Purple Magic #6: It is so much fun watching your Purple Magic kids soak up new information! They are building a solid musical foundation!
SHOWTIME: We had our first Showtime! They all played Bounce and Roll, and everybody was able to play staccato and legato, and everybody got a sticker in their songbook. They're totally getting it! We won't play that song again in class, but they can play it at home any time they want to!
SONGBOOK MARKING: We wrote in our songbooks again! On the song "Alouette," we talked about how the first two lines are similar, but the next two lines are something different. We labeled them A and B, and now have a repertoire song that is ABA form, just like our puppet show! Here's what it should look like now.
INSTAGRAM: If you Instagram, be sure and follow @letsplaymusic_official. They have great tips and motivations, along with regular freebies and giveaways.
CDs: I finally got the CDs ready! If you requested one in the Parent Orientation form, I gave it to your student today. If you didn't get one and want one, let me know!
HALLOWEEN NIGHT PRACTICE HELP: The practice guide says to "learn the right hand line by line." I feel this is so lacking in options! And totally drops the ball on the c minor cadence skill! We started last week with playing the left hand chords while singing. Here are some options for playing this song. * Play the song with the left hand playing chords as written, and sing the melody. * If they want, they can play it with the right hand playing the c minor cadence chords, and sing the melody. And then play the chords with both hands at the same time! * If they never want to play the melody, that's okay! They can use this song to understand the c minor cadence, reading the music and playing the chords as written, keeping the 3/4 time rhythm, playing with a steady beat, etc! * To learn the melody in the right hand, start with the last line. We actually played the last line in class and everybody did it. From here, they can either add the left hand chords with the right hand melody on the last line, or they can use note reading with skips and steps to learn the third line of the melody, then the second, and the first.
Know that it's okay if they never play the melody of the right hand, or never move past the last line. Some students' brains are not physiologically ready yet to do a whole page of note reading. But they're still getting the chord structure, playing with a steady beat, keeping the 3/4 feel of the song, c minor cadence chords, etc. They are doing a LOT!
HOMEWORK HELP: C MINOR CHORDS: This week's theory assignment involves coloring in the c minor cadence chords on a keyboard chart. Some purple Magicians were having some trouble remembering the c minor blue chord, so here are some visuals to help. There is also a great diagram on page #68 of your student's workbook. Remember you can scan the QR code on the back of your workbook (or click this link) to get to the answer key and get help that way too. Here is a link for pictures of the entire c minor cadence. As a reminder, these pictures are always available in the "Learning Helps" portion of the 3rd Year page on the website.
GOOD TO KNOW
ODE TO JOY: Last year we worked on hearing downbeats. Now we're listening for the upbeats! This song helps us feel the upbeat with our bodies, and helps us get to know Ludwig van Beethoven along the way! You can learn more about Beethoven at this link.
MAGIC KEYS: We've been slowly introducing the Magic Keys song. Next week they'll be playing in F Major and they'll totally be ready for it!
FUN TO KNOW
I love how your Purple Magicians are such flexible thinkers. Each week we do the puppet show, we change up some of the plot points. Sometimes the dragon is the bad guy, sometimes there is no bad guy, but the dragon is a prince that got magically turned into a dragon, and sometimes the knight is the bad guy and the dragon is the hero, like in this comic!
Purple Magic #5: Thank you for coming to class! Third year is so much fun to teach because we're getting into some really meaty theory. I love watching how naturally your kids understand it. They must have had an amazing LPM teacher for their 1st and 2nd Years to get them prepared! 😉
SHOWTIME: Next week is our first "Showtime" week! I will be having the students show off "Bounce and Roll," and assessing that they understand the pertaining skills (check out inside the back cover of your student's workbook... for this song it is legato and staccato). They'll get a little solo time to show me their stuff. I'll make a little note about how they played (whether they used two hands or one, if they had beautiful bubble hands or flat fingers, what the tempo was etc), and we'll never play that song in class again. Of course, they can still use it to show off to friends and family! If your student is frustrated in playing this song, know that they can totally pass it off by the first measure of line one and the first measure of line three, either with the right hand or left hand only. Easy peasy!
SONGBOOK MARKING: We wrote in our songbooks again! On the song "Alouette," we identified the intervals of the notes in the bass clef, and wrote those intervals in the lines below the note. This is what their book should look like. If your student wasn't there, help them figure out the intervals and write the number in their book.
