Orange Roots #4

NEED TO KNOW

Orange Roots #4: We're getting into real solid music theory now, folks! And your kids are sailing through!

RED CHORD INVERSIONS/MIXED PAINT: We started working on chord inversions this week. Your student has PostIt pieces on page 6 in their songbook to help them jump from inversion to inversion. We did this in class so they should be able to replicate the drill at home. We actually have been playing our yellow and blue chords in inversions (top heavy and bottom heavy... anything other than root position), so this concept is just the next step... taking one chord and moving it throughout all the inversions! Here is a skills video that will walk you through it. The workbook says "your red stickers will help you." PostIts are easier to to move on and off when you play Mixed Paint. They shouldn't need them for very long. 

FLASHCARDS: Now that we're past lesson #4, you can take the band off of all the orange flashcards. We didn't talk about the flashcards specifically in class, but we did talk about how to count the 8th notes and the 16th notes, so they should be ready!

PRIVATE COMPOSITION LESSON: On Orange Roots Lesson #6, which will be on February 11  17/18, there will be no group class. Instead, each student will come to a private lesson with me, and we'll finally put their composition together! Here is a link to sign up for a private lesson time. If your student (or you!) is anxious about this, you can watch the Composition portion of the online Lesson #6 class. The LPM company has made this free for everybody to get some inspiration for composition! And as always, if the video adds more stress then just skip it. I will help your student write something awesome at their private lesson during week #6!

NEXT WEEK: We're already to our next Parent Day! Time flies when you're having fun! Tuition is also due, so I'll send an invoice later this week. If you don't get one, it means you've already paid for this installment.

NEXT FALL: If you are considering having your student retake 3rd year, let me know so that I can plan for them when I schedule my classes. Read about this and some other post-LPM options at this blogpost. And if you or somebody you know has an upcoming LPM student who will be 4 by September, let me know so I can plan on them for Red Balloons!

GOOD TO KNOW

F SCALE: We learned the F scale! So exciting! The F scale needs a Bb. For the left hand, the fingering is exactly the same as a C scale. Just make sure finger #2 is on Bb and you're good to go! Phew! With the right hand, there is a change, and it's a fun one. Right hand F scale is all about FFFFabulous and FFFFunky FFFFours! Because of the Bb, we don't use FFFFancy FFFFive (pinky finger) at all, and the fingering is 1-2-3-4(with Funky4 on Bb)-POP-1(on C)-2-3-4(on F). Then come down starting with 4-3-2-1-POP-4(with Funky4 on Bb)-3-2-1. Here is a video to have a visual of the skill!

OUR BUGS ARE SO FUN... NEW VERSE!: A few of the songs from the Purple Magic semester have stuck around for Orange Roots and have gained new verses and lyrics. The new verse in "Our Bugs are So Fun" will help us learn to count those 'beamed' rhythms that include eighth notes and sixteenth notes. If you'd like more details about counting in this "real musician" way, here is a parent help document that dissects the lyrics with visual examples and explanations. 

COCKLES AND MUSSLES: In your practice outline, it says to play Cockles and Mussels with broken chords in the left hand. We did a quick overview in class, but if your student wants a reminder, the starting portion of this video does a great job modeling this skill. Start with just the left hand! If your student feels confident and wants to, they can try doing broken chords in the left hand along with the melody in the right, like the second portion of the video. This is very tricky! I don't expect them all to play it hands together! This is just for those students who are ready to stretch!

FUN TO KNOW

Molly Malone is another of the many folk songs we use in Let's Play Music. And like most folk songs, there is no proof that it ever actually happened. This song comes from Ireland and is so traditionally Irish that in 1998, the then-mayor of Dublin declared June 13 as "Molly Malone Day," and commissioned a statue that quickly became a tourist attraction. Many Irish musicians have covered the tune, including U2's Bono, Sinead O'Connor, and The Dubliners. The version done by Possibly Irish includes traditional Irish harmonization, costumes, instruments, and dances. I actually love how each of these musicians take a nationalist folk song, totally make it their own, but still include such a proud Irish feel!