Let’s Get Started
Let’s Chant
At-Home Activity
Practice swaying back and forth to the big beats of any music in your environment. Then try to find and tap the little beats that fit inside each big beat.
Let’s Sing
“London Bridge”
From Keyboard Games Book A, pg. 4
Description:
- Meter: Duple (Du-de Du-de)
- Piano Keys Used: Two black keys
- Keyboard Register: High
- Hands: Two hands play microbeats together
- Technique: Arm movement with middle fingers
Note: The ideal hand shape is rounded, but not squeezed with the pointer, middle, ring, and pinky fingers staying together in a row and not isolating any finger away from the finger group. The hands and fingers at this age do not naturally form to an ideal hand shape (or “puppy/kitty hands” as we call them). This takes time and plenty of patience. Gently remind them by saying “puppy hands” or “let’s softly pet our puppy hand before we start.”
Bonus!
Review any piece(s) learned so far.
From the Author
“The Lesson Content. Activity time away from the piano includes echoing tonal and rhythm patterns, singing songs, chanting chants, and body movement. All of these activities help to build a music vocabulary and develop audiation skills, or the ability to “think” music with understanding. Keyboard pieces provide familiarity with the whole keyboard (black and white piano keys), encourage children to play a rhythm pattern, and feel phrase structure. There is much variety among the pieces so students can experience same and different. Be creative.”