Yellow Arrows #13

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #13: THANK YOU for sticking it out and getting to all the parent days this year! I know it's hard to schedule, but it makes such a difference! I love having you attend and letting your kids show off to you during class. 

UPCOMING CALENDAR:

Wednesday, April 22: Lesson #14: Regular kid-only class

Saturday, April 25: End-of-Year Recital (see details below) 

Wednesday, April 29: Lesson #15: Celebration Day with parents (like in December, this will be an open-house drop-in style)

TUITION: Thank you for getting your tuition in! I appreciate it! If you didn't get it in, I'll send you a request/reminder. 

REGISTRATION: Thank you for getting your registrations done! Third year is going to be amazing! If you haven't registered yet, here is the link to get it done!

LET'S PLAY IT AGAIN: The Let's Play Music company has developed a summer camp curriculum to review concepts learned during the second year of Let's Play Music. While I may do a summer camp one day, I haven't been organized enough to plan that far ahead this year. Let me know if there's interest though and I'll see if it comes together easily! It is set up so that even without a teacher-led camp, you can purchase the digital printable student book and have a bunch of activities to do at home on your own. Check it out here. 

END-OF-YEAR RECITAL: Our End-of-Year Recital will be held on Saturday, April 25 at 5:00pm at the church on 5900 Castle Drive. We are not a performing group, but we will take an opportunity to celebrate the things your kids have learned and do it in a fun way! Invite your family and friends for a fun evening. 

Recital Practice List:

Trash*Fish*Pop:

We'll talk about harmony and then we'll sing it. The whole group will do all parts, then each kid will get to decide which "team" to be on and sing that part. 

C Song:

I'll ask students questions, then we'll sing it.

Robin Hood: as written on page 1

Everybody! We'll do this three (or four depending on how I end up setting things up) times to allow each student to play it. (sing when you're not playing)

Challenge Song:

Each student will have the chance to show off by themselves on the keyboards. They can choose to play anything in the Green Turtles or Yellow Arrows songbook. Whatever they want to!

Pirate Ship Puppet Show

We'll do this Puppet Show with scarves.

If you can't be there, know that it will be okay! The purposes of Let's Play Music happen during classtime, and the recital is just a bonus!

GOOD TO KNOW

HOMEWORK HELP: THIS OLD MAN: How exciting to see the culmination of the last two years of chord study when writing the accompaniment for this song! We use our ears to hear what sounds correct, then use our staff knowledge to write the correct chord on the staff. This is what we did in class. The homework is to finish the second line. As always with chord-adding, let your student add in the chord they like best even if it's not what you think should be there.

SCALE MIX-UP: You can play scales anywhere on the keyboard! Begin on any C. Choose to play OUT & IN or IN & OUT. Play each hand separate with various bugs. So many possibilities!

FUN TO KNOW

Did you notice the path of Artemis II was a Treble Clef?!?

Have the practice blues set in? Try opening up their Green Turtle Shells Songbook and show them that they can play all of the chords in the left hand while playing the melody with the right. Celebrate their progress! 

Jazz up practicing by making sure your student's practice tank is full, and here are some ideas of how to ask them to "play it one more time..."  

Also, here is a link to the Let's Play Music podcast episode where they talk about making piano practice fun and successful. 

I understand completely both as a musician and as a parent how difficult (and emotional!) practicing can be. More than anything, just keep going. Know that whatever time you and/or they spend will make a difference.

Yellow Arrows #12

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #12: I am so proud of your students. They are absorbing so much, and learning how to do hard things.

PARENT WEEK/TUITION DUE: Next week is Parent Week, and the last tuition payment is due. I'll send out invoices this week, and I'll see you in class with your students next week!

END-OF-YEAR RECITAL: Our End-of-Year Recital will be on Saturday, April 25 at 5:00. It will be held at the church at 5900 West Castle Drive. We are not a performing group, but we will take an opportunity to celebrate the things your kids have learned and do it in a fun way! Your 2nd Year students will wear their LPM shirts and black/denim bottoms. The performance outline is listed below. 

Recital Practice List:

Trash*Fish*Pop:

We'll talk about harmony and then we'll sing it. The whole group will do all parts, then each kid will get to decide which "team" to be on and sing that part. 

C Song:

I'll ask students questions, then we'll sing it.

Robin Hood: as written on page 1

Everybody! We'll do this three (or four depending on how I end up setting things up) times to allow each student to play it. If your student doesn't want to play it, they don't have to. (sing when you're not playing)

Challenge Song:

Each student will have the chance to show off by themselves on the keyboards. They can choose to play anything in the Green Turtles or Yellow Arrows songbook. Whatever they want to!

Pirate Ship Puppet Show

We'll do this Puppet Show with scarves.

If you can't be there, it will be okay! The purposes of Let's Play Music happen during classtime, and the recital is just a bonus!

Registration for Fall: Thank you for getting your registrations in! If you haven't finalized it yet, here is the link to get that done.

