The Gift-Giving Guide for Musical Kids

** This post was originally written for Making Musicians: the official Let's Play Music blog**  
 
It's holiday season, and that means you have an opportunity to choose thoughtful gifts for the children in your life.  Want to encourage music learning and help create a musical environment at home?  Peruse our gift guide for those musical kids and find several great items right at the Let's Play Music Webstore.

Tuition for Music Classes

If Grandma or Aunt Betsy asks what the kids could use this year, be sure your bases are covered for tuition.  Having some or all of a class paid for is a clutter-free gift that stays with your child forever.  Don't forget how easy it is to offer a semester of Sound Beginnings to toddlers and preschoolers on your gift list, too!  Need to find a teacher for those nieces and nephews? Use our FIND A TEACHER button.

Big Ticket Instruments:

 

A Piano Or Keyboard:  

If this is your first year in Let's Play Music, you'll need a piano or keyboard at home next year.  Check out our guide on how to choose a piano or keyboard.  Warehouse clubs like Costco often have deals on 88-key digital pianos during the holiday season, and Target has had Black Friday keyboard deals for the past several years.

An Autoharp: You might also enjoy an autoharp at home, especially since the portable instrument is fun to take along on camping trips and pull out at family gatherings. 

A Metronome:  Finally, by the 3rd year of Let's Play Music, your student will be ready for a metronome.  There are some fun  games you can play with a metronome, but of course it will be a tool for improving musicianship skills.  There are many economical options and even apps.  A nice traditional metronome can last a lifetime, so you might consider getting a top-notch one.

Rhythm Instruments:

 

The Gift of Your Time: Now that you've got the piano taken care of, it might be fun to have a "rhythm box" of instruments accessible to your child.  Help him learn the rules about instruments (handle them gently, put them in the box when you're done, ask politely to use what someone is holding) while playing along to favorite songs with the family.  Of course you'll be able to recreate the rhythm games from all years of class (and even find more online) that you can play to improve rhythm and reading.  Start a rhythm tradition; build a time into your day when the family can giggle and dance to a song, using the instruments to keep the beat or play a rhythm echo game.  The instrument itself is the first gift, your instruction on how and when to use and enjoy it is the second!


Tambourines and Rhythm Sticks are must-haves in a rhythm box.  The Let's Play

Music Holiday Webstore has a set of high-quality instruments. Rhythm Band is another vendor with sets and individual instruments.

A Gathering Drum by Remo is an all-time favorite.  They have several other items for children, too.

Boomwhackers from the Let's Play Music Holiday store are fun and sturdy and can be used along with your tone bells and many additional family games and activities!



Echo-microphones encourage kids to sing, and don't cost much.

 Kazoos and Harmonicas make easy stocking stuffers, too.

Electronics:

 

CD Players or Ipod Docks: If you don't already have a device for your child to operate when he would like to play his Let's Play Music songs (and other music), this would be a worthwhile gift.  Teaching your child how to operate the equipment to turn on songs he would like to hear empowers him to make music part of his day, and puts a smile on your face when you hear the sounds of your independent little one off in his room singing to his CD (and perhaps playing bells.)

During the second and third year of Let's Play Music, you'll also want a dock or CD Player near the piano so your child can play along with the recordings- here's your  chance to get prepared!


MP3 Players:  For those worried about replacement costs, MP3 players can often be found cheaply ($15 and less) and can be loaded up with carefully-chosen Let's Play Music and other songs.  It's worthwhile to choose child-safe headphones or educate your child about safe volume levels on headphones before turning him loose. 

Music to Listen To:

 

Performing Arts Tickets: Nothing sends the message "we care about music" quite as succinctly as giving your child tickets to see live musical performers.  Check your local symphonies and performance halls for performances that would be especially child-friendly (and respect age limits on those that are not), but don't overlook college, high school and community performing arts centers, too.   If there is a performing group you think your child may aspire to joining in the future, it's never to early to become a fan; find out where they will perform and take your child to check it out. 

