Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | Orange Roots Lessons

Lesson #14

Our 3rd Year and Bridge Recital, will begin @ 6:15pm at the church at 2750 North 800 East. Please put it on your calendar! If you'd like to see the 1st and 2nd Year Showcase, it will be Friday, April 25th @ 5:30pm Sound Beginnings kids will be singing 2 songs at the start of the showcase. 

For our recital, I'd like all the students to wear "Sunday Best" dress.

 So a dress or skirt for girls and a nice shirt and slacks for the boys. We're going to make this a nice event. Everyone else can dress however they want. :)

Next week is STATION DAY! Have your kids wear their LPM T-shirt to class that day so we can take pictures! I will be adding your child's picture to my "composer's wall" and using it in their composition book that they will each get!

This week each student got to introduce their song and practiced bowing at the end. Some of them had their introduction memorized, but some did not. This should be memorized so they can be confident at the recital. Be sure your student is practicing introducing their song each time they practice (which should be minimally once every day). Don't forget to have your student practice on 3 different pianos and fill out the practice log on page 55. (Follow the instructions on page 54!) I will have a special prize for everyone that has it completed by next class! You can schedule a time to use MY piano for one of those if you would like...just let me know!

Every year, Let's Play Music corporate has a composition contest. All 3rd Year students are invited to submit their composition. There are awards for Best Melody, Best Use of Chords, Best Use of ABA Form, Most Original, Best Story, and Best Overall. If you'd like me to submit your student, let me know by next class. I can only submit one student from my studio each year, so if you're interested, let me know as soon as possible. If I have more than one interested, I'll have an impartial judge look at the compositions and select the piece they think will do the best. To enter, you'll just need to upload a YouTube video of the student performing their piece, introducing themselves and the name of their piece and explaining the 'story' that their song will tell. I can help you with any of the technical things that will be needed to submit your child's masterpiece! This is a great opportunity to be recognized for their hard work!

Do you remember the lesson of the bamboo??It is no coincidence that our 6th and final semester is called Orange Roots. This is not the end of your child's musical journey, we’ve built the roots for them to continue to grow every day in every way as a musician! By now, your child has attended at least seventy-five classes: 3,675 minutes of classroom instruction. You've found babysitters for siblings so you could be in class on parent week. You've arranged schedules and meal-times and errands so your child could get to all seventy-five classes on time. You set up a daily practice plan and played with your child and assisted in hundreds of hours of practice. You helped with homework. And now something wonderful is finally happening: your child is learning some serious music theory, performing some fantastic songs, and even composing and transcribing their own music. Finally, your bamboo has sprouted! 

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 :)

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 | Orange Roots Lessons

Lesson #13

Our 3rd Year and Bridge Recital, will begin @ 6:15pm at the church at 2750 North 800 East. Please put it on your calendar! If you'd like to see the 1st and 2nd Year Showcase, it will be Friday, April 25th @ 5:30pm Sound Beginnings kids will be singing 2 songs at the start of the showcase. 

For our recital, I'd like all the students to wear "Sunday Best" dress. So a dress or skirt for girls and a nice shirt and slacks for the boys. We're going to make this a nice event. Everyone else can dress however they want. :)

In 2 weeks (lesson 15), we'll have Celebration Day! Have your kids wear their LPM T-shirts to class that day so we can take pictures to add to the composer wall!

In class this week we got to experience more harmonic dictation. We listened to a MI, RE, DO at the same time as a SOL, SOL, DO. It was quite a challenge, but they did surprisingly well at hearing both parts!

Any changes your child would like to make to their compositions must be given to me by next class. I'm planning to print final copies very soon, so I'd like to be sure they are exactly the way the students want them. Be sure your student is practicing introducing their song each time they practice (which should be minimally once every day).

Don't forget to have your student practice on 3 different pianos and fill out the practice log on page 55. (Follow the instructions on page 54!) I will have a special prize for everyone that has it completed BEFORE the recital! You can schedule a time to use MY piano for one of those if you would like...just let me know!

Remember that when we transpose, we use the same fingerings and same solfege, but just change where we start playing and match the key signature for the new key. 

Yankee Doodle
This familiar favorite will have us adding chords to a melody and learning to improvise in a varied accompanying style.

For extra fun staff practice at home, try our dry erase student magnet board and 3rd year magnet set to practice transposition. Practice making 4-8 note melodies on the staff and then transpose them.
 
https://www.letsplaymusicsite.com/product-page/student-magnet-staff

https://www.letsplaymusicsite.com/product-page/3rd-year-magnet-set

Our Let's Play Music blog has a fun post all about Yankee Doodle and gives all sorts of little known facts as well as ideas to continue practicing through the summer!

Here's a really fun version of Yankee Doodle, trying to rhyme "pony" as opposed to trying to finish the chords!