GOOD TO KNOW

Tinga Layo: In class this week, we drew in the 'bulls eye' and 'arrow feather' to create a stylized calypso accompaniment in your student's songbook. I also added an arc of color to show what chord they are playing at what time. Check it out on page 23! If your student wasn't there or didn't have their book, here is a visual of what it should look like!

 

Hickory Dickory Dock: Tick, tock, let us rock, while playing in parallel motion! This is tricky business! Playing the same note together with both hands at the same time means playing with different fingers, which is surprisingly difficult. I didn't get to this in the 2:00 class, but the after-school class did a great job at it. Almost everybody got it!

FUN TO KNOW

Vladimir Horowitz, multiple Grammy-winning Ukrainian-American pianist and composer, is considered one of the greatest pianists of all time. "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary," he said, "is practice." The obvious-ness reminds me a little of The LEGO Movie: "I know it sounds like a cat poster, but it's true!"

Yellow Arrows #11

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #11: Thank you! Thank you for getting your registrations in for next year, and for being a part of my studio! I appreciate you!

REGISTRATION FOR THIRD YEAR: If you haven't gotten registered for the fall, please do so! Here is the link for that. It helps me more than I can tell to have my classes for fall set before classes end this spring. Also, once classes end, the supplies for fall 2nd and 3rd year classes will ship from the LPM offices to me. If you register after that, there will be an additional fee from the corporate office.

END-OF-YEAR RECITAL: Our End-of-Year Recital will be held on Saturday, April 25 at 5pm. Second year students will wear their LPM shirts with denim or black pants/skirts/leggings. Among other things, each student will get a "piano spotlight" where they can play whatever they love to play on the keyboard. There are a lot of options in class, including the Caterpillar Song, How to Skip, Primary Cadence, Scale in and Out, Tinga Layo, and even things from the Green Turtles songbook. Basically whatever they love to play! Each student will also get to play Robin Hood if they want. We'll talk about these in class and get everybody ready to go!

We are not a performing group, and the recital is more of a celebration of what we’ve learned rather than the pinnacle of the year’s activities. If your child can’t (or doesn’t want to) participate, is really no big deal. What we do in class is the real payback. With that being said, it would help me to know what folks are not planning on attending so that I can know what to expect for that day. Thank you!!

GOOD TO KNOW

SCALE IN AND OUT: This technique is teaching contrary motion, where the same finger numbers play together, moving in opposite direction. RH pinky (5) begins on Treble C and LH pinky (5) begins on Bass C. Play and sing IN the major scale with fingers 5-4-3-2-1-(POP)3-2-1. Both thumbs will land on Middle C. Then play back OUT using fingers 1-2-3-(POP)1-2-3-4-5. Here is a video of this skill from the online video lesson series.

OH WHEN THE SAINTS: MARCH, 2, 3, 4! We can march with our feet AND our fingers! A marching chord is a type of stylized chord that will make this song sound much more like a march. Play the bottom note of the chord alone, then the top two notes (interval) together and VOILA! The fingers are marching! March around the house as your child plays marching chords with this energetic song!

TINGA LAYO: I've had some questions about the "shoot-the-bug-bug" directions in the practice for this one. Here's a quick video to explain it!

FUN TO KNOW

With spring in the air, your blooming musician can hop on this life-sized keyboard to practice the music alphabet in the sunshine!

Yellow Arrows #10

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #10: We're totally making music! Your kids have no hesitation in playing the things they know and experimenting with different ways of playing. I love it!

SONGBOOK AS WORKBOOK: We colored more chords in our songbook to help us play broken chords in Chords in Pieces. Your songbook should look like this now.

REGISTRATION FOR FALL CLASSES: Thank you to those who have finished registration! If you haven't yet, go to this link for all of the information. Third year gets so exciting! They'll be learning different keys (adding sharps and flats to the key signature), the red & blue & yellow chords in the different key signatures, learning how to transpose to and from all those keys, go back and forth between major and minor, inversions of all the chords, being able to find the root of each chord, and compose their own song! Third year has a LOT of material for the kids presented very quickly. Here is a checklist of skills your student should have before advancing to 3rd year. Being solid in these skills will make 3rd year fun. 

1. They can play the primary chords with the correct fingering for both right and left hand (hands separately and working towards hands together).

2. They can play an 8-note major scale going up and going down with the right hand popping at the right places. They can play an 8-note major scale going up with the left hand popping at the right place (we haven't covered going down yet with the left hand but we will soon!).

3. They recognize the melodic patterns and can sign them.

4. They can play and sing the songs alone or with the class.

5. They seem to understand the note relationships of skips, steps, & leaps, and play the sight-reading in class without habitually guessing.

6. They participate in class and want to be there.

Most students have these down pat! A few are still working on solidifying fingerings for chords. If you are concerned about your student, let me know and we can discuss it.

END-OF-YEAR RECITAL: Our recital will be held on Saturday, April 25 at 5pm. I'm going to stick with the originally scheduled start time. Second year students will wear their LPM shirts with denim or black pants/skirts/leggings.

