Tuesday, December 17, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #15

Station Day was so fun! I hope you were all able to see just how much your children have learned over this semester. I also hope you were able to see some things that can be worked on over Christmas break. I hope the kids enjoy and use the Christmas songbook they received!

Please help your child go through the Christmas Challenge worksheet. It will help keep some of the skills and concepts we've learned this semester fresh in their minds when we come back in January. (If nothing else, be sure to do the virtual escape room at the bottom!) If you misplaced your worksheet, you can download it from the student portal. Homework 15 is just for fun, as well as anything else that hasn't been finished in the homework booklet.

Let's Play Music requires all teachers to have their families complete surveys at the end of each semester. If you didn't fill it out on Station Day, please fill it out now! Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedEHu03nalInlJ7j9FP0SHmnJBHwzXHw3Zk8Uay8-q89ukHA/viewform

Classes will resume the  January 7th and lesson #1 of Orange Roots is a parent day! Tuition will be due that week for anyone that didn't pay for the whole year in advance. Have a wonderful Christmas break!

Now that we know all the lines and spaces on the staff, we will introduce the 'In a Flash Club' in our orange semester. Check out this online game to quiz your student over the semester break on all of the treble and bass clef notes we have learned so far! Watch out for what clef it is!
   
For an added bonus try this version and have your student 'Say it, then play it.'

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, December 10, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #14

Lesson #15 (next week) is STATION DAY! We will have different stations set up to play games and show off what the kids know. You will get to see just how much your child has learned this semester! It is a PARENT DAY and you won't want to miss it! One of the stations is a photo booth, so have your child wear their LPM t-shirt!

This week in class we took a Theory Quiz so the kids can show you just some of the awesome things we have learned this semester. You'll get to see it next week at STATION DAY! 

 Celebrate Connection

• Play the RH part with your LH. Then try the LH part with your RH!
• Play a song with a metronome set at 60, then 80!

Skaters
Like our previous puppet show, Skaters (Banditen Galopp by Johann Strauss) has 2 distinct sections and follows the classic ABA form. Listen for the Main Theme (A section-skaters/fallers) and the Lyric Theme (B section- specifically the girl who never falls). There is also a repeat at the end of the B section. (“Dot-dot-do-it-again.”) 

Here is a full orchestra performing our Skaters puppet show live!

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, December 3, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #13

Thank you parents for coming to class this week! Your ongoing support is very appreciated. Class is so much fun with you here! (Just a reminder, parents will also attend in 2 weeks on lesson #15 for Celebration Day!)

If you are paying monthly, tuition is due THIS WEEK. 

The students are coming along fabulously with their playing! If you feel that your child is struggling with something in particular, feel free to focus on that more than the things they are already good at. Just be sure to end with something they do really shine at!

Next week I'd like your child to play their favorite variation of "Twinkle Twinkle" for Showtime. OR if the would like to create their own variation, I'd love to hear it! Here is a video of a Let's Play Music graduate playing their own 'snazzy' variation of Twinkle Twinkle!

 Celebrate Connection

• Have your parent sing while you play, then trade places. Now both sing together!
• Perform a song for a neighbor or a friend!

Let's Play Music
As we do dictation and the children are writing what they hear, it is not the time to correct your children—look for the good they are doing. It will take time and lots of practice to build dictation mastery. They are not being graded by having it perfect, but the goal is that they understand just a little more than they did the time before!

Away in a Manger
This repertoire piece is a fun one - using both hands in the treble clef. It's kind of a bonus song along with Jingle Bells. We will show off that we understand the skills in class, but don't forget these fun songs and keep working on them over the semester break.

Transposing Jingle Bells (Homework)

With the holidays approaching here is a Gift-Buying Guide for Musical Kids

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, November 19, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #12

Next week parents attend and tuition is due for those making monthly payments! (Last one this semester!) 

When playing in the key of F, we can't forget the B-flat! There is an exercise at the top of page 21 in your songbook that will help the kids to remember to play the B-flat when they are in the key of F. Playing this quick exercise before any song in the key of F will help them remember that B-flat any time it comes up in a song. Have them try it both legato and staccato!