FLASHCARDS AND APPS: Flashcards are the best way to learn and drill the notes on the staff. You can do "flashcards" with your actual flashcards, with the itty bitty flashcards I passed out in class, or with other apps and games. (Here is a link to print the itty bitty flashcards on your own, or you can get another copy from me.) You can use time playing apps to mark off the flashcards section on your practice chart. If you know of or find another app that you like, please let me know about it! (If you have an apple device, my suggestion is to use the Music Notes and Bees Keys to drill the basics, then Note Rush to take it to the keyboard. For android users, I have not been able to find Music Notes or Bees Keys. If you find something similar, please let me know!)
*BEES KEYS (naming white keys): This is a free app that drills the names of the keyboard notes. We've been working on this skill since Yellow Arrows, and most kids have it down. But if your students still need to use the keyboard chart to find the note names on the keyboard, or if they're "counting up" from C to find the right note, this will help! Here is the link for the apple app. I just found it on the Google Play Store as well so android users can do this one too! Here is the link to the app on the Google Play store.
*MUSIC NOTES (naming notes on staff): This is a free app that is very basic but covers the info. It's the one with the happy face and the pig. You can choose between G/treble clef (what your kids are ready for), F/bass clef (what we will introduce in the next few weeks), or both. It does include ledger lines (notes above and below the staff) that might add some frustration, but they should be able to figure them out by stepping or skipping from Finish F. It is a solid free choice that can help your student solidify the staff note names. Here is the link to the apple app. I can't find this in the Google Play store, but it's possible that it's there... I just don't have an android device and am not used the the layout. It was developed by Simon Ma and is called "Music Notes for Kids."
*NOTE RUSH (see a note on staff, play it on keyboard): This is the one that used the audio from the keyboard when we did it in class. This is a paid app that focuses on taking the note on the staff directly to the keyboard without doing the middle step of naming the note. This is the ultimate goal of note reading. It uses your own full keyboard so there is no wondering about which octave the notes are in. The gameplay of this one is set up so that there's not a time limit to answer the notes, allowing your student to figure it out without timing pressure. Here is the link to the apple app. And here is the link to the app in the Google Play app store.
*OTHERS: There are lots of other apps that are helpful and fun, including Flashnote Derby, Ningenius, and Staff Wars. They all have pros and cons in regard to gameplay, keyboard layout, etc. But know that developing note-reading skills is a long process, and all exposure will help!
TUITION: Thank you for getting tuition in! I appreciate you! If you haven't yet, I'll send a request/reminder.
GOOD TO KNOW
MAGIC KEYS: This song is a multi-tasker! It helps us understand key signatures and chord theory, plus give us the opportunity to practice scales and cadences while self-accompanying. Wow! Now that's complete musicianship! Like I said in class, this concept is advanced and will initially overwhelm some students. Just give it some time to sink in! They're going to love being able to move DO around to different notes. Check out this blog post if you're interested in more info on key changes.
C MINOR CADENCE: We started the C minor cadence this week. Is there anything they can't do!? This is already going to be a long parent note, so I won't insert the reminder pictures here, but you can check them out at this link. This link is also always available on the "Learning Helps" section of the website. There is also a chart on page 68 of your student's homework booklet that will help.
SCRATCH MY BACK: Scratch My Back is an old folk song/game that has lots of variations. Sometimes a cadence pattern doesn't make it back "home" to the red chord, and it gets "stuck" on a yellow chord. The official name when this happens is "half cadence." Scratch my Back is a fun activity that not only helps us hear but to feel an unresolved half cadence with our whole body. We didn't get to this one but we will next week!
POPPING TECHNIQUE: Here is a great visual of the technique I talked about in class today keeping the whole arm and wrist linear while "popping" in the scale. She uses the word "turn" instead of "popping," but it's the same motion.
Purple Magic #4: We have been doing so much in class! I hope you have been astounded by what they're doing in when they play at home, and I'm excited to have you come next week and see how everything fits together!
PARENT DAY AND TUITION DUE: Next week is a Parent Day and the next installment of tuition is due. I'll send a request through Wave later this week. If you don't get one, it means that you've already paid this portion! Thank you!
FLASHCARDS: We'll be adding new note flashcards next week when parents are in class. Now's the time to make sure your student has a solid handle on the Treble Clef Space Notes! It will be much easier for them to learn new notes if they're already really good at identifying the first batch.
