Here is what we did in class this week:

• We practiced listening to the difference between the I, IV, V, and V7 chords (red, blue, yellow, and new yellow)

• We reviewed the names for dynamics and the order they go in:
  • pp  pianissimo (very soft)
  • p  piano (soft)
  • mp  mezzo-piano (medium soft)
  • mf  mezzo-forte (medium loud)
  • f  forte (loud)
  • ff  fortissimo (very loud)
  • sfz  sforzando (very loud accented note)

• We learned the key of e minor and learned to do the triads.
  • We use the notes of a HARMONIC scale because the TI leads back to DO better than te does.
  • Here is the solfege we use for our chords (compare with the diagrams below)
    • I Chord = DO-me-SOL
    • IV Chord = DO-FA-le
    • V Chord = TI-RE-SOL (instead of te RE SOL)

• ARPEGGIOS are just playing the I chord broken using both hands

• INVERSIONS are the same as they are in the key of C Major but starting two whole steps farther up. 

• There are no black keys for arpeggios or inversions but they still sound minor.

• We figured out the "relative Major" for e minor is G Major because they both have just one sharp - F♯!
  • G is 3 half steps up from E
  • E is 3 half steps down from G

• We reviewed what we learned about Gustav Mahler and Camille Saint-Saens
  • We got to listen to many parts of the Carnival of the Animals Suite and figure out which animal we were listening to.

This week your child will do the red and purple highlighted assignments at home! Parents need to initial completed assignments this week in order for the kids to get their reward in class!

Be sure your child is practicing their recital piece (primary song) every time they practice. They don't need to play the entire song, but they need to try to make a small section of it perfect. Use those sticker charts I gave you!

Don't forget to please help your child pass off their songs and scales to earn pins! You just need to send me a video of them playing. The scales can be played with or without the back track, but they need to be perfect at least one time with both hands.

I'm getting a lot more scale and song pass-off lately! Keep it up!

• We reviewed the "new yellow" chord (V7)
• TI-RE-SOL changes to TI-FA-SOL
• In the key of C Major, the notes are B-F-G

• We practiced listening to the difference between the I, IV, V, and V7 chords (red, blue, yellow, and new yellow)
• We learned about the 3/8 and 6/8 time signatures
  • The "8" on the bottom means that an eighth note gets one count (if it's a "4" then a quarter note gets one count)
  • 3/8 sounds like "blue-ber-ry"
    • Emphasis is placed on the first beat
  • 6/8 sounds like "blue-ber-ry bub-ble gum"
    • Emphasis is placed on the first beat and a little less on the fourth beat
  • Each of these rows has 6 beats in it when we're in 6/8 time signature:
• We count to 6 in 6/8 time signature, like in Medieval Journey, which you can listen to here.
• Counting feels like this: 1  2  3  4  5  6

This week your child will do the red and purple highlighted assignments at home! Parents need to initial completed assignments this week in order for the kids to get their reward in class!

I have added additional flashcards to my Quizlet collection. You can access those on my website, or through Quizlet.com. I have also added a few sets to the "Repertoire" section of the Student Portal. Please let me know if you are using these resources and I will continue adding to it! Also let me know if you can't get them to work! (Sometimes things work fine for me as the teacher, but not so well for the students and I have no way of knowing if nobody tells me they aren't working!)

Don't forget to please help your child pass off their songs and scales to earn pins! You just need to send me a video of them playing. The scales can be played with or without the back track, but they need to be perfect at least one time with both hands.

I'm getting a lot more pass-off lately! Keep it up!

Here is what we did in class this week:

• We learned about Tchaikovsky today and did a fun dance from the Nutcracker... mostly marching, skipping and jumping... no ballet!
• We are getting very good at counting and tapping rhythms!
• We went over the A Major scales and triads. We added the chord progressions, arpeggios, and inversions.
• We put our chord progression compositions on the computer and discovered that they all sound really good because we followed the rules for making chords with chord tones and passing tones.
• For the next few weeks, I'd like the kids to focus on perfecting a few measures at a time. I made individualized charts to help make this task more fun. The kids got a brand new practice sticker sheet (and stickers) to help practice their primary songs. While we don't usually focus on perfecting all the songs we play, they should be able to have at least one song that they can play without thinking about it. This is great when there's a piano around and they want to show how amazing they are! :)
  • The sticker chart and stickers should be kept in their workbook along with their song. 
  • If they bring it to class each week, I can help them a little during class time. 
  • The kids need to play each section PERFECTLY for each sticker they earn. If they make a mistake, they don't get to put a sticker on the chart. Please ask me if you have any questions about the sticker chart.
  • I'd like the kids to try to earn a couple stickers each week.
  • Memorizing will be much easier if they can play it perfectly with the music first.

This week your child will do the blue and purple highlighted assignments at home! Parents need to initial completed assignments this week in order for the kids to get their reward in class!

I have added additional flashcards to my Quizlet collection. You can access those on my website, or through Quizlet.com. I have also added a few sets to the "Repertoire" section of the Student Portal. Please let me know if you are using these resources and I will continue adding to it! Also let me know if you can't get them to work! (Sometimes things work fine for me as the teacher, but not so well for the students and I have no way of knowing if nobody tells me they aren't working!)