Music CDs:
You can help your child improve musicality and music literacy by giving her opportunities to listen to lots of music.  Don't make the mistake of skipping over "kids" music in an effort to speed your little Einstein to success.  Simple, easy-to-sing songs have a definite place in your child's learning curve; she'll probably appreciate that she CAN easily discern the melodic patterns and chord progressions.   KIMBO has a huge collection of traditional rhymes and sing-a-longs; my preschoolers always especially love the "Six Little Ducks" album.




A large number of children's artists are writing songs that parents enjoy too. You can browse the CD collection at your library before you buy, or try some of my children's suggestions:

 Laurie Berkner 
Brady Rymer
Ralph's World
Stevesongs
Putumayo Kids :world music
Dog on Fleas
Imagination Movers
Justin Roberts
Lunch Money
Milkshake
Recess Monkey

Karaoke Machine: Encouraging your child to sing out loud during music class might be as easy as encouraging her to sing out at home!  Consider a karaoke machine for the family to enjoy with some kid and adult favorites.

Encourage Classical Music:
 

Beethoven's Wig Albums: All this children's music talk doesn't mean you should avoid classical music.   I adore the albums by Beethoven's Wig, which put silly lyrics to popular classical tunes.  My kids sing along with joy, then eagerly listen to the traditional tracks with no lyrics, then demand "I MUST learn to play this piece on piano!"



Maestro Classics: Listen to the London Philharmonic play and hear a familiar story to go with the music in each of the Maestro Classics.  There are even activity pages.  Give it a look!

Books about Music: Encourage music with a few books about instruments and fun stories about the orchestra.  Here is a top ten list to get you started.

Composer Coloring Books: There are several books, so you can choose one for each child in your family to color while learning about our favorites.

Scarves for Dancing: Encourage the experience of classical music with our Sound Beginnings "Smart Moves", or make up your own dances to go along with favorite music.  Scarves to dance with make it all the more fun.

Puppet Theaters: Pinterest can give you ideas for making your own puppet theater, or you can purchase a lovely one to showcase the many classical shows you'll know by the end of Let's Play Music!

Additional Learning :

8-Note Bell Music: If you're wishing for more songs to play on your bells (or boomwhackers), the best place to start is with these 2 songbooks from the Let's Play Music Holiday shop.

Extra Sheet Music: Peruse your local music store for sheet music that will interest your child.  I adore playing duets with my kids, so we have enjoyed Alfred's Chord Approach Duet book .  The Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures Pop Repertiore is exciting and fun and just right for our third year students.

Giant Piano: Your physically active musician will be inspired by youtube videos of giant piano performers dancing their way through the classics.  

 Educational Apps: If you have a device, your child might enjoy a few new apps all about making music.

Toy Piano: If you just can't resist the cuteness, you might give a toy piano to your preschooler.  I'm told the keys on the Schoenhut pianos are full-size, which makes me happy because your child's fingers will develop muscle memory for these distances.  The 25-key pianos will at least have enough keys to play the Red, Yellow, and Blue chords with one hand, but the 15-key pianos will frustrate your child when she tries to play Yellow with no low B.  One parent desperately wanted this toy but worried that it would somehow stunt the actual piano learning.  I'm of the opinion that anything that draws your child to play and experiment with music (and practice real chords) can't be bad! 

Giant Staff: Love games on the giant staff mat in class?  Make one of your own to play with!

If you have (or hope to have) a musical child, I hope you've been inspired to find at least one gift this season to nurture the love of music learning!  Happy Holidays!

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music teacher

May There Always Be Me: Music's Power to Reach Children

This story comes from my dear friend and LPM teacher, Kim.  It was originally published at the Making Musicians blog.

May There Always Be Me

Twenty minutes before my parent meeting in August of 2012, I had a pregnant mother, and friend of mine, call me and tell me that there were complications with her unborn daughter and it was going to be too much for their family to participate in Let's Play Music and take care of a sick infant.  There were a few tears and understanding words shared between us at which point I told her I would be happy to have her 5 year old son, Carson, participate if something changed.