GOOD TO KNOW

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS SING OUR MELODIC PATTERNS: Our melodic pattern endings of the Let's Play Music song are found in lots of songs. How many SOL-MI-DOs and SOL-SOL-DOs can you hear in this favorite childhood song?

I GOTTA SHAKE: Get ready to play the rests in this silly song! Our fingers have to lift up when we see a quarter rest sign. It sometimes helps to say "shh" or "rest" to acknowledge the silence.

FUN TO KNOW

Charles Gonoud was born in 1818 in Paris, France. His mom was a piano teacher and his father an artist, and Charles started receiving music instruction when he was very young. By the time he was 21, he was receiving awards and prizes for his compositions. He was also a teacher, most notably to Georges Bizet, the composer of Carmen (where our very first Magic Lamp puppet show comes from!). Some of Gonoud's most famous songs are O Divine Redeemer, Ave Maria, and Funeral March for a Marionette (our current puppet show we know as March of the Gnomes). This piece has been featured as the Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme and on Little Einsteins, among many other places. Here is a steampunkish industrial take on the piece. It's impressive to see both the costumes and the instruments!

Yellow Arrows #9

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #9: Thanks for coming to class this week! Lesson 9 is busy!

SPRING BREAK: No class next week due to Spring Break. Check the calendar in your student's workbook for details. See you on the 25th!

LET'S PLAY MUSIC SPIRIT WEEK: Let's Play Music Spirit Week is all about sharing, and this year I have requested specifically that you share with adding a Google review to my business listing. THANK YOU to those already submitting Google reviews. I am so grateful, and so humbled by your kind words!

* Here is a link to the flyer I gave out in class in case it got misplaced.

* Here is a link to share a Google review.

* Here is a link to share FAQs of the program and my studio with your local friends. Your not-local friends probably have a Let's Play Music teacher by them, so share with them too! 

* Use the hashtag #WeLoveLPM2026 to see what other folks are sharing on social media. 

* The LPM corporate office is hosting giveaways all month long. Check out their IG (@letsplaymusic_official) or FB (Let's Play Music - Making Musicians) for details on how to enter.

REGISTRATION FOR FALL: Register for 3rd Year! Go to this link to find all the registration information! Also, if you have students who will be 4 before September, they can start 1st Year! And if you have friends who are interested, send them the link from above!

END OF YEAR RECITAL: The End-of-Year Recital will be on Saturday, April 25 at 5pm at the church at 5900 Castle Drive. If you can't make it, it will be totally okay. The classes are where the magic of LPM happens. The recital is just a bonus.

TUITION: Thank you for getting tuition in! If you didn't get it in, I'll send a reminder/request.

GOOD TO KNOW

BUG SCALE: We can now play UP the C Major Scale with the right hand! Place the RH in C position and play with fingers 1-2-3 (C-D-E), then anchor the 3rd finger, pop the bubble, and kick the thumb under to land on F. Then reset the bubble and play 2-3-4-5 (G-A-B-C). They're getting so good! Here's a video from the online lesson series explaining it!

HOW TO SKIP: We will master all the middle notes with this song: Middle B, Middle C, Middle D. We use the same 3 fingers (1-3-5) for the entire song! Simply move your hand position! You can sing "C, skip-up, skip-up, skip-down, D, skip-up, skip-up" etc. emphasizing each anchor note. This is where the practice of seeing and playing those middle anchor notes connect! 

FUN TO KNOW

We've been working with the metronome for a while. But now that we've started our gnome puppet show, this drawing might help your Yellow Arrow remember the name of it! The Gnomes Puppet Show is officially called "Funeral March of a Marionette," and was written by French composer Charles Gounod. You can get the printable mini puppets at this link. Or the coloring pages at this link! 

Yellow Arrows #8

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #8: I love watching your Yellow Arrows and how much they have absorbed this year! Their tiny hands are getting stronger, and their brains are understanding it all! I loved seeing their scales and cadences with each hand. So impressive!

REGISTRATION FOR FALL: Registration for fall classes is open. You can scroll down to the next post, or click on this link which will take you there. I plan to have two 2nd Year classes on Wednesdays, one during school hours from 2:00-2:50, and the other after school from 4:10-5:00. Know that invariably, I have students transfer to and from different area teachers due to class scheduling. It will all work out. And thank you! Scheduling fall classes is the hardest part of this. 

SPIRIT WEEK: Next week is Spirit Week! I love Let's Play Music, and I truly believe it is the best music education introduction for your children! We'll have an extra fun class for Spirit Week! There is also an online contest from the corporate office. Find details on Instagram (@letsplaymusic_official) or Facebook (Let's Play Music - Making Musicians).

PARENT WEEK: Along with Spirit Week, next week's Parent Week is when the third installment of tuition is due. I'll send an invoice later this week, and I'll see you and your student in class!

GOOD TO KNOW

OH WHEN THE SAINTS and LULLABY & GOODNIGHT: The DOWNBEAT is the strong beat that tells us when to begin playing a song. Sometimes the downbeat is on the first work of a song, and sometimes it is not. Ask your student what word the DOWNBEAT is on both of these songs. Hint: neither of the downbeats are on the first words of the songs!