This week in class we took melodic dictation in the key of F Major! I played a Mi-Re-Do and the kids drew the notes in that matched what I played.

Please send a text, email, or Marco Polo video of your child playing "Turkey in the Straw" this week! Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect... I'm just looking to be sure they understand the concepts we have been learning.

Celebrate Connection

• Tap the rhythm of your RH while tapping the rhythm of your LH on the keyboard cover (Or just tap one hand if the song is hands alone).
• Pick a measure to play, then close your book and try it from memory.

Jingle Bells
Our fun Holiday song gave us a chance to add chords to a melody. Just like learning any new language, after you speak it, you learn to write it. Once our fingers get comfortable with playing it we will have another opportunity to transpose from C Major to F Major!

By being consistent and modeling positive reinforcement you can have great success with your at-home practice! Your child will naturally follow what their environment gives them. The incredible paradox is that as you help your child, you can grow too! Here are some video practice tips from a fellow Let's Play Music parent to help remind you of some at home practice Do's and Don'ts!

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, November 12, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #11

When playing in the key of F, we can't forget the B-flat! There is an exercise at the top of page 21 in your songbook that will help the kids to remember to play the B-flat when they are in the key of F. Playing this quick exercise before any song in the key of F will help them remember that B-flat any time it comes up in a song. Have them try it both legato and staccato!

In class we started taking melodic dictation. I played a few musical notes, and the students had to listen and figure out what they were hearing, then decode how it should be written. We will continue developing this aural perception skill throughout the rest of the school year. 

Please send a Marco Polo video of your child playing "Song of Joy" this week! Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect... I'm just looking to be sure they understand the concepts we have been learning.

Celebrate Connection

• Play "Freeze ad Thaw" - Parent or child will say "start". Child will play until parent randomly says "freeze". Child will freeze until parent says "thaw". Then trade places.
• Play your chords with a small washcloth or towel over your hands. Can you do it without peeking? Use your ears to tell you if you are playing the right notes. Make sure you always use the right fingers for each chord!

Turkey in the Straw
This repertoire piece will have us playing the melody in the right hand and NOW the left hand as well. It will also give us another opportunity to practice our transposing. Your student is doing some pretty impressive stuff!!!

F Major Cadence  Broken

Jingle Bells Chords (Homework)

There's more than one way to write a classic! Check out this funny video of making a variation of "Twinkle Twinkle" by Don Music!

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, November 5, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #10

Thank you to those of you who sent Marco Polo, text or email videos of your Showtime songs. It helps class get started much faster if I don't have to hear each student play during class time. It's not too late to send a video of any/all of the Showtime songs we have done so far, if you haven't already. Even if I heard them during class, it's still fun to see them play and to be able to compliment their progress.

We discovered that the reason playing a scale with both hands together is so tricky is because the "pop" comes at different times on each hand. It is perfectly fine to practice one hand at a time a few times to get a feel for it before putting them together. 

Finding F from C is as easy as singing "DO, RE, MI, FA" and then we know where F is! If C is DO, then F is FA! (I've demonstrated this frequently with no extensive explanation as we prepare to sing "Let's Play Music" at the beginning of class!)

Celebrate Connection

• Close your eyes and run your finger over your music then stop and open your eyes. Start from wherever your finger landed and play through to the end.
• Blink each time you play a chord. Then the parent can blink whenever they hear a chord!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
This familiar childhood song is a great way to learn about theme and variation. You can still hear the main theme in each of the variations, it is just sort of disguised in different ways each time. As we continue to study this song throughout the semester we will discover that it is ALSO written in our classical ABA form, and will help our fingers play in an extended C position. 

C Major Scale hands together

Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. Our Let's Play Music Blog has some fun ideas for a few Turkey extras your whole family can enjoy! Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is one of the most popular English nursery rhymes. It combines the tune of the 1761 French melody "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" with an English poem, "The Star", by Jane Taylor.
    