Sadly, things did change and a week later I attended the funeral of that precious 3 day old daughter.

My friend called me about a week after the funeral and asked if I still had a spot for Carson, which I did.  She said she felt as though she needed to keep things as normal as possible for the other children, 5 and 3 years old, after the passing of the baby.  Carson is one VERY, VERY active boy who needs an understanding and loving teacher.  She thought music class would be a great outlet and learning environment for him. 

Grief Counseling

I asked his mom how he was doing with the death of his little sister and she told me he had never said anything about it.  He would act out sometimes but never talked about his sister.   They were attending grief counseling where the counselor told them that this was completely normal and he may NEVER talk about it.  Young children process differently than adults, but to make sure they always kept the lines of communication open and let him know he could talk about it if he wanted.   But not to expect it.

I had him start class on lesson 3 so he would have his mom there with him on his first visit to Let's Play Music.  I quickly realized that he was going to be a very challenging student.  Sitting still and not talking were not his strong points!  I sometimes wondered if it was really worth the money being spent.  I would often struggle with him walking around, sitting in corners and trying to tell stories, very animated stories, in the middle of my teaching.  I would say to him, “I really want to hear that story.  Can you remember it and tell me after class?”  I would say that to him… A LOT.  

 He Listened

 Then came our first time in class talking about a lullaby and listening to/singing ‘May There Always be Me’.  We rocked as we listened to this song.  Carson rocked.  He didn’t talk.  He listened.  When I stopped the music he raised his hand.  First time ever.  I called on him and very excitedly told him, “Thank you for raising your hand!”  He said, “That’s a song we should sing to my sister.”  He continued on, “She isn’t here anymore.  She is in heaven but I think she can still hear us.  She died.  They put her in a box and sent her to heaven.”  I was so taken aback.  I did not ever expect to hear him talk about the passing of his baby sister.  Obviously, this time I let him tell as much of his story as he wanted.   “She was sick in my mommy’s tummy.  The doctor had to take her out.  But she was dead.  In a box.  They put her in a box.  It was little.  I think me and mommy should sing this song to her at bedtime.  It would make her happy.  She would like it.  I will sing to her.”  I tried to compose myself and finish class.

A Glimpse into A Child's Mind

I talked with his mom after class and told her what occurred during our lullaby.  She was in tears and thanked me over and over for sharing with her and allowing him to share and talk.  Up to that point, he still had not said a word about it to anyone.  Not once.  She was grateful there was an opportunity to get a glimpse into his mind as to what he was feeling and thinking about having a sibling die.  The grief counselor prepared her to never expect Carson to speak of it again. 

Carson had some weeks following that lesson where he would be in tears or would act out.  But we worked together.  He started answering questions.  Correctly.  Sometimes yelling out of turn… but he KNEW HIS STUFF!  I can ask him any question today and he will have the right answer.  All those weeks of sitting in the corner, wandering around or doing donkey kicks – he was listening.  That smart little boy was teasing me and making me think he wasn’t paying attention.  He was paying attention and music has opened up his world in ways I will never be able to understand.  A family was strengthened and gained a greater perspective of their 5 year old’s life than even a grief counselor could believe. This family was able to better assist their child in healing after the loss of a sister because of what was shared during my LPM class.

Music Has Power Beyond Notes and Chords

Students act out the scary genie during the Aladdin's Lamp puppet show.

I have been teaching LPM for 7 years now.  I have seen LPM affect kids and families in so many positive ways throughout the years.  However, those 10 minutes during that class listening to Carson’s story after singing a lullaby changed me and my outlook on how and why I teach Let’s Play Music forever.   It reaffirmed to me that music has powers beyond notes and chords.  It has strengthened my conviction that every child needs music in their life.  And not just for the reasons and benefits we normally think of as music educators.  I continue to be impressed with all of my LPM classes, but I especially look forward to seeing what Carson is able to accomplish when he graduates two years from now.

 --Kim Seyboldt, Let's Play Music Teacher

Gingerbread Do-Re-Mi Cookies!

