Hello Everybody!

I hope you all had a great long weekend, and a Happy Thanksgiving to those who got together with loved ones!

Georgia:

Today Georgia finished learning the Clown! Now that Georgia is comfortable playing all the notes in the song, we discussed the structure of the piece. We learned how music has different sections within songs and can be labeled differently based on the notes in each section. Georgia now understands that The Clown is in ABA format. For this week, Georgia is to continue practicing The Clown, but she is encouraged to use a metronome when playing to ensure a steady beat and even tempo when playing. Each click of the metronome equals one beat, or one quarter note. You can use google to access a free metronome. Remind Georgia to set it to a speed between 100-120 beats per minute when playing. She is encouraged to practice at different speeds within this range. Georgia can also start to practice Purple Cow! This week Georgia should write in the notes of this song only in the designated boxes. She should try sight-reading the rest of the first line of Purple Cow on her own at home. We will continue learning this song and make any necessary corrections next week.

Noreet:

Today we took a break from Ode to Joy and learned the first two lines of I Am the King. Noreet should continue practicing these two lines at home in between her practice of Ode to Joy. When practicing Ode to Joy, Noreet should practice line by line reviewing the right hand, then the left hand, then slowly putting both hands together. Encourage her to go back and review any mistakes before she moves onto the next line. She is to use this method to practice the first 4 lines and the last 2 lines of the song. We will review the fifth and sixth lines in class next week. Also, I have highlighted spots in the music where Noreet plays in contrary motion. Noreet should pay close attention to these spots as this means her hands will move in opposite directions to each other. 

Eva:

Today in class Eva wanted to review Sailing in the Sun. We focused on the last line of the song and Eva can now confidently play the whole song! We also reviewed the first line of Classic Dance. I played the second line for Eva and explained that this line simply alternates notes and gets a little higher with every bar. She has a colouring/worksheet at home that shows her this. Please encourage Eva to practice Classic Dance at home. Remind her to start in C positon! Focus on the second line at home. You can use the colouring/worksheet to remind her of the notes. Help Eva connect the worksheet to the sheet music by pointing out that the notes she is being asked to play are the same notes she has coloured. She can play from the colouring sheet for now if the colour-coded notes are easier for her to understand. Finally, Eva was given a new notebook! The notebook uses the same concept as the flashcards, but it is up to Eva to fill in the answers! There are still blank pages so I will add some questions next week. 

Benji:

This week, when reviewing Sailing in the Sun, Benji was able to read all of the notes by himself with minimal guidance. We played the whole song with both hands and reviewed the dynamic markings in the song. When practicing at home, should Benji get stuck, remind him that the first note of the song is a C, then ask him if the next note is higher or lower than C. Using this method, Benji should be able to play all of the notes in the song. Most of the notes in Sailing in the Sun are in alphabetical order, there are not any big jumps. If there are any problem areas while practicing at home, we can review them in class next week. Once you have reviewed the notes, encourage Benji to play the whole song with the dynamic markings! These dynamic markings are indicated by the mf, p, and f written under specific lines of the song. Should he forget what these mean, they are written in the review page of at the beginning of his book. I’ve also recorded a video of myself playing the song for reference. You can find that video here. Please encourage Benji to try reading the notes before using the video as I do not want him to merely copy what I am doing. You can help him by asking guiding questions about what he sees on the page. Allowing Benji to  find the answer on his own will better his musical understanding. 

Clara:

Today we reviewed Bumper Cars and used this song to discuss song structure! Clara now understands that Bumper Cars is in ABA format. We also reviewed Melody in G to compare structure and Clara identified that this song is in AA prime format. Clara also learned what a Cadence is! The difference between the A and A prime sections of Melody in G is the Cadence at the end. We will continue discussing song structure and Cadences over the next few weeks. Finally, we started Owl in the Night! For this week, Clara is to practice at least the A section of this song, but can play the whole song if she wishes. We will review Owl in the Night next week and learn more about minor keys!

Christian:

Great to see you! Thank you for your work on the scientist in your absence. For this week continue practicing the new chords we reviewed in class. Focus on transitioning from chord to chord. You can use a metronome to push yourself – start slow and increase the metronome with each repetition until you can comfortable transition from chord to chord at a quick tempo. If you can find the video you referenced the other week, please bring that to our next lesson and we can break down more of the concepts that creator mentions in the video. I will draft the right hand of the melody for you to sight-read over the next week, we will review this in class.

Great lessons all around this week everyone!

Looking forward to seeing you all again next Thursday!