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 :)

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | Orange Roots Lessons

Lesson #12

NO CLASSES NEXT WEEK FOR SPRING BREAK! The following week will be parent week and final tuition is due! If you are unsure if you are caught up on your payments or not, please just ask.

I will be printing each child's composition in a book that I will present each child at the recital. I will need to finalize their compositions this week so they have time to practice them. I want them to feel confident playing them in front of an audience. If any changes need to be made, please let me know ASAP!

In class this week we got to experience harmonic dictation. We listened to more than one note played at a time and wrote it in our books. The students are getting really good at knowing the difference between how the red, blue and yellow chords sound!

Any changes your child would like to make to their compositions should be given to me as soon as possible. I'm planning to print final copies pretty soon, so I'd like to be sure they are exactly the way the students want them.

Our compositions are coming along great! Please be sure your student is introducing their piece (as it is written in their homework book) each time they practice it so they can be well prepared for our recital! The introduction should be memorized, but their composition doesn't need to be... although it will help them feel more confident if they do!

We are getting so good at playing our scales in F Major, G Major, and A minor. Check out this fun video to see what it would look like to play your scales with your feet!!!  

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, March 18, 2025 | Orange Roots Lessons

Lesson #11

Notice that this week your child will be practicing most of the same things as Lesson #10. Here's a video that covers some of the songs they will be practicing this week. PLEASE have your child watch it if they are struggling with the songs in the homework this week! 

Be sure your child practices any new changes we have made to the composition. We have almost all finished our compositions and they sound great! I’m so proud of all my Orange Roots! Please make sure that your child practices their composition EVERY DAY. Use theory assignment #11 to help your student introduce their recital piece. They should practice saying it out loud EACH TIME they practice their composition. I want them to be prepared and confident at our recital.

The progress that we have made in developing our compositions has been exciting. Our homework is preparing us to perform our composition at our recital. Look how cute this spider is as he introduces his composition!

Practicing Help (Homework)

Composition Help

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, March 11, 2025 | Orange Roots Lessons

Lesson #10

Next week for private lessons have your child come 1-3 minutes early. If you haven't already, start writing in possible elements to your child's existing composition--a bridge, a coda, an introduction. Or at LEAST talk to your child about adding some elements and I can work my magic on my end. Either way, send their old composition (with any new notes) in addition to the homework booklet so I can still check practicing and homework (if I have time). I have added a supplemental video (below) that you can watch together this week to help generate some additional ideas for your child's composition!

I will send a text with the times your child is expected to be here for their private lesson. If you need to make a change, please let me know ASAP! 

Did you know that Echo Edison's page in your orange songbook (pg. 9) is a GREAT warm up page for any song your child will be playing. See what key the song is in and play Edison's questions and answers for that key. You can call it the "5 finger warmup!" Just for fun, your child can try improvising new QUESTIONS with the same answers!

I'm seeing fewer and fewer flashcard times as the semester progresses! Please don't skip this part of the homework! If your child really doesn't like flashcards (mine didn't!), check out the Quizlet games I made (mainly those listed under Purple Magic because that's where they were introduced). You can select a variety of ways to use the flashcards by selecting the drop down box in the bottom right corner of the Quizlet window.

I still have a few openings in Sound Beginnings and my 1st Year Let's Play Music classes. I've also got an evening Sound Beginnings class for working parents! If you know of anyone who might be interested, I'm holding a free preview class Monday at March 24th @ 5:30 for LPM and 6:30 for SB. PLEASE share this link to any friends you think might be interested in music classes! https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/free-preview-classes-at-musik-me-studio-1756869 Also, I LOVE having current students at my preview classes. Please sign up if you are able to come to either or both of the classes. I can't do "make up" classes, but you can think of this as being a bonus class if you ever missed one... or even if you didn't!

Are you still working on your Spirit Month BINGO worksheets? I will have drawings for a MINI YOTO PLAYER, an mp3 player, egg shakers, cage bell set, tambourines, singable storybooks, CASH ($20, $10 & $5), and MORE! I have attached the worksheet again, if you need another copy. They will be due on lesson #12, where you or your child get to decide which prizes you want to put your tickets toward! I'll do the drawing the following Friday.

The Circus
The official name of this puppet show is Symphony No. 1, 2nd movement by Gustav Mahler. Mahler named his entire first symphony 'The Titan'. It was originally written as a symphonic poem, meaning that the music followed a "plot," in five movements instead of the traditional four. The second movement, the finale of which we use as our circus puppet show, is labeled "Set With Full Sails." Interestingly, this melody is in an Austrian folk dance form called a ländler (in 3/4 time). For those of you who like trivia, this is the dance from The Sound of Music during which Maria and Captain Von Trapp fall in love.

Composition Help

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 :)