My darling daughter Zoe is sol-sol smart!



Those who know me well know that I've been making gingerbread every year since I was 14, using pretty much the same recipe. I usually make lots of men and put candy buttons on them, or I make some houses using a form my sister-in-law Amy gave me as a gift (thanks again, Amy!).

Each year I made six batches, so I would have enough to share, even with my  music students and their parents. I can do 3x batch in my Bosch mixer if you have a Bosch, start with cookie paddles, then switch to the bread hook before adding flour.  I decided to make the cookies show the Solfeg hand signs (now that's one smart cookie!) for  music class.


Since many asked, here's the recipe. It came home from my baby brother Jacob's kindergarten teacher 20+ years ago.

1 cup shortening (I use 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 Tb vinegar
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teas. soda
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 1/2 teas. ginger
1 teas. cinnamon
1/2 teas. cloves

Cream shortening and sugar. Stir in egg, molasses, vinegar. Sift dry ingredients and add. Chill dough, then roll out. (I like mine to be a bit thick and soft.) Bake on lightly greased pan at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

To frost these guys, I use about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teas. cream of tartar, and one egg white. I whip it until all is smooth, then put in my decorator's piping bag. I have tip sizes 1,2, and 3. I used size 2 in these photos. This frosting will dry up hard so you can toss them in a cookie jar without worrying that the designs will get smudged.
 
We play the game "Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?" and when the kids perform their parts correctly, keeping the beat, I reward them with a real cookie from the jar!

Those are some smart cookies!

Practicing Autoharp at Home

Don't Have a Harp?

All first-year students enjoy playing the autoharp in class and a few lucky ones can practice at home.  For the rest of us, here are some tips for practicing autoharp skills at home without a harp!

Why Is An Autoharp Useful?

At Let's Play Music, we recognize that your child is sensitive, ready and excited for some fabulous musicianship training even though her young fingers don't have the dexterity she needs to practice those skills at the keyboard just yet. The autoharp gives us a beautiful way to grant her that learning experience while letting the fingers have just a little more time to mature and grow.

Playing the autoharp in class gives a student the chance to learn a multitude of skills simultaneously.  She will read and interpret the chord map, push the correct button with one hand, and strum with the other hand in good form.  She'll establish  a steady beat and then try to incorporate chord changes without losing it.  She'll sing the melody, practicing her ability to harmonize with her own accompaniment and match pitch to the instrument or CD.  Her ability to hear chords and cadences and identify them will improve. 

When it comes time to play piano, she'll be prepared to have her eyes reading and hands working.  She'll keep that beat and know how to start her motions with the timing to sound on the beat.  She'll be listening to her playing and self-correcting.  As she composes her own songs and accompaniments in year 2 and 3, she'll have the ear for chords to help her succeed.

In light of all the learning going on, would you be delighted to practice all of those skills and have it be almost as effective as using a real harp? 

Use Your Book

Your child will make great strides in these skills simply by pointing to the chords in her book as she hears them on the CD, or by pressing the chord triangels as if they are harp buttons and strumming the floor or table.  Don't make the mistake of under-using this simple, elegant tool that's already at your fingertips!  Still want more fun?  Read on!

Download an App

If you have an iPad or an iPhone at home, look for autoharp apps that you can download to practice playing your Let's Play Music songs!  "Musical Autoharp" by Thumb Wizards is $0.99. You can use any of the chord maps in the back of your child's Red and Blue semester practice books. If you don't have a tablet, keep reading for more autoharp crafts.

Where to Put Stickers:  A Very Short Theory Lesson

The app obviously does not have the colors of the chords, so  you may be left wondering what chords to play. If you look carefully, each button on the autoharp has a letter, as well as the word major or minor after it. 
 
Red, Blue, and Yellow chords will be identified as I, IV, and V chords in the Orange semester. In the key of C, the scale degrees are: C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7.  Yes, you will be quizzed on this in Orange semester!

There are two keys that our Let's Play Music harp songs are performed in: C or F.  We perform songs in whichever key ensures the melody falls within a comfortable range for children to sing. 