Don't forget to please help your child pass off their songs and scales to earn pins! You just need to send me a video of them playing. The scales can be played with or without the back track, but they need to be perfect at least one time with both hands.

I'm getting a lot more pass-off lately! Keep it up!

Here is what we did in class this week:

• We reviewed our "Do Sol Fa Sol" song on the piano. The fingerings are a little tricky, so watch out for those!
  • You can hear the song on my website here!

• We learned what the low ledger lines are this week. Your child can practice the ledger lines on my website or Quizlet.com if they are having a hard time being motivated to use the physical flashcards. Have them write their times on the assignment sheet! The goal is to be able to know these notes by sight!

• We reviewed our song to help us remember what the ledger lines and spaces are. You can listen to the tune here as you follow along on page 28 in the Songbook. (It's okay to sing an octave lower than the notes!)

 

• We reviewed what a dot after a note does: give the note 1/2 the value of itself in addition to the actual value.

• We are getting really good at the chord progression at the end of our Hanon #1 exercise!

• We are adding melody to our chord progression (p.33 of the songbook)!
  • Chord tones are the notes that are being played in the chord
    • these should be added to the downbeat when the chords are being played
  • Passing tones are the notes between the chords
    • these notes can be any notes that are in the scale for the key the song is in.
    • these notes add interest to the song

• For the next few weeks, I'd like the kids to focus on perfecting a few measures at a time. I made individualized charts to help make this task more fun. The kids got a brand new practice sticker sheet (and stickers) to help practice their primary songs. While we don't usually focus on perfecting all the songs we play, they should be able to have at least one song that they can play without thinking about it. This is great when there's a piano around and they want to show how amazing they are! :)
  • The sticker chart and stickers should be kept in their workbook along with their song. 
  • If they bring it to class each week, I can help them a little during class time. 
  • The kids need to play each section PERFECTLY for each sticker they earn. If they make a mistake, they don't get to put a sticker on the chart. Please ask me if you have any questions about the sticker chart.
  • I'd like the kids to try to earn a couple stickers each week.
  • Memorizing will be much easier if they can play it perfectly with the music first.

This week your child will do the red and purple highlighted assignments at home! Parents need to initial completed assignments this week in order for the kids to get their reward in class!

I have added additional flashcards to my Quizlet collection. You can access those on my website, or through Quizlet.com. I have also added a few sets to the "Repertoire" section of the Student Portal. Please let me know if you are using these resources and I will continue adding to it! Also let me know if you can't get them to work! (Sometimes things work fine for me as the teacher, but not so well for the students and I have no way of knowing if nobody tells me they aren't working!)

Don't forget to please help your child pass off their songs and scales to earn pins! You just need to send me a video of them playing. The scales can be played with or without the back track, but they need to be perfect at least one time with both hands.

I'm getting a lot more pass-off lately! Keep it up!

Here is what we did in class this week:

• We learned our "Do Sol Fa Sol" song on the piano after reviewing it with our hand signs. The fingerings are a little tricky, so watch out for those!
  • You can hear the song on my website here!

• We learned what the middle ledger lines are this week. Your child can practice the ledger lines on my website or Quizlet.com if they are having a hard time being motivated to use the physical flashcards. Have them write their times on the assignment sheet! The goal is to be able to know these notes by sight!

 

• We reviewed the order of sharps and practiced drawing flats
  • The middle half-heart shape space of the flat sign needs to be centered over the line or space where the flat is meant to be. Otherwise we can't tell which note we're trying to make flat!

• We learned to play a song to help us remember what the ledger lines and spaces are. You can listen to the tune here as you follow along on page 28 in the Songbook. (It's okay to sing an octave lower than the notes!)

• We are adding melody to our chord progression (p.33 of the songbook)!
  • Chord tones are the notes that are being played in the chord
    • these should be added to the downbeat when the chords are being played
  • Passing tones are the notes between the chords
    • these notes can be any notes that are in the scale for the key the song is in.
    • these notes add interest to the song

• The kids should break down their primary song by practicing the second line only of their song this week.
  • Your child should already be able to play the 1st line of the song memorized without making mistakes.
  • Here is a web page I made with all the primary songs and the MP3s so you know what they sound like.
  • Your child is welcome to learn any of the other primary songs ONLY AFTER they have learned their own song.

This week your child will do the red and purple highlighted assignments at home! Parents need to initial completed assignments this week in order for the kids to get their reward in class!

I have added additional flashcards to my Quizlet collection. You can access those on my website, or through Quizlet.com. I have also added a few sets to the "Repertoire" section of the Student Portal. Please let me know if you are using these resources and I will continue adding to it! Also let me know if you can't get them to work! (Sometimes things work fine for me as the teacher, but not so well for the students and I have no way of knowing if nobody tells me they aren't working!)

Don't forget to please help your child pass off their songs and scales to earn pins! You just need to send me a video of them playing. The scales can be played with or without the back track, but they need to be perfect at least one time with both hands.

I'm getting a lot more pass-off lately! Keep it up!