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!