It is often thought that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the original writer of this melody. Reinforced by its appearance as a "correct answer" in the original edition of Trivial Pursuit and "Snapple Facts" (among others), many believe that the song was written by Mozart when he was four or five years old. Mozart was this age at the time the original French melody was written. Much later in his life, he did write a lot of variations on the original theme-- which we hear on our CD! I told the kids I'd give them a special treat if they can tell me exactly how many variations there are! They will need to listen to their music to find out! 

Check out this parrot singing his OWN variation of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!

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, October 29, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #9

It was fun having you in class this week! Thank you for coming! The children really enjoy parent days! Tuition is due for those that didn't pay for the semester up front. 

Please Marco Polo your child playing the Showtime song "Halloween Night" so we can spend class time doing more fun things!

We are teaching the children to transpose, which means to read notes in one key and play them in another. This is difficult for most people, but since we have spent so much time on note relationships (steps, skips, leaps, intervals and chords) it comes more easily to our Let’s Play Music students. Also, remember that this concept will sink in as the children continue to play songs and exercises in various keys. As they play and sing “Magic Keys,” they will come to understand why F is DO and C is SOL. We are also teaching the children to improvise, which is adding more than just what is written in the music. Next semester, we will do more of this.

We have a new puppet show! Your puppets are printed in the back of your book, so please encourage your child to color, cut out, and use them! Also, they are in the Student Portal on www.musikandme.com, if  you need to reprint them!

Celebrate Connection

• Have parent sing while child plays, then switch places! Now both sing together!
• Name that tune! Child closes eyes and parent plays the first notes of a song... in how few notes can the child name a song?

Let's Play Music
Wait a minute? This song isn't new! Using a song that our ears and fingers are VERY familiar with is a perfect stepping stone for being able to transpose. That's just a fancy word for reading notes in one key and playing in another. And it's kind of a big deal!! All the background in solfege, intervals, and skips and steps makes transposing super easy. We’ll have many more chances to transpose it this year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transposition_(music)
   
Magic Keys
We are teaching the children to transpose, which means to read notes in one key and play them in another. This is difficult for most people, but since we have spent so much time on note relationships (steps, skips, leaps, intervals and chords) it comes more easily to our Let’s Play Music students. This concept will sink in as the children continue to play songs and exercises in various keys. As they play and sing “Magic Keys,” they will come to understand why F is DO and C is SOL.

Halloween Night
We played something in class that wasn't written in the book! That is called "improvising" and it is a wonderful skill to have. We'll do more of this next semester! 

Kitty Casket
Yep, you probably already guessed it. Similar to our 'Scratch My Back' game, this helps us feel that unresolved half cadence with our whole bodies! But, this time we will have the opportunity to play it with our hands as well. 

Song of Joy
We have listened to this piece a lot in class, and hopefully, they are listening to it at home, too, because we are modeling. This is a method of teaching that plays the full piece over and over so that the sound gets in the students’ ear and they will hear the full orchestration when they play it on the piano. This is a step up from audiation, which is simply hearing the music in the head. Remind your child to imagine what it sounds like as they play it. Remember, Beethoven heard it in his head, too. 

Now that we have introduced the spaces in the bass clef, you will appreciate this educational parody of Meghan Trainor's music "All About That Bass" that reinforces the notes of the bass clef in a fun way! 

I've added the Skaters Coloring book for you to download, if you wish. Log in at www.musikandme.com and you can download, print and let your child color the characters as you discuss their favorite part about the puppet show! (Can you hear the characters that you are coloring?) Cut them out to make your own puppets!

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, October 22, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #8

Next week is PARENT WEEK and tuition is due for those of you paying monthly! You can scan the QR code to the right in your banking app to pay via Zelle (or just use my phone number).

There is magic in the air! We've learned everything we need to know to play "Magic Keys" the whole way through! Please be sure your child is using the correct fingers on the chords and on the transitioning scale. Remember to play B-flat any time you see a "B" in the key of F! Please let me know if you have any questions about this!  
   