TINGA LAYO: Our toe-tapping donkey dances a shaky, stylized rhythm called caypso. See if you can hear this fun rhythm while singing along!

FUN TO KNOW

I am so amazed at the cleverness and creativity of people! Here's a man who built a replica of an obscure Hungarian instrument... the Bellowphone. He then went on to arrange and perform pieces, including our very own Pirate Ship puppet show, also known as Brahms' Hungarian Dance #5! Check it out!

Registration for 2026-2027 classes

 

CLASSES FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR

BRAND NEW FIRST YEARS: Hooray! I'm so excited for you to start your Let's Play Music journey! There will be two 1st Year classes. One will be on Tuesdays from 11-11:45 and the other on Tuesdays from 12:30-1:15. During first year, parents come to every other class, and younger siblings are not invited.

FIRST YEARS GOING TO SECOND YEAR: I am planning on two 2nd year classes. One will be on Wednesdays from 2-2:50, and the other on Wednesdays from 4:10-5:00. Parents come to class only once a month (rather than every other week like in 1st Year), and siblings are still not invited to attend classes.

SECOND YEARS GOING TO THIRD YEAR: I am planning on three 3rd year classes. They will be on Tuesdays, one from 2:00-3:00, one from 4:10-5:10, and another from 5:20-6:20. Parents come to class only once a month like in 2nd year, and siblings are still not invited to attend classes.

ALL STUDENTS: I am hoping that your family can fit somewhere into these options. If not, please let me know. I can't fit everyone's preferences and schedule into my calendar, and some may have to look at transferring to other teachers, but I have learned that more communication is better than less during this process. If you prefer another class time that is full, let me know and I'll make a note. There are always students who shift around between registration and class starting. I may ask you sometime between registration and classes starting if you are able to switch do a different time option. If I do, know that I'm just gathering information to try to accomodate the most students. If a change would work for you, great. If not, don't feel bad about that. Scheduling is pretty tricky, and I chant my "It will all work out" mantra regularly during this time of year! Classes will start the week of August 25/26.

STEP ONE: REGISTRATION FEE

The registration fee is $25 per student and covers my sundry office fees like copies, T-shirts, beads, stickers, pins, balloons, corporate student support fees, random supplies, end-of-year recital stuff, etc. Because I really just want to get people registered and get back to teaching, I am going to waive this registration fee for any returning student who registers before April, and for any new 1st Year student who registers within a week of their studio tour.

Here is my venmo link to pay the registration fee.

STEP TWO: ENROLL AND ORDER MATERIALS

1. Go to my registration page (I'll put a link at the end of the list, but I want you to read this list first).

2. Select your classtime and enter my enrollment ID: 95761

3. Log in using your LetsPlayMusic account info.

4. When ordering materials, check which BUNDLE you'd like from the drop down menu. If this is your first child going through Let's Play Music, you'll need the FULL SET. If you have had older kids go through the program, you already have access to the recorded music on the app, so choose the SIBLING SET. Everything you need is included in the BUNDLES, so don't select any extras unless you want multiple of the same item.

For 1st Year, the full set contains everything (booklets, tote bag, audio access, bells, and bug cards), and the sibling bundle includes only the booklets and the tote bag. The sibling set does NOT include audio access, but if you are looking at the sibling set option, you still have access from your earlier students. The sibling set does not include the bells or the bug flashcards. If you don't have your original student's bells or bug flashcards, order an additional set of these.

For 2nd and 3rd Years, the only difference between the full set and the sibling set is access to the audio. The sibling bundles include both the 2nd year bubble hands and the 3rd year flashcards for your younger students, so you don't need to order those unless you want multiple.

Now that you know the steps to register at the LPM corporate website, here is the link to my registration page!

LET ME KNOW 

If you have any questions or issues with the registration site, let me know! From other teachers' reports, it seems to be working very smoothly this year. I hope that's your experience!

TUITION RATES

*Tuition for all students will be $70/month for 8 months, or $280/semester for 2 semesters each year. This tuition level will remain in place for the three years of your student's Let's Play Music journey.

*The first tuition payment will be due the first week of class on August 25/26.

Yellow Arrows #7

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #7: Your Yellow Arrows are doing so great! I'm so happy with their progress!

HOMEWORK HELP: Your student's homework for this week is to trace broken chords in their booklet, then turn to page 21 in their songbook to color in the broken chords in "Lullaby and Goodnight." We're working on stylizing accompaniment patterns and how changing the style of chord can change the mood of the song. Be sure and do both parts (the booklet and the songbook)! We colored the blue chords in class.

ALPHABET PIECES GAME: Your kids are doing a great job learning the keyboard key names. Playing the Alphabet Pieces game does make a difference, and the more they can play the better they'll be in the long run. Here again is a blogpost with game variations to keep it fun and exciting.

REGISTRATION: Registration for 2026-2027 classes will open in March. That's next week! 

*I am planning on having 3rd year classes on Tuesdays, with one class from 2:00-3:00, one from 4:10-5:10, and one from 5:20-6:20.

