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!