Celebrate Connection

• Have parent sing while child plays, then switch places! Now both sing together!
• Name that tune! Child closes eyes and parent plays the first notes of a song... in how few notes can the child name a song?

Song of Joy
After experiencing it with our bodies, your child is ready to execute this tricky upbeat rhythm with their fingers. This song is also an opportunity to play as part of an ensemble in class and to audiate the model in their head while playing on their own. 

Speaking of playing as an ensemble staff, check out this live instrument flash mob of Ode to Joy in Spain! 

How's it going with your flashcards? Have you shuffled in the treble clef lines yet? Click here for an online game to quiz your student on all of the treble clef notes we have learned so far! 

You may also take advantage of my Quizlet games that I've set up on my website! 

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, October 8, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #7

Thank you for having your children listen to the soundtrack at home! It is so wonderful to have the kids able to sing along in class when we are learning new concepts. Knowing the songs before they know what we're doing with them really helps them to be able to make that connection solid when I explain and demonstrate the songs in class (especially our "Magic Keys" song)!

Please have you child practice and send me a Marco Polo (or text or email video) for the Showtime song "Alouette" this week. I will mainly be checking to see if they know their intervals in the left hand, if they know what to do when they see the repeat sign and where to end the song. It is so much less intimidating for the kids to do it at home, rather than to be put on the spot in class. Also, if there's something your child has been able to play well that they are extremely proud of, I'd love for you to send me a video of it, either Marco Polo or just text (if it is short enough to go through). 

We learned the direction of note stems this week: if it's below the 3rd line, the stem points up, but once it gets on the 3rd line or above, the stem points down. It works the same way in both treble and bass clefs.

We learned about 3/4 time and that it sounds like "lol-ly-pop" (pat, clap, snap) instead of "wa-ter-mel-on" (pat, clap, snap, clap) which is what 4/4 time sounds like.    
     
Celebrate Connection

• Have parent play LH and student play RH in a song, then switch places!
• The parent does 3 jumping jacks each time the student plays a song! Then the student can do 3 jumping jacks when the parent plays a song!

F Major Cadence
How exciting to play our primary chords in a new key! We will learn to strengthen and stretch our fingers in a new way. The fingerings will feel familiar, but we will also need to use our newly acquired knowledge about 'magic keys' as well as our ear training to play our chords correctly.
     
A Royal Problem
Like all of our puppet shows, 'A Royal Problem' (Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, 3rd movement) aids in the intelligent listening of classical music. We learned to recognize major and minor tonalities, staccato and legato themes, and continued our study of classical ABA (ternary) form. 

F Major Cadence

Note naming on the Treble Clef

Our Royal Problem puppet show is really the 3rd Movement of Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This work has elicited varying interpretations from critics, but the most common perception today is that the symphony is tragic in tone and intensely emotional. Watch a full orchestra performance below. As you watch with your student, ask them to label the A (problem) and B (not a problem) section for you. This will prepare them for their homework next week. 

  

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, October 1, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #6

Thank you for sending the videos of our Showtime song, "Bounce and Roll"! It really helped to not have to listen to every student during class time. If you didn't send a video of "Bounce and Roll" this time, you can still send it. Also, there's another Showtime coming up for lesson 8.

Please be sure your child is using the correct fingers for the C minor cadence. They don't need to play fast, but the correct fingers are a necessity. Switching between the chords will become much faster the more they practice.

Please be sure your child is listening to and learning the lyrics to "Magic Keys" and "Our Bugs are So Fun". Remember, we use music to teach music and the lyrics are wonderful teachers in these songs!      
   
Celebrate Connection

• See how many times your child can switch between the minor red and minor blue chords in 30 seconds... then see if you can beat that number! 
• Try switching back and forth from major red to minor red with your eyes closed. Then do it with major blue and minor blue with your eyes closed.

Ode to Joy
We practiced hearing downbeats last year, now we’re listening for the  upbeats as well. The downbeat is the first beat of the measure, and the upbeat just precedes that stronger downbeat. This song helps us feel that with our bodies --- and helps us to get to know a little bit about Ludwig van Beethoven along the way!