*If you have a rising 1st Year student, you'll be able to register them as well! 1st Year classes will be on Tuesdays, with one class from 11:00-11:45, and another from 12:30-1:15.

*If you have friends who are interested in having their kids in LPM, that's awesome! Send them my contact, send me theirs, or send them the link to my introduction-to-LPM page on my website.

END-OF-YEAR RECITAL: Our End-of-Year Recital is going to be so much fun! This is a fun chance to show off the things your student has learned. In the past I've taken a poll and chosen a date from there. But over the years I realized I love having the End-of-Year Recital the weekend between Lessons #14 and #15 (the last of the semester). So this year there are no polls. The End-of-Year Recital will be Saturday, April 25th at 5pm. Get it on your calendar now! And if you already have plans and can't make it, it will be absolutely fine.

GOOD TO KNOW

MELODIC PATTERNS: When practicing the melodic patterns (page 16 of your songbooks), here are some things to keep in mind.

* Play all 5 in Middle C Position (with both thumbs on Middle C)

* Play at separate times. The clef tells us which hand to play. Treble Clef is the RH and these patterns go DOWN. Bass Clef is LH and these patterns go UP.

* Look at what the notes are telling you to play? Steps, skips, or leaps? They ALL end on Middle C.

ROBIN HOOD: This theme song is extra-amazing because it is the first song we play hands together with each hand playing independently. In class this week we learned to play the melody with the right hand. So much fun!

PUPPET SHOW COLORING PAGES: We used the coloring pages in class today with a game I call "One Color Character." Some of the kids wanted a fresh copy of the puppet show coloring pages to take home. If they want more, here is the link to print them. Also, there are coloring pages in your student's songbooks. We won't be using these in class, so if they want to color those on their own, they totally can.

FUN TO KNOW

'Let it Go' from Frozen is a "cool" piece to play now that our students are warmed up with all of the chords in the right and left hands. I told you it was getting exciting! 

If your student is aching to play more, check out my collection of additional music for Green Turtles and Yellow Arrows. Experiment and see what your kids do! 

And if you missed it when I posted in Green Turtles #14, here again is a link to a collection of lead sheets with lyrics and chords to a slew of religious songs all accompanied by the Red, Yellow, and Blue chords. They're marked with the "real" music names for these chords, which we will learn in the Orange Roots semester. You can help your student color the Roman numerals so they can read them! I=red. IV=blue. V=yellow. Now you can play them with right hand chords, left hand chords, or hands together chords! Heads up that the songs might not sound the same as the originals with only the three chords, but it'll sure be close enough to enjoy!

Yellow Arrows #6

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #6: Your Yellow Arrows are doing so great! Their chords and their scales are sounding fantastic!

CHORDS FINGERINGS: All of the students can play the chords with the correct fingers! Hooray! Some still need a few reminders, so as they practice, make sure they keep playing them with the correct fingers... practice makes permanent! 

SCALE FINGERINGS: Just as important as the chord fingerings is the "pop" and "land" when we do the scales. Most of your students are doing this beautifully! Some need reminders but are totally getting it! Keep it up!

SONGBOOK AS WORKBOOK: This week in class, we colored the chords of "Lullaby and Goodnight" on page #20. If you weren't in class, have your student fill in the chords to help play this one!

2026-2027 CLASSES: Registration for next school year's classes will open in March. Third year classes will be on Tuesdays. One during the day from 2-3, another from 4:10-5:10, and a third from 5:20-6:20. Also let me know if you know anybody who wants their child in my 1st year classes in the fall. I'm opening fall registration in March, so anyone on the list will get invited for the first wave.

First year classes for next year will be on Tuesdays: one class from 11-11:45, and another from 12:30-1:15. 

GOOD TO KNOW

MELODIC PATTERNS: We finally get to PLAY all the melodic patterns we've SUNG for so long! So exciting! Make sure your students' hands are in Middle C position (with both thumbs on middle c) to play these patterns.

CAN'T BUG ME: Introducing BEAT BUG! "The BEAT is the BUG and the others play along!" The Beat Bug sets the tempo on the metronome. He might go fast or slow, but the beat is always the 'bug' (quarter note), and the other rhythms (beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, butterflies, slugs) follow within that given tempo.

FUN TO KNOW

Our "Pirate Ship" puppet show is Hungarian Dance #5 by Johannes Brahams. It is such an iconic and beloved piece! Enjoy this tap dance with it!

Yellow Arrows #5

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #5: What amazing kids you have! They must have amazing parents!

THANK YOU!: Thanks for coming to class! I know it takes planning and scheduling, but it is so fun to have moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas come to class. It makes learning a little more special and a little more fun.

ALPHABET PIECES: Like I promised, there are lots of fun ways to play the alphabet game! This post outlines a bunch of them! Next week during class I'll show them how to play a Candyland version that is my favorite. For a digital option, there is a free app called "Bees Keys" that is a fabulous key-naming practice. Here is the link to the Apple app store. I can't find it on android, but let me know if you know of something similar.

