Lesson 7

I am so happy with the progress of class! One thing I would love them to focus on this week is doing the Alphabet Pieces Game consistently. I know it doesn’t seem like a very important activity BUT, the 3rd year students who do not do it consistently, struggle to know their keys. We will be doing races in class to help them get faster at naming the notes and I want everyone to feel successful.

Watch out for the winter blues! Here is a blog post with motivation and a focus on your child's learning style to make practice time more cooperative and enjoyable.

Celebrate Connection
A few ideas to make the alphabet pieces game more playful!

Alphabet Race:
Have your child take one alphabet piece from the box and quickly set it on the correct white key. Continue until the box is empty! Time yourself and see if you can beat yesterday's time. For students who struggle, have the student look at the picture (key-group diagram) in the back of the Yellow Songbook and form his own visual conclusion.

Take a Second:
Have your child choose two alphabet pieces and place them on the keyboard. Identify what interval they make, and play the interval. If it's anything other than a 2nd, play again! The game ends when you take a second to make a 2nd.

Go Fish:
Each player starts with 3 alphabet tiles hidden in his hand. Try to make matches by asking the other player: "Do you have a.." then PLAY the note on the piano to make your request. If you end up with an empty hand, draw 3 more tiles. Keep playing until the tiles are all gone, and see who got more matches.

Homework: pp. 16–17 in the Homework Booklet AND coloring p. 21 in the Songbook (broken chords for Lullaby and Goodnight).

Melodic Patterns
When learning to play melodic patterns:
1. Play all 5 in Middle C Position.
2. Play at separate times. The clef tells which hand will play. Treble Clef is RH and these patterns go DOWN. Bass Clef is LH and these patterns go UP.
3. What are the notes telling you to play? Steps, skips, or leaps? They ALL end on Middle C.

I am Robin Hood
This theme song is significant because it is the first song we play hands together with each hand playing independently. In class we learned to play the melody with the right hand. Place your RH thumb (1) on Middle C, 2nd finger on Middle D, and the 3rd finger on the black note above Middle D. And then play in the rhythm of BUG-BUG-BEETLE-BUG, BEETLE-BEETLE-SLUG. Practice hands separately this week. We will put it all together soon!

Lullaby and Goodnight
Did you know that we can make a song sound different by changing a block chord to a broken chord? It’s time to break all of the chords in Lullaby and Goodnight. Stylizing the block chords to broken will change the mood of this song into a calm, peaceful lullaby. Played piano (find the p under the music) with broken chords this lullaby will be sure to put you to sleep!

Making Musicians
Are you ready for spring to come? Let It (Winter) Go is a cool piece to play now that our students are warmed up with all of the chords in right and left hand.