The key of C Major

Red chord (the I chord) = C Major      Put a RED sticker on C.

Blue chord (the V chord) = F Major     Put a BLUE sticker on F. 
Yellow chord (the IV chord) = G Major    Put a YELLOW sticker on G.

The key of C is great for playing songs from Red Semester: 
pg 55 Primary Chords Song, 
pg 57 Chords in Pieces, 
blog post 5 Fat Turkeys, 
and Blue Semester: pg 51 On top of Spaghetti
pg 54 Bill Grogan's Goat

Here is a photo of my daughter using the ipad.  I used paper post-its to indicate the chord colors...too bad it doesn't work well to stick real stickers on the ipad screen.

The key of F Major

Red chord (the I chord) =F Major      Put a RED sticker on F.

Blue chord (the V chord) =Bb Major    Put a BLUE sticker on Bb (B flat)
Yellow chord (the IV chord) =C Major   Put a YELLOW sticker on C.

They key of F is comfortable for singing Red Semester songs:
pg 56 Barnyard Boogie
pg 58 Ain't it Great to Be Crazy?

and from the  Blue Semester: pg 53 El Gallo

Make Your Own Autoharp: Easy

A quick and easy option is to print out a photo of the auto-harp push-buttons.  Now your child will have something to touch while reading the map and singing along! 

Make Your Own Autoharp: Awesome

I can already see the gears turning in the minds of artsy-crafty parents.  Why not make a full-on homemade autoharp!?

1. Start with a full photo of an autoharp.  Print it out in color (either 8x11 or 11x17).  I email files to my neighborhood office store and they print things for a small fee.

2. Mount it on some foam-core or cardboard or plywood to keep it sturdy.

3. Optional: Do you want to Mod-Podge over the image to protect it forever?

4. If desired, add texture to the "strings" of the harp.  We used Elmer's glue and ran a bead of glue along each string image.  When it dried it left a ridge on each string that my daughter can feel as she glides her fingers across.  You could lay down a length of fishing line or fine string into the glue as well, to get the texture. 

5. Add real stickers to the appropriate chord buttons. (read on for help finding the chords)

Teacher Emy LeFevre cut plastic sheets into harp shape (this would also work with wood) and machined grooves to give texture for strings and buttons.

Buy An Autoharp

If all that crafty talk made your head spin, you might be interested in simply buying an autoharp.  The great news is that your family will be a huge hit around the campfire, on long road trips, at the family-reunion talent show, and during TV-free week.  

LOOK FOR an autoharp with at least 21 chords.  15 chords can get you through your Let's Play Music experience, but you'll wish you had more when you start to play with your own fake book of favorite songs.  If you see diatonic vs. chromatic harps, choose the chromatic; it has strings representing every note, like both the black and white keys on the piano.

Used harps can be excellent, and a good buy as low as $100, especially if they come with a recommended case for keeping the harp safe.  Ebay is the most common place to find a used harp and Oscar Schmidt is the most common maker of harps at our level, costing $250-$600 or more new. 

You'll also need to pick up a digital tuner and a tool for tuning your strings if it was not included.

AVOID a harp  that can't hold a tuning or that has pins that seem very loose, which might be expensive to replace.   

If a string is missing or broken, however, you can probably replace it inexpensively. If the harp is not holding tune for more than a few weeks, you may need to replace all strings (we recommend you do one at a time or take it to a shop to have it done.) If you buy a used harp and find that it needs the felt replaced, that is another job you can reasonably do at home with an ordered kit.

Hurrah! Chord Maps Are Endlessly Fun!

Your Let's Play Music teacher has told you that the Red, Yellow, and Blue chords would open all kinds of possibilities for playing music.  She was right!  Since you went to all the work to make an autoharp (or download one or buy one or just read this entire post), we want to share more chord maps with you in next week's post.  Stay tuned! 

- Gina Weibel, MS
Let's Play Music Teacher

7 Reasons I Love Solfeg!

We recently posted about the history of solfeg and its usefulness in ear training.  Today I'll share 7 more reasons Let's Play Music teachers use solfeg and LOVE IT!