FALL SCHEDULE: I am planning for 3rd Year classes for the 2026-2027 school year to be on Tuesdays. I'm hoping there'll be enough kids for a 2pm class, then two after school. If you haven't yet, please fill out this quick survey on fall schedules. 

FREE VIDEO: The Let's Play Music company is celebrating Valentine's Day by giving a free video to each family enrolled in LPM. Go to this link to choose the video, and use the code FREE VIDEO. You will have access to the video for four weeks. This is a great option to check out the videos and see what the setup is like.

TUITION: Thank you for getting tuition paid on time! It is so much easier for me when it's all in on time and I can move on to more important things! If you didnt get it in, I'll send a request/reminder.

GOOD TO KNOW

BASS C AND TREBLE C: We've known Middle C since last semester. This semester we are learning about Bass C and Treble C: "The 2nd space is C in the bass!" and "Space 1-2-3 is Treble C!" We also know Huggie G and Father F. These anchor notes on the staff will help orient us between the staff and the keyboard as we expand our skills.

C MAJOR SCALE: Now that we know where Treble C is on the staff, we can play the C Major Scale going DOWN. The technique for the right hand is exactly like what we learned last week with the left hand. Practice this SLOWLY to ensure correct fingerings and bubble hand positions.

1. Begin with RH finger number 5 (pinky) on Treble C (the C above Middle C).

2. Play Do-Ti-La-Sol-Fa with 5-4-3-2-1 with a rounded bubble hand.

3. Anchor the thumb on Fa (F above Middle C) and POP finger 3 over to land on Mi (E).

4. Reset the bubble hand around finger 3 and finish the scale with 2-1 on Re-Do.

Here is a skills video from the LPM company to solidify this skill (remember we did the left hand going up last week, and the skills video for that is in last week's parent note, so this is building on top of that one!).

MR REST: A rest, though it signifies silence, is a very important aspect of music. Mozart said, "The music is not in the notes but in the silence between." Rests are powerful!

FUN TO KNOW

Playing the Alphabet pieces game every day will help solidify keyboard geography by learning the names of ALL the white keys. This is SO IMPORTANT and will bring about GRAND RESULTS. In case you missed the link above, here it is again. Can you tell I really really really want you to use these?! Enjoy playing the alphabet game with its theme and variations!

Yellow Arrows #4

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #4: Your Yellow Arrows are doing so great! They are absorbing so much during class, and I can tell you're working with them at home too. I'm throwing a lot at them in class, and they're rolling with it! 

LEFT HAND YELLOW CHORD: Color in the yellow chord on your left hand Chord Helper! Here's what it should look like whether you use the Chord Helpers or the stickers!

LEFT HAND MAJOR SCALE: We learned how to play the ascending major scale with the left hand. I outlined in great detail how to play this in the "good to know" section,  complete with a skillls video, so please keep reading!

ROBIN HOOD HIGHLIGHTED LINE: In the practicing portion of this week's assignment, it says to practice the "highlighted portion" of Robin Hood. During class, I highlighted your student's book so they'll know what to play. If you weren't there, it is the bass clef (left hand) of the first line, all of the slug note 5th intervals. 

SCHEDULE FOR NEXT YEAR: And be sure to fill out my scheduling questionnaire form for the fall! Thank you to those who have done this already! I'll have my schedule solidified soon. Third Year classes will be held on Tuesdays, and I'll set class times before next week's Parent Day. 

NEXT WEEK: Parent week is next week! Be ready to be amazed! Tuition will also be due. I'll send an invoice later this week. If you don't get one, it means you've already paid for this portion.

GOOD TO KNOW

C POSITION AND MIDDLE C POSITION: HOMEWORK HELP: In each of these hand positions on the keyboard, the RH Thumb (finger #1) is on Middle C with a finger on each key. In C position, the LH Pinky (finger #5) is on Bass C, ready to play the red chord. in Middle C position, both RH and LH Thumbs rest on Middle C, with a finger on each key.

A fun review is to chant each position, simply moving the LEFT HAND back and forth. Practice at the piano, but also in the air, at the kitchen table, and in the car running errands! We also played Simon Says in class, going back and forth between C POSITION and MIDDLE C POSITION. It was fun to catch the kids moving when Simon didn't say! Your student's homework this week is identifying C POSITION and MIDDLE C POSITION. Here is a skills video!

C MAJOR SCALE: We learned how to play UP the C Major Scale (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do) with our LEFT HAND. There were various levels of success on this skill. Don't worry, we'll go over it again! We don't have enough fingers to play a major scale, so we learned that after Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol, we anchor the thumb on Sol, and pop the bubble. Then finger #3 jumps over the thumb and lands on La. We then reset the bubble and finish Ti-Do with fingers 2 and 1. Practice this SLOWLY to ensure that your child plays this correctly. Here is a skills video from LPM showing this skill.

