched it with it's rhythmic representation. They are picking up on this concept so quickly! Help them get it even more solidly by placing their flashcards bug side down and have them say the bug and flip over the card to see if they are right!
I've Been to Harlem- Maj/Min on Bells & Piano
Your student has been taking baby steps and skipping around in class for sometime. Now, we get to take the concepts that we've been experiencing and start applying them to reading music on the staff. This approach to reading music is somewhat unique to Let's Play Music. Young children will be reading from the staff without knowing any note names, read more details on how this effective method works.
http://makingmusicianslpm.blogspot.com/2014/12/learning-to-read-music.html?inf
ADDED BONUS BELOW!!!
Since your children are now more familiar with the bug rhythms, I think they're ready for this fun matching game I made called "Rhythm Foods"! You will find it in the student portal in the online resources section.
Instructions:
Print the PDF in color or black/white.
Cut out the notes on the first page (there are 3 extra notes). If you'd like to make them more durable, cut them into strips and put shipping tape on both sides before cutting them out individually.
You may keep the other 4 pages as they are, or cut them into 4 sections so each of the 16 foods is a separate card.
Begin with ONLY the first food page (the one with Pop Tarts) to be sure they understand the concepts, then add the other 3 pages once they understand how to play.
Have your child clap and say each food with you.
The answers are on the last page (printing that page is optional).
Please let me know if you use this game and let me know what you think. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated!
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)
Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany :)
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 | Blue Bugs Lessons
Lesson #5
Are you turning the Blue Bugs music on everyday? ♫ Your whole family will benefit. Thanks for being such great supportive parents! These kids come to class ready to learn and have fun. They are just soaking up the musical concepts and skills I am teaching. They could not do it without great parents like you, working right alongside them. Give yourselves a big pat on the back. Great work!
Please respond to my survey so I know what days/times work for you for next fall! I want to be sure you will have a 2nd year class! If you're not sure of your schedule, just give your best estimate. I will adjust classes if necessary as time gets closer to ensure that everyone can be in a second year class. (I would like a starting point though!) Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA3REXyPiXlAJsxZmwJeUK01pciRaS7HKve2iVr5zd2KThmg/viewform
P.S. Tuition is due this week (if you haven't already paid it)!
Umburra
Learning to anticipate a beat and feel the beat internally is necessary when developing little musicians. The Umburra game helps us to do just that! Practice it at home when you are "playing" with your students. Pass the stick on the beat and whoever has it at the end of the song is the winner!
Playing Skips on the Bells!
We are learning piano skills when we play skips on our bells. Even though the students don't know it, what we learn on the bells will transfer directly over to the piano. It's better to sight read using "relationships" like steps and skips because it reduces the processing your mind has to interpret when reading notes. Plus, we can do it BEFORE they learn note names. It's brilliant!
Rhythmic Notation
Today in class we added another layer of knowledge using our bugs! We saw that our musical bugs match with musical rhythms!! It was a great ah-ha moment and musical discovery for your student. They got to match each bug with it with it's rhythmic representation. (That's our home fun writing activity this week!)
We have a great article on subdividing. Check it out here!
Let's take a walk in the jungle! "Walking In The Jungle" uses full body involvement (walking, stomping, jumping, skipping) with some creative play to teach steady beat. Gather your children and teach this song to the whole family.
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)
Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany :)
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 | Blue Bugs Lessons
Lesson #4
Just a reminder that parents come next week & tuition is due for those of you who didn't pay for the semester up front.
Thank you for all of your consistency the last few weeks! I found myself singing solo this week on a few songs. We are going to be learning a lot of new songs in the coming weeks. So, make sure the music is being played daily in your home. Even while the kids are playing and/or not really focusing on the music itself, they will internalize what is happening in the background. Their brain has the ability to listen and take it in. Remember, they are designed to extract information from their confusion rich environment!! Daily music exposure is so important for so many reasons. If you don't get to it during the daytime, let them quietly listen to the music as they fall asleep. If you have questions, let me know!