1. There's a Word for That

 

Can you imagine teaching your child to identify colors without having any color words?  Not easy!  Similarly, as students learn to discern pitches and intervals between pitches, using a system  for putting a name to the pitches (solmization) facilitates the process immensely.  China, Japan, Korea, India, and Indonesia all have solmization schemes for associating pitch to a name.  When talking about fixed pitches, we use the alphabet (C is always C) and when talking about scales and relationships between notes in a scale, we use solfeg!

2. Whole-Body Involvement

 

Each of our young students (and even many of our toddler Sound Beginnings students) master the  hand signs and use them to experience singing, ear-training, and note-reading with their whole body.  As they hear the pitches moving up and down, their hands move up and down through space accordingly.  As they recognize intervals and relationships between the notes, they can feel the distance of jumps between pitches and grasp them with their hands.

Adding this kinesthetic mode of learning to an auditory and visual skill heightens a child's absorption of the information, accommodates various learning styles, and facilitates integration and long-term learning.  Solfeg is a popular tool for University students majoring in music fields;  it should be shared with young children, too, who adore and quickly internalize having a physical movement to put with their singing.  You already knew wiggly, active children enjoy having actions to accompany their favorite nursery songs, right?  If there's a way to make teaching more physical AND more fun for them, let's do it!

3. Understanding Scales and Key Signatures

 

Would you love to be able to quickly and easily sing every major scale?  You can do it today! You don't have to memorize the notes of every single scale, just memorize the 7 solfeg syllables and start singing on whichever pitch you wish to be DO.  That's part of the power of the moveable DO  (read more here): the relationships within each scale will remain the same.

'Do' corresponds with the tonic of whatever key a particular composition or melody is placed. Thus in the Key of C major, C is Do, and in the Key of F major, F is Do.  You can see those two scales already engraved on your Let's Play Music tone bells!  Truly, any bell or piano key could be Do.  Of course you'd have to add some black keys to your scale to get it to sound like a major scale, but now after a few months of Let's Play Music training, your child could pick out (by ear) which black keys were needed.

Do is the note that the music rotates around and pivots back to. Whatever key we sing in, Do really is home!  Most songs end by bringing the melody back to Do.

4. Intervals

 

I recently wrote about the powerful ways that mastering intervals will help you improve musicianship in your reading, singing, and composing music.

Solfeg is a handy tool for students wishing to master interval training.  The goal is to instantaneously recognize the precise intervals when heard, and having solfeg words to identify them can be very helpful in this process.  "The notes I just heard sounded like...Do-Fa! It's a 4th!"

Here are just a few relationships I think my Let's Play Music students can hear and identify:
Do - Re : major 2nd 
Do - Mi : major 3rd 
Do - Fa: perfect 4th
Do - Sol: perfect 5th
Mi - Sol: minor 3rd  : In class we sing this as Sol-Mi more often than as Mi-Sol, but they are the same interval of course.

5. Sight Reading Music

 

Choir class is a very common place to find solfeg at work; students are taught to rely on solfege for sight-singing melodies.  Singers can quickly read and sing the written melody if they interpret it in terms of solfege because they have learned the relationships between each solfege note and don't need to be retaught those relationships for whatever key the music is written in.

Here are some videos of students performing 4-part vocal music they have never rehearsed, using solfeg syllables and hand signs.

At the piano, sight-reading music in the same way and hearing it with our inner voice helps us to self-correct as we play.  Solfege allows us to be able to play a tune in another key (transpose) by choosing a new DO and playing the same solfeg pattern (see an example here.)  We will practice singing and transposing this way in Purple and Orange semesters!

6. Sharps, Flats and Minor Keys

 

Now that we know having a way to sing the steps of a scale makes it easier to learn music, some folks have wondered why we don't prefer to sing numbered steps (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) instead of the solfeg syllables.  The word 'seven' is already less-than-popular because it is not a monosyllable, but all of the numbers become problematic if we ever want to introduce sharps or flats.  'Raised-seven' is definitely not an easy-to-sing monosyllable!