Summary:

1. Play Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol with 5-4-3-2-1 fingers with a rounded bubble hand.

2. Anchor the thumb and POP finger number 3 over to land on and play La.

3. Reset the bubble around finger 3 and finish the scale with 2-1 on Ti-Do.

BUILD A YELLOW CHORD: The bottom-heavy yellow chord is built with a 3rd on the bottom and a 4th on the top. When we play this chord with the left hand, we use fingers 5-3-1. Place the left hand in C Position. Finger 1 (thumb) stays put while all the other fingers slide down one baby step. Now time your musician and see how many bass clef yellow chords they can play in 30 seconds!

FUN TO KNOW

Your Arrows are learning LOTS of new things. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. But don't worry, they'll be flying soon!

Yellow Arrows #3

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #3: Your kids are doing great! I appreciate their laughter and excitement when they come to class. They are absorbing so much! 

LEFT HAND CHORDS: Next week we will add in the left hand yellow chord! Use this week to get the left hand red-blue chord transition solidified. Your students should be getting to the point where they can play this transition with their eyes closed. Once they are smooth with that, try it hands together! That's tricky because the RH fingering is different than the LH. Be sure the muscle memory is solid in each hand separately before combining them.

    RIGHT HAND: {Red 1-3-5} {Blue 1-3-5} {Yellow 1-2-5}

    LEFT HAND: {Red 5-3-1} {Blue 5-2-1}

CLASSES FOR FALL: If you haven't yet, please let me know about your student's schedule for the fall.

T-SHIRTS: I buy Let's Play Music T-shirts for all of my first year students. If you would like a shirt for your 2nd or 3rd year students for $11, I will include them in my order. I will ask your 2nd year student to wear their shirt at the end-of-the-year recital, so if they've grown out of them, consider this your heads up that you'll need one. (If you are a transfer student and didn't get a shirt from your last teacher, let me know.) If you'd like to order, fill out this form and venmo me $11. If you don't venmo, you can bring a check to class or include it with the next tuition installment. 

GOOD TO KNOW

CATERPILLAR SONG: Wow! Our caterpillars are getting smoother and steadier! Way to go! Make sure that fingers are staying on the keys when it's not their turn to play. I sometimes call this "glued" to the keys, or "no flyaways!" That way the fingers will be ready to go when it is their turn.

TURTLE SHELLS: This week we played the "Turtle Shell" intervals with both hands at the same time! Using fingers 4&5 (left hand) is tougher than using 1&2 (right hand). Before playing, warm up with "Where is 4? Where is 5?" and then have your child play the interval (a 2nd) with fingers 4&5. Repeat for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Get out the finger twister game we used at Celebration Day (if you don't have it still but would use it, let me know so I can get you another one, or you can make your own here). This game will absolutely help to reinforce the finger numbers and strengthen those fingers.

LOVE SOMEBODY: We LOVE when our parents play along with us! Share love with your student while playing the melody or chords an octave higher. Have your student teach you the "lovely" game that accompanies this song! 

FUN TO KNOW

We love our "Girl's Curly Hair" Treble Clef and "Father's Strong Arm" Bass Clef! I love finding them all around us!

Yellow Arrows #2

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #2: Your Yellow Arrows are doing so great! It is amazing to me to see how much information they have in their cute little heads! I love it!

LEFT HAND BLUE CHORD: Color your Chord Helper with the bass blue chord, and/or put the stickers on the correct keys. Help your student to remember to use 5-2-1 as fingering for the LH blue chord (just like the RH yellow... 1,2,3,4, move your thumb and nothing more!). Here is what it should look like! There is also a great visual on page 58 of your workbook in the Reference Section.

 

KEEP IT UP WITH THE RIGHT HAND: Make sure your student is comfortable moving between the three chords (red, yellow, blue) in their right hand. We use this skill all the time, and if they have to slow down to remember it, it will frustrate them! Use the RH chord helper to remind them, then take it away and show them they are learning it. Help them enjoy all the new left hand stuff they're learning by making sure the right hand is solid!

CLASSES FOR FALL: I know we just started Yellow Arrows, but I'm getting my schedule outlined for fall classes. Here are a few questions about your students' schedules that will help me set classes to be the most beneficial for you. Registration opens in March!

GOOD TO KNOW

CELEBRATING CONNECTION: A few ideas for playful practice this week include acting out the Robin Hood song, and using marshmallows, raisins, LEGO, toy cars, or any other small treat or toy to mark intervals and chords on the keyboard. 

BLOCK AND BROKEN: Reading music uses reading skills: we start at the left side of the page and move to the right. Sitting to the left of your student will make it so as you help guide, you're not blocking the notes that are coming up. In this song, help them get three steady beats in each measure. You could do this by singing "1-2-3, 1-2-3," or "red chords plays do mi sol" or "red-2-3, do-mi-sol" to the beat. I always do a mashup of these during class.

SNOWFLAKES ARE FALLING: Brrr it's cold outside! Warm up inside your home by playing this ostinato on the tone bells. Sing starting on D, "Snowflakes are falling, falling very gently." Then play A, G, F, E for "down, down down down." (This song is in a minor key. To be able to use the bells we put it in d minor, so our engraved solfege syllables don't match up... just go with the note names on this one!) Keep singing the lyrics then repeating this DOWN pattern until you're feeling toasty inside. Then finish the song by playing a final DOWN on the D bell. Try it in a round with the recording!

