Thursday, August 29, 2024 | Green Turtle Shells Lessons

Lesson #1

Welcome back from summer! I'm so excited to begin 2nd Year: Keyboard Time!    

This is the practice process for this year: Here at the beginning, practice only needs to take as little as 2 to 5 minutes, 5 times a week! The goal is let your child get the idea that sitting at the keyboard is brief and pleasant.

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. 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.    
     
Remember to text or email me a picture of your child sitting at the piano with proper posture.

Tuition is due today and is $280 for the Green Turtle Shells 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 you know -- 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.

DO is Home
Just a reminder to put one RED STICKER on Middle C (Do is Home) this week on your piano or keyboard. See the graphic below for clarification. If you are still unsure which note is Middle C, please let me know! It should sound just like the large red bell in your bell kit. Each practice time should begin with THINKING OF middle C, then SINGING it, then PLAYING it! This will continue to strengthen the goal for each student to acquire relative pitch.

Kit Kat Keyboard

The first thing we will focus on is the black keys. The first verse of this song emphasizes the black keys in groups of 2 and 3. The white keys for now, are just the background to the ‘picture’ of the black keys. Dividing the keyboard this way helps build 'keyboard geography' in our minds: a mental image formed from visual conclusions. As we look, study, and play at the keyboard, a mental map is formed. Use the entire hand to see, feel, and hear the black keys! It’s important to remind students to say out loud “2” and “3” as they practice. The more senses we use at once, the easier it is to retain and recall information. 

Bubble Hands

The 1st verse of this song is all about proper posture for piano playing. Be sure to begin each session of practice with this song. It will get easier the more your child does it.

The second verse is all about proper finger shape. Practice with the bubble to build finger strength and good form. Finger numbers will be emphasized more next week, so don't worry about the 3rd verse yet. For now make sure their elbows are close together and their fingers are aligned with each other, spread apart and not overlapping. The technique that happens in class is important, but reinforcing it at home is even more influential! Please send me a picture of your child sitting at the piano with proper posture this week.  

Spring Bees

We have a new fun puppet show! You and your child can also perform it at home when you download the coloring pages! Log in to your student portal, go to the downloads section, print them out, and turn on "Spring Bees" and have your child listen while they color. If you'd like to laminate the puppets and put them on sticks, I have a laminator and I only charge barely more than the cost of the laminating sheets.

We're so excited to have our parents participate in class with us! Check out some terrific ideas to make the best of your Let's Play Music experience in the classroom and at home with your child!

Also, I've added the Spring Bees Coloring book for you to download. Log in at www.musikandme.com and you can download and print these two pages out and let your child color the characters as you discuss their favorite part about the puppet show! (Don't forget to listen to the music while 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 :)

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | Brown Teddy Bears Lessons

Lesson #1

I hope you and your child have as much fun in class as I do each week!! Here are a few reminders that will help you get the most out of our time together in class:
 

• Please keep all materials (workbook, finger cymbals, and class manipulatives) in your tote bag to bring to class each week.
• Please leave food, drinks and toys at home, in your car, or upstairs. They are a distraction to your own child as well as others in the class.
• Please turn off your cell phone during class. Remember, parent bonding is one of the best features of this class!
• Please utilize the “break area” (the hallway by the bathroom) if your child becomes fussy or disruptive.
• Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have throughout the semester.
• Please be sure to download and listen to your class music on the LPM app! The more familiar you and your child are with the music, the more you can both participate in class!
• Tuition is due this week. I prefer payment via Zelle (just use my phone number) because I don't have to pay fees for that, or you may pay with Venmo (@musikandme), which does charge me a small fee, but either one is fine. Tuition is $180 for one student and $220 for a family with more than one child. If you have to make monthly payments, it is $45 for one student and $55 for a family with more than one child.

What songs should you listen to each week? I'll let you know here in case you want to be ready with the ones we'll use next class! Each week we will sing these songs:

• Everybody Say Hello
• ABC Song
• The Letter of the Day
• Everybody Say Goodbye

Next week we'll sing these:

• Name, Name, What's Your Name?
• The Four Seasons
• In My Class I Have Some Bells
• Fall Is Here
• Round and Round the Garden
• The Teddy Bears' Picnic
• Going to the Zoo
• Rocky Mountain
• Weather Dance
• Lavender's Blue

Besides musical skills, Sound Beginnings also introduces children to kindergarten concepts such as name recognition, letters and numbers, and literacy skills. Among other concepts, the Brown Teddy Bears semester will specifically focus on seasons, weather, and rhyming words.  