With solfeg, for a note that is lowered a half-step, we sing it with an A sound (like in the word "nay") but spell it with an e. Thus mi becomes me (may), la becomes le (lay), ti becomes te (tay), etc. This works for all scale steps except re which is already an e sound, so re lowered a half-step become ra (rah!).

For a note that is raised a half-step, we sing it with an ee sound, but spell it with an i. Thus, fa becomes fi. This works for all steps except mi and ti, but they are almost never raised anyway. 

Here are the syllables for the chromatic scales (play every single key on your piano, both black and white, as you sing):
ascending: do di re ri mi fa fi sol si la li ti do
descending: do ti te la le sol se fa mi me re ra do

In Let's Play Music class, we won't spend much time teaching the raised and lowered syllables, but it is a beautiful and simple system to grow into as your child takes interest in further musical skills.  Each year I have one or two Orange students wanting to compose in minor keys, and I do help them master me, le, and te so they can be sure to write an appropriately minor melody.

7. Solfeg Works

 

The final, and perhaps best, reason I want to share about why Let's Play Music teachers love solfeg is simply that it works.  Students wanting to become better musicians (and get passing-grades in their college-level music classes) find that having the right tools will get the job done.  There's no need to wait until college; solfeg can help your very young child improve musicianship right now.  

- Gina Weibel, MS
Let's Play Music Teacher 
This post was originally posted at the Making Musicians Blog

Staccato Road Ahead!

From NPR.org

Thanksgiving Fun!

Just a reminder: there are no music classes Monday Nov 25-30.  Don't be too sad! Here are some fun Turkey extras to keep you busy.

First Year Students

It's great fun to sing the 5 Fat Turkeys song, so you can enjoy singing along with this video that answers a few basic student questions: Can turkeys really go in trees? What do real, wild turkeys look like?

Of course you might be wanting to act it out, so craft up a felt or clay or paper version of Turkey finger puppets to play with (and make your table pretty afterward, too.)

If you happen to have an autoharp at home, you can play this song using the chord map below, or you can point along to the map while singing with your CD.  No harp?  You could download a harp app for your ipad or just tap along while listening to your CD.  (The CD is in the key of F: Red=F, Blue=Bb, Yellow=C)

One main I love using this song on harp and keyboard for years 1 and 2 is the long string of red chords that give students a chance to focus on defining a steady rhythm before tossing a few chord changes.

Second Year Students

You're not too old for the turkey song!  Print out the chord map above, and use it to play the song on your piano.  If you haven't learned the BLUE chord in class yet, you can rest silently on that beat.

As a matter of fact, you have enough experience that you might even enjoy printing out a blank chord map, then using your ear to guess which color each triangle should be colored in.  Try playing each chord and see which sounds best!  Your ear will be your guide.

Chord maps aren't all you know how to read- you can also play from the real sheet music, and color in the chords if you like.

Third Year Students

Print out the blank chord map above and color it in (use your ear to figure out which chord is best)!  Practice playing chords with both hands and singing using your newly colored map or the sheet music.

For some really third-year work, use your right hand to play the melody of this song.
Before you begin, carefully look at the melody- there is a note played that is lower than middle C.  Can you figure out which note it is?  Walk down space, line, space below middle C....take baby steps to find out it's a G!  It's a FOURTH below C.  You have some options as to how you will play that note:  with your left hand in C position, you could just let your LH play that note when you come to it.  If you are playing the chords of the song with your LH, your chord is going to strike the G anyway, so you could decide to let your RH rest instead of playing G.  Finally, you could play it as written and have your RH jump down to G and then back up to C position.

Perhaps your uncle you only see twice a year will play a duet with you and play LH while you play RH.  Piano is a very fun way to bond!

Graduates

Have some Let's Play Music graduates in the house?  Play through the assignments for the younger years, then listen to the accompaniment as played in the video above.  Can you tell what the pianist has done with the chords to make it fancy?  During the instrumental verse, the pianist really has fun! Now YOU improvise as you play and make yours sound fancy, too!