Halloween Night
This 'spooky' song is a great repertoire piece to give us a little more practice on our C minor cadence. Hands will play together in our new 3/4 time signature, and we will even have an opportunity to try a bit of improvisation as the semester continues. 

Even the Muppets like to have a little fun with the upbeat in Ode to Joy.

  

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, September 24, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #5

Thank you for coming to class this week! It is so fun to have you in class with us!

Tuition is due this week and is $280 for the Purple Magic semester. You can pay via Zelle using my phone number (preferred, so I don't have to pay Venmo transaction fees). Zelle is a way to transfer money from your bank account to my bank account without needing to wait or pay extra fees. It's easy to set up through your bank and even easier to use once it has been set up. You could pay via Venmo @musikandme if you really can't set up Zelle. If you need to make monthly payments, rather than paying for the semester, it will be $75/month. (You will save $20 by paying for the semester up front!) 

Next week is our first "Showtime" week! Rather than take up time in class, I'd like for you to send me a Marco Polo video of your child playing at home. This week's song is "Bounce and Roll". I will be assessing that they understand the skills being taught within that repertoire piece. I never give "grades", this is just to help me get an idea of each child's individual progress on a song, their playing ability, and will also help me identify any "problem" spots that might need a little attention.   
     
Celebrate Connection

• Play a different pattern each day for our "Let's Play Music" song and have your parent guess which one it is... then switch and have the parent play and child guess which pattern it is!
• Parent can use "V-fingers" when pointing to songs with different parts on the treble and bass clefs. Be sure you are sitting on the left side so your fingers don't cover up the music that is coming up. You can have your child do the V-fingers while you play as well!

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

Let's Play Music
Be sure your child is playing all five patterns. A different one each day is fine if it's a review, but if they haven't been doing it, they should play all five patterns every day. 

Caterpillar Cousins
Remember that playing in parallel motion is not easy! This piece is not meant to be played quickly, but the focus should be on technique. Your child should be playing it with proper form (bubble hands) and play as evenly as possible, with "laser beam eyes" on the music.

Say It, Then Play It
Using the purple flashcards, the student may play this game at home by saying the note they see, then playing it on the keyboard as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, this is a complex two-step decoding process: they see where the note is on the staff so they know what letter it is, then they have to transfer that knowledge to the keyboard. This is the process of learning to read music!

Magic Keys
This song is a multi-tasker! It helps us understand key signatures and chord theory, plus gives us the opportunity to practice our scales and cadences while self accompanying. Wow! Now that's complete musicianship! Check out this blog post! We will not actually play this for several weeks, but it is before lesson 9 (when parents are in class again) so it was demonstrated in class. This is a concept that will continue to sink in as the kids play the songs. They don’t need to understand it now. Remember, experience precedes learning. They experience the key signature by playing in it. Learning the words is the most important thing for now.

Cadences
When If your child is really struggling to reach the A-flat in the blue chord, have them drop the middle note and only play the C and A-flat. This will be easier for them to reach while still working toward playing the full chord. 

Bounce and Roll
Since this is one of the first songs where left and right hand have independent rhythms, it is a good one to use "V" fingers while pointing in the book. This pointing technique helps the child to read the notes and line them up vertically with his eyes to understand what notes are played simultaneously and what notes are played alone. You can also use a highlighter to draw a vertical line through notes played simultaneously.

A Royal Problem
We learn so much from studying classical music. Understanding how music is put together will help us when we compose our own songs next semester!

Scratch My Back
When a cadence pattern doesn't make it back 'home' to a red chord, it gets stuck halfway on a yellow chord. This fun activity helps us not only hear, but 'feel' an unresolved half cadence with our whole body! 

Everyone did a great job pointing out flat, sharps and naturals on their quiet keyboards in class this week. Here's an online version that you and your student can play at home (or on the go) any time, and here's a little 'accidental' humor for you this week.
  