GOOD TO KNOW
ALOUETTE: This song is jam packed with opportunities for musical development. They have identified the rhythm of the melody. They did a GREAT job this week sight reading the second two lines. Next week we'll look at the intervals in the left hand accompaniment. We'll also analyze the classical ABA form. Like I said, packed!
REPEAT SIGN: We added the repeat sign to the bar line and double bar line vocabulary. Ask your Purple Magician to show you the dot-dot-do-it-again dance we did in class!
FUN TO KNOW
We practiced drawing Treble Clefs for the first time. "Make a long J and a capital D. Swirl around the 2nd line 'cause that's a G!" Check out your student's clefs on page 2 of their songbooks. They're doing so good! Even (or maybe especially!) when compared to treble clefs drawn by some of history's greatest composers!
Purple Magic #3: You have great kids! Thanks for sharing them with me!
HOMEWORK HELP: The Let's Play Music company has an online "Homework Booklet Answer Key" page. Check it out any time you wonder about the homework assignment or just want to make sure you're doing it right! You can get there by scanning the QR code on the back of the homework booklet or by clicking this link. That will take you to a page with Skills Videos, and at the very top it has a few links: one to purchase access to full class videos, and another to access theory answer keys. Click on the "3rd Year Theory Answer Key" link and you're there!
ACCIDENTALS: This week we introduced the flat, sharp, and natural. The homework book will remind you to add the flat, sharp, and natural signs to your flashcards. Release them from the banded portion and start practicing with them!
GOOD TO KNOW
FLAT, SHARP, & NATURAL STORY: We will learn the names of these terms and how they work. We will also use our bodies and our voices to truly internalize and understand how each of these symbols can affect any of our regular music alphabet keys.
NOTE READING: We've been working hard on reading the notes of the spaces of the treble clef staff and matching them to the notes on the keyboard. This is an involved multi-step skill, and time spent on it now will make it so much easier as it solidifies over the next few years. Your kids have a few different tricks for figuring it out and they're doing great! Practice on this skill is actually this week's homework assignment!
Purple Magic #2: Your Purple Magicians are so much fun!
PRACTICE BEADS: Your student's practice beads are clipped into their workbooks. You can send the empty baggies back and I'll reuse them (but no worries if I don't get them back! I'm definitely not keeping track!). If you need a reminder of how to "tie on" the beads, check out this video. As always, if your students want to use the beads in a different project, that's fine! If they want to display them on their LPM bags, they can use the plastic landyard strings.
DICTATION CHALLENGE: This week we had our first day of "dictation," a new challenge for our 3rd Year students. As always, we start slowly. We drew quarter notes, or "bugs," as we've known them for the past two years. These are on page 1 of your student's songbook, and they did a great job!
MISSING CLASSES: Life happens and sometimes you miss class. It's no biggie! There is a lot of repetition built into the classes and your student will be just fine. But if you miss a class (or a bunch of classes) for whatever reason and want to do a makeup, you can purchase access to those classes produced for the LPM Online program. You can read more about that at this link. I will suggest using these if you end up missing three or more classes in a row, but overall they're only if you want more exposure. But I do want you to be aware of the option!
GOOD TO KNOW
CATERPILLAR COUSINS (pg 7): Our favorite caterpillar is BACK! This version of the song is in parallel motion, rather than the easier contrary motion we did in Yellow Arrows. It will require more brainwork. This week's practice outline specifies that they do it hands separately, which will solidify the patterns in each hand. There are some Magician Musicians who are itching to put it hands together! I told them they could work on that at home after they played it hands separately.
SCALE OUT & IN: If your student needs visual help on this, scroll to last week's Parent Note where there is a video.
BOUNCE & ROLL (pg 15): "Bounce and Roll" highlights legato (smooth) and staccato (choppy). This is the first week of this semester that we've used the songbook as a workbook. If you check your child's book, you'll see that they have a "legato line" underneath the phrases in the first two lines of the song. In class, we talked about dipping our ball into paint and having it roll across the page creating the legato line. Then on the bouncing part, we talked about what it would look like to dip the paint and bounce it on each note, and we ended up with "staccato dots" underneath the notes in the second two lines. They're so smart! Here's what it should look like.
FUN TO KNOW
LEGATO AND STACCATO: Your Purple Magic student will love these!
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