Hello everyone! Here are your notes for this week:
Eva
What we learned/reviewed in lesson:
- Reviewing finger numbers on our Left and Right hand
- Learned our first note name on the piano! D in the dog house (between the 2 black keys on the keyboard)
- Quarter notes and Half notes; quarter notes can count for 1 beat, half notes count for two
- Started two new pieces: The Walking Song and The I Like song
Recommended minutes to practice:10-15 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week
What to practice:
- Review Left and Right hand number patterns; practice recalling which finger is which number (thumbs are always number 1!). Patterns can be practiced on any flat surface (and eventually brought to keyboard
- Begin learning new pieces (Walking Song and I Like Song)
How to practice efficiently:
- Try reading out the numbers, matching it with fingers, and eventually on the (black) keys of the keyboard
- Instead of just playing the keyboard, try singing along with your notes (singing the numbers, singing along with melody with word or vowel of choice)
- Try to see how fluidly you can play the piece! Can you play it start to finish with a steady beat?
How can caregivers support practice:
- Practice recalling finger numbers on Left and Right hand, can double check with the image we drew at our first lesson
- When Eva practices, check hands to make sure they aren’t curled up/tense. Shake out tension and reset to the soft “c” position
- If feet don’t reach the ground when sitting at the keyboard, can put a short stool or a stack of books under feet so she can feel more supported when playing (having the feet dangling might feel uncomfortable after a while).
Greta
What we learned/reviewed in lesson:
- Great work on Video Games lead sheet!
- Learned about dominant 7ths for potential use in lead sheets
- Find your base key, think about key signature (how many sharps or flats?) and then locate the 5th note of the scale (ex: C major, no sharps or flats, 5th note is G)
- Build a major triad off that 5th note (G = GBD) and add the last note (F) on the end
- Practiced finding dominant 7th of other keys (D major, A major)
- Reviewed notes in lines and on spaces for treble clef, order of sharps and flats (FCGDAEB), and minor keys+relative major
- Sight reading parallel and contrary etudes
What to practice:
- Start Amber Moon and/or Bouree in D minor; can work on the rest of Video Games lead sheet too
- Technique: G major scale (hands together, 2 octaves) and triads; D minor scale (hands together, 2 octaves; don’t worry about harmonic or melodic scale this week)
How to practice efficiently:
- Always check in with what’s written in the piece (fingerings, dynamics, tempo)
- Look for patterns and where they come back
- Spend a few minutes whenever you practice to review some of the acronyms involved with reading/technique (FACE, Every Good Bat Deserves Fruit; All Cows Eat Grass, Good Bats Deserve Fruit Always); the more confident we are with knowing where the notes are, the more confident we can become at reading sheet music
Happy practicing! Have a good week, everyone