Now that we have 'unbanded' all of the Treble Clef notes in our flashcards, you and your child will enjoy this Treble Clef parody of Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble!

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, September 17, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #4

Next week is PARENT WEEK and tuition is due for those of you paying monthly! You can scan the QR code to the right in your banking app to pay via Zelle (or just use my phone number).

This week we practiced drawing our treble clef by making a long skinny "J" that starts above the staff and goes below the staff. Then we pick up our pencil and start at the same place again and draw a "D" that meets the straight line from the "J" at the 4th staff line. We continue the line from the "D" with a "schwoop" that circles around the 2nd staff line. If your child wants to practice drawing these, please be sure they are doing them correctly!

We'll be adding new note flashcards next week, so now's the time to make sure your student really has a handle on the treble clef space notes. It will be much easier for them to learn the new notes if they're already really good at identifying the old ones.  
   
Celebrate Connection

• Have the parent do the flashcards as fast as possible, then switch!
• Sing "Our Bugs Are So Fun" facing your child and touching fingers together for how many beats each note and rest gets.

Alouette
This song is jam packed with opportunities for musical development. We will further develop our sight reading skills (playing something we have never seen before), stretch our experience with playing intervals, encounter rhythmic reading and learn more about the classical ABA (ternary) form with our fingers instead of JUST our ears. And you thought it was just a fun song you remember singing as a kid, huh? 

We also learned about the repeat sign this week and how it makes us 'repeat' something in the music. Here's a fun dance you could do with your child to help them remember to 'dot dot do it again.'
 

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, September 10, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #3

By the time the children are in 3rd year, they begin to pick up on different skills at different times. You can help your child the most by practicing the skills they are less sure on FIRST, then have them end with those things they are more confident in.

The parent note in the homework book will remind you to add the flat, sharp and natural signs to your flashcards. While you are at it, be sure to ask your child to show you a flat, sharp or natural with their bodies and voices! (Ask them to tell you the bicycle story too!)

For our theory homework this week, this activity will be much more beneficial by color coding (use any colors you wish), rather than drawing lines from the notes to the keys:   Celebrate Connection

• Stand on one foot while your parent plays a song, then switch!
• Play "air piano" style by playing on the piano cover or with the keyboard off.

Flat, Sharp and Natural Game
We won't just learn the names of these terms and how they work, we use our bodies and our voices to truly internalize and understand how each of these terms can affect any of our regular music alphabet white keys.
   
Our Bugs Are So Fun
Your student is now ready to recognize rhythm notation using 'real' note names and counting terms. This song will help keep that fun! Reading the lyrics while listening can help them learn the words faster! 

Get inspired from one of the very first Let's Play Music graduates! She graduated from her 3rd year of Let's Play Music back in 2001 , and look at her 12 years later!
 

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, September 3, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #2

Quick reminder: be sure flashcards are done EVERY DAY. (Flashcards should take less than 30 seconds each day this week.) You should be practicing Middle C, B, & D and F-A-C-E cards.

Today we began "dictation" at the beginning of class. In many of our classes, we will practice listening and writing skills. Your children have been instructed to stay outside the keyboard room if they arrive late, as we would like absolute silence while we go through the activity. They will be invited in when we are finished with that part. Please have your children be on time so they don't miss these valuable exercises!

Remember that listening to the class music often is part of the weekly practice assignment and will enhance your child's learning process: Listen, listen, listen to the music. The lyrics will teach the kids the musical skills we're working on. If you need help getting the Let's Play Music app to work, start here. (Remember, you will use the same login information you used when you registered for class.)  
   
Celebrate Connection

• Number the Let's Play Music patterns. Roll one dice and play the pattern that you roll. (6 can be your choice!)
• Run across the room and give Mom or Dad a hug or high five (or hip bump) after you finish each song.

Caterpillar Cousins
Our old favorite caterpillar is BACK to help our finger strength, coordination, and dexterity! This time we are asking even MORE out of your little musician by requiring their hands to play in parallel motion. Please have your child try to "glue" their fingers to the keys for this exercise so they can develop good technique!
   
