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!