FUN TO KNOW

Our Pirate Ship puppet show comes from Brahm's Hungarian Dance #5. Check out this rockin' arrangement with a piano duet and a drumset! I love the performers in this clip. They are seriously having so much fun making the music!

Yellow Arrows #1

NEED TO KNOW

Yellow Arrows #1: It was so good to see you and your students back in class! I hope everybody had a great break and is ready to get back to real life!

CHORD HELPERS: A majority of the students were able to play all three chords (red, yellow, blue) with their right hands without using a Chord Helper during class. They should be able to go without the Chord Helper (or stickers for the right hand) at home as well. If they still need the Chord Helper for the right hand, it's okay. Remind them that the Helpers are like training wheels on a bike, and they are about ready to play without them now. Like training wheels, however, if they need them, still use them, and work towards being able to take them off. Clipped into your yellow workbook, there is a Chord Helper for your left hand, as well as some dot stickers if you prefer those! So exciting! Cut the Chord Helper out and use it with just the red portions for this week, or put the red stickers on the LH area. I will always have the red foam dot on Middle C on the keyboards they use in class. I suggest they keep the foam dot on your Middle C at home to help them find their place on the keyboard. Let me know if you want another one. Here's a visual of what it should look like with either the Chord Helper or the stickers!

YELLOW ARROWS MUSIC: There is a lot of fun new music for Yellow Arrows! Make sure your have access to it on the app. I have CDs for those who requested them, but totally spaced passing them out. I'll send them next week.  

TUITION: Thank you to those who paid tuition on time! If you didn't get it in, I'll send a reminder.

GOOD TO KNOW

LEFT HAND: This semester we will focus on strengthening our left hand finger muscles! Playing Bubble Hands (Where is one, one's your thumb...) in numerical order on the keyboard is a great way to strengthen and reinforce finger numbers. Thumb is 1, Pointer is 2, Middle is 3, Ringman is 4, and Pinky is 5. LH pinky is on bass C. After your child is confidant with the finger numbers in order, mix it up to cement this concept with the Left Hand.

TURTLE SHELLS: Playing Turtle Shells with the recorded track with ALSO help strengthen those fingers. Look closely at the printed music and it will help you know what finger numbers to play. It might feel backwards compared to the right hand, but your student's brain will figure it out very soon.

CATERPILLAR SONG: The proper hand position for this technique song is Middle C Position where both thumbs SHARE Middle C. This week, you can start by playing hands separately, or jump in like we did in class with hands together. But be sure and go SLOWLY, singing finger numbers until they get the hang of this 5-finger pattern.

ONLINE CLASSES: The online video of the first class of each semester is available for free on YouTube. If you missed class this week, or would like to check out what the "makeup videos" are like, check it out here!

FUN TO KNOW

Our Pirate Ship puppet show comes from Brahms' Hungarian Dance #5. Here is a link to the printable mini puppets, and here is a link to a printable coloring page. There are coloring pages in your songbook that we won't be using in class, so go ahead and color those if your student wants to!

The world of music opens up a little more with each concept we learn. And so does the world of music humor! Here's a fun look at the Girl's Curly Hair TREBLE clef and the Father's Strong Arm BASS clef, both of which are in charge of a STAFF!

Tuition Guidelines Review

Tuition Information

At the beginning of each semester, I send out an invoice that includes the entire tuition that will be due for that semester. If you look at the invoice, you will see that it is broken down to four payments, each due at a different date throughout the semester. This semester the dates are January 9/10, February 6/7, March 5/6, and April 9/10. These dates are also marked on your class calendar (inside the front cover of your student's workbook). (Lessons #1, #5, #9, and #13... I do it this way because those are the lessons that parents attend during 2nd and 3rd year classes. When I started teaching, most people were paying by check, and it made sense to have it due on days parents attended. I've just stayed with that schedule because it makes sense to my own brain.)

TIMEFRAME

*You can pay all of the semester tuition at once and not have to deal with it any more after that.

If you pay it in full, I'll send a receipt that you've paid and you won't get any other invoices throughout the semester.

*You can pay in installments and not have to pay it all at once. 

If you pay it in installments, you'll get a receipt recording the portion that you've paid for, and you'll also get another invoice the week before the next installment is due. 

METHOD

You can pay with:

*a check in class

*through Venmo (@MusicAdventureswithPaigeMoore)

*with a card through the Wave app with the link on the invoice. 

It honestly doesn't matter to me which way you pay, but because so many folks ask, I do pay a fee when I am paid through Venmo or Wave. If you pay by check, there are no fees. 

PROBLEMS

If something seems off with the payments and/or receipts, let me know and I'll recheck the details on my end. I'm quite careful, but I'm not perfect!

THANK YOU!

I appreciate more than I can express when folks pay tuition on time. It makes it so I can focus more on your kids and their music!