Solfege hand signs help us use our bodies to see and feel pitch relationships.

Smart Moves dances are designed to involve the whole body in a classical music experience; teaching children to recognize themes and phrasing.

Optional home fun activity: Do the Name Recognition activity on page 20 of your workbook     
(Remember, these activities are optional but can be a great bonding experience to do with your child during the week.)  

Who knew classical music could be so funny? Check out this link for the BEST duet of our Weather Dance song!

Here is a video that will help you to know what Sound Beginnings is all about and how it will benefit your child. This was created by another teacher and she was generous enough to share it!

https://youtu.be/IxZrTdk0pVk

Here's a fun video for ideas of how to interact with your baby during class (if applicable):

https://youtu.be/8nyS_nQlpE0

Sound Beginnings is education through musical play! It prepares children for success in Kindergarten and Let’s Play Music. Sound beginnings provides research-based elements that stimulate growth in the areas particularly crucial to the development of the young child. These elements make up the foundation of the Sound Beginnings curriculum.  Here is just one:
	A child learns when he or she feels loved. In class, purposeful touching, eye contact, partner activities, and generational nostalgia help develop the all-important parent/child relationship.

Have a musical day!   
-Ms. Bethany :)

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 | Bridge Lessons

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 :)

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 | Red Balloons Lessons

Lesson #1

What a great class this week! Thanks, parents, for coming and supporting your students. I can tell we are going to have a  great year, great students and great consistent parents that make it happen! Thank you for singing along and doing the hand actions during class, this helps the students stay focused and builds a musical bond between you and your child. When they see that you enjoy music, they do too! 
  
Just a reminder for next class…

1. Parents don’t come next week (because it's an even numbered lesson), which means totes & bells don’t either. Just send your kids in WITH THEIR HOMEWORK BOOK and they will be ready 45 minutes later.
2. Remember in 1st year the practice process is all about fun and ongoing practice through play. Forget about the typical rigid "we are now practicing" approach to teaching children music. Put out the bells and let your child play with them. Listen to the music everyday in a natural way (bedtime, while in the car, etc.). Once a week sit down and do the theory homework. That's it! It's a piece of FUN cake.
    
3. Listen to the class music! The kids get so much more out of class when they are fully participating (which includes singing)!
   
4. Tuition is due this week and is $280 for the Red Balloons 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!) 

Melodic Patterns             
Many activities in the first semester will concentrate on repetitions of certain melodic patterns. The first is MI-RE-DO. We will sing it, do solfeg hand signs, play it on the bells, see the notes on the staff, and feel it with our full body! The songs this week that have this pattern in it are: Let’s Play Music, Red Balloon, Do Re Mi, Three Blind Mice, and Frog in the Middle.
             
Steady Beat
A steady beat is an essential part of becoming a complete musician. We learn to hear, feel, identify and then reproduce a steady beat with every song in Let’s Play Music, but it is specifically addressed this week in Tambourine Train and Echo Ed. Establishing a steady beat is the precursor for hearing and playing different rhythms. You can’t read rhythms if you can’t keep a steady beat.
             
Minor 3rd Interval (helps to sing in tune)
Hickety Pickety and Echo Ed are key pieces in learning to match pitch. For a child to play and create music they must be able to hear and then reproduce what was heard. Using the minor 3rd SOL-MI and simple rhythmic variations we train the ear to identify what is being heard. 

Magical Lamp
Puppet shows use different characters to guide the child’s ear to identify motives, phrases, and themes. Students gain an educated appreciation of classical music, creating an intelligent listener.

Playing the Major Scale on the Bells

Click HERE to read why ear training is important and why it should be part of your child's music education.

Also, I've added the Magical Lamp Coloring book for you to download. Log in at www.musikandme.com and you can download and print these two pages out and let your child color the characters as you discuss their favorite part about the puppet show! (Don't forget to listen to the music while 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 :)