Hint #1: Review Yankee Doodle from Orange semester for two-handed marching ideas.
Hint #2: To have a broken chord fit in 4/4 time, add one extra note, ie: Do-Mi-Sol-Mi.

Put On A Show

Now that you have at least one song to sing (and play), why not round up a few of your other favorite songs and put on a show!?  Thanksgiving is a great time for family to gather and share the love of music.  If you're lucky enough to have Let's Play Music students in different levels, you can ALL enjoy this song.  Perhaps you can also teach your relatives the parts to your favorite puppet show, and perform it together while waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Gina Weibel, MS
Let's Play Music Teacher
-This post was originally posted at the Making Musicians blog

Halloween coloring fun: Witches, Black Cats, Goblins, too!

Trick-or-treat!  

We have a treat for you that won't cause cavities- it's a Halloween coloring page.

Our Red semester Let's Play Music students are singing about witches, black cats, and goblins, too in our song, "Halloween is Coming".  To help you remember those tricky words, we've got a coloring page filled with those sneaky ghouls.  All will try to frighten you (but they won't be able to, will they?). 

Extend Your Vocal Range

This treat has a little trick, too- we trick the students into working out their vocals with all those ghostly howls.  The voice is an instrument and students improve with practice.  For this song, they practice making the mouth, jaw, and throat shape that will help create better tones and reach higher notes.  Hint: yawn and pay attention to the position of those parts.  While holding that mouth-shape, we step our voice up and down with the melody of the song- an excellent exercise for voice control and pitch-matching.

Read and Compose at Home

All semesters of Let's Play Music students can enjoy more fun exercises for sight-reading on bells or piano.  Here are the same Halloween pals to download and cut out.  They're round so you can use them as notes on a homemade staff (lines of tape on the floor work!).  Make a major scale!  Create a melody for bells!  Quiz each other on steps, skips, and intervals!  And finally, have a safe and fun Halloween.

The 5 fat turkeys are already looking forward to Thanksgiving, so they snuck in there.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music teacher

*Items shared via the blog are not official Let's Play Music student materials.

Online Game for Treble Clef Note Naming

This is a short post for my Purple Magic students: Here's a quick and fun website to drill you on your treble clef line and space note naming!

http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/note_naming/flash_card/note_flashcard.html

Spring Bees: A Puppet Show With Vivaldi

Our Green semester students are learning the intricacies of Spring by Vivaldi through playtime with our "Spring Bees" puppet show.  Now they want to know more about Vivaldi and more about bees!

A Few Notes About Vivaldi

Who was born in Venice in 1678 on the same day as an earthquake, had red hair, suffered from asthma, and wrote 500 baroque concerti?  It was Antonio Vivaldi, of course.

Vivaldi's father taught him to play violin and they performed together. (Do you look forward to playing piano duets with your student?)  He was ordained a priest and nicknamed "The Red Priest" for his red hair, but left the ministry and spent most of his life composing and teaching music.  His "Four Seasons" is a very popular piece, and you're sure to enjoy this artistic rendition with some cool sand animation.

All About Bees

Several bees are cast in our Spring Bees puppet show, each doing its part to help make the hive successful.  Bee society is a fascinating subject, and we'd love to tell you more about each of the players in the show.

Here's a site with lots of photos of real bees at work!

• The QUEEN is the mother of all the bees and can lay 1,500 eggs in one day.  She is the largest of all the bees.  She will fight any other queens she meets and can live 5-9 years.  You can hear her worry about her hive in this music!
• The BABY bee is not really much of a baby- more of a young adult.  Bees have 4 stages of development: egg, larvae, pupa and adult.  A pupa becomes an adult during metamorphosis.  Young bees do the household chores: making wax into comb, sealing cracks with wax, and feeding the larvae.  Do the youngsters in your home do the chores?
• The WORKERS are all females.  Honeybees are covered with fine, branched hairs that collect pollen