In case you need some help remembering the chords in pieces, there is a reference under the focus concept to remind you which color matches with which pieces.
Within the next month we will start enrolling for next year. If you have friends or family that you want on my waiting list to start 1st Year, please share the link ASAP so I can get their information before I begin open enrollment up to the general public.
Please respond to my survey so I know what days/times work for you for next fall! I want to be sure you have a class! Here's the link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFOK8x1nAVeCZe5Kmer7dKzu6N-dPuS9011FakQp-FGtAVjg/viewform
Jungle Rhythm
Today when we played Jungle Rhythm, we moved to a steady beat, divided and subdivided a beat and it was all done through play! Your students didn't even realize they were subconsciously learning how to perform rhythms! Now this is how music should be taught!
Bill Grogan's Goat
This song has great musical value. We feel the beat and clap on the internal (non-sung) beats. Every time we "play" this activity the students are internalizing how to organize rhythm into time. This is a very complex music skill, but can be done at such a young age!
I've Been to Harlem
Teaching the ear to hear and distinguish between ‘happy’ (major) and ‘sad’ (minor) chords is our objective of this song. We can teach a child to compose their own music based on how they are feeling and how they want the listener to feel. This concept builds sensitive music listeners and caring intuitive individuals. Yep, your right... music actually teaches life lessons and builds character!
Identifying minor songs is a majorly important skill! Read why here...
Also, watch this video with your student about major and minor!
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)
Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany :)
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 | Blue Bugs Lessons
Lesson #3
Thank you, parents, for coming to class! Your kiddos are learning SO quickly now! I am so thrilled with their progress! Remember that our ‘sol la ti do’ pattern is played on the lower case letter solfege when playing on the bells. ‘sol’ is the big red bell and then step up from there.
Please be on time to pick up your kiddos! It’s very cold outside now, so please be prompt.
Can't Bug Me!
It's fabulous how we are learning to ‘read’ bug rhythms from pictures - we mixed up the order of our bugs and they still clapped them correctly! That means that they are internalizing the rhythm of each bug. Fantastic progress!
Bill Grogan's Goat
Today we introduced a silly story about Bill Grogan's goat. If this tale seems strange to your child, check out this funny YouTube video, which tells a longer story about the goat, including where he goes when he rides on the train and what he gets to eat when he meets the queen!
Grab a basketball and use the Let's Play Music bugs to PLAY a game with the ball after you watch this video!
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)
Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany :)
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 | Blue Bugs Lessons
Lesson #2
Once again, we had a great week. I just love my 1st year students! They are smart and so fun. Just a reminder parents come next week with tote bags, bells, and home fun activity books! Also, the home fun activity goes with whatever lesson # we JUST DID in class. So this week the kids will do #2.Thank you for helping them each week!
If you haven't yet, check out this virtual escape room:
https://escaperoomlpm.wixsite.com/magicallamp
This is a great review for what we learned in Red Balloons. If they are struggling with any of the concepts, this will help you identify them and work with them. Or ask me for help if needed!
The kids are very used to me by now and I hope, feel quite comfortable. I am starting to watch them more closely and can see that you parents are doing such a great job helping them. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for making their education a priority. If you’re child isn’t quite singing on pitch yet, don’t despair, it will come. One of the best ways to get them to hear it is to have them sing. That is why in class I keep telling them to sing with me. Even if they aren’t right on they should sing, sing, sing. As nonsensical as it sounds, singing out loud is one of the keys to hearing it inside.
Bug Rhythms
The song “Can’t Bug Me” is the foundational song for counting our rhythms. We'll be using these bugs for the rest of the curriculum. This will become second nature very quickly! Have fun clapping to your bug cards!
Meet the Blue Bugs... enjoy reading about why we use rhythm syllables in Let's Play Music.
(If you check out this link and you like the "food language" chart in the middle, just know that I've created a game with that! I'll share it in a few weeks, after the kids are more familiar with the rhythms.)
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)
Have a musical day!
-Ms. Bethany :)
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