Bounce and Roll
Our first repertoire piece will have your child sight reading and playing hands together. It will also teach us how to accurately execute and recognize the articulation markings for staccato and legato that we experienced physically last week! 

A little Staccato and Legato humor for you!

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, August 27, 2024 | Purple Magic Lessons

Lesson #1

Welcome back from summer! I'm so excited to begin our 3rd and final Year: Piano Skills! 

This is the practice process for this year: Here at the beginning, practice only needs to take as little as 5 to 10 minutes, 5 times a week! The goal is let your child get the idea that sitting at the keyboard is brief and pleasant. Be sure flashcards are done EVERY DAY. (Flashcards should take less than 30 seconds each day this first week.) The first time you go through them, use only the first section (Middle C, B, & D). Then add the F-A-C-E cards for the rest of the week.

Remember that listening to the class music often is part of the weekly practice assignment and will enhance your child's learning process: Listen, Listen, Listen to the music. The lyrics will teach the kids the musical skills we're working on. If you need help getting the Let's Play Music app to work, start here. Remember, you will use the same login information you used when you registered for class.

Check out page 14 of your homework booklet to see tips for practicing the fun 3rd Year repertoire!       
        
Your child has likely grown since last year! Please text or email me a picture of your child sitting at the piano with proper posture. This year it is more important than ever to be practicing proper technique, which starts with proper posture!

Scale Out and In

Tuition is due this week and is $280 for the Purple Magic semester. You can pay via Zelle using my phone number (preferred, so I don't have to pay Venmo transaction fees). Zelle is a way to transfer money from your bank account to my bank account without needing to wait or pay extra fees. It's easy to set up through your bank and even easier to use once it has been set up. You could pay via Venmo @musikandme if you really can't set up Zelle. If you need to make monthly payments, rather than paying for the semester, it will be $75/month. (You will save $20 by paying for the semester up front!) 

Celebrate Connection
Think of ways you can focus on making practice time as fun as possible – give your child warm, friendly eye contact, smile with your voice, be a little silly, show you are relaxed and happy to sit with your child, and look for the good in your child's effort. Notice the joy in your child's eyes. Verbalize the good you see and hug your child often. This is the beginning of the practice relationship that will be essential to your child's success in Let's Play Music. The more you invest your energy into positive interaction, the more solid and successful this habit will become.       
        
After doing your assignment for class, allow your child to fool around and experiment if he wants to, and play a song he knows -- no matter how simple. This can be done anytime or multiple times throughout the week. Model joy as you play the piano. If you make a mistake, smile and show that you are relaxed and enjoy trying again to fix the mistake. Celebrate your effort to give him the idea his efforts are something to enjoy and celebrate.

Music Alphabet

This is the concept that will need the most review. The chords and scales will likely come back very quickly, but this concept needs a little daily attention. Have them sit with their child and do a quick (10 second) review each day this week. Ask the child to point to a D, then a B, etc. Daily short review will bring this all back.

Treble, Bass, Line and Space

Time to learn all the note names on the staff! This song also teaches countermelody ( a secondary melody played against a primary melody) and helps your student sing in 4 part harmony. Remember that flashcards should be practiced DAILY. Add the treble

space note cards to the flashcards you will practice this week. Keep all other notes banded with the rubber band. These are off limits!

Bounce and Roll

Complete musicianship is more than knowing WHICH notes to play. We are now ready to add another dimension of HOW to play the notes. This song allows us to 'physically' know and understand the articulations of staccato and legato. Articulation refers to the musical performance technique that affects the transition or continuity on a single note, or between multiple notes or sounds. 

As you start out this year, check out this practice tip from our Let's Play Music Blog. Here's a little 'practice humor' for you as well!

I've added the Royal Problem Coloring book for you to download. Log in at www.musikandme.com and you can download, print and let your child color the characters as you discuss their favorite part about the puppet show! (Can you hear the characters that you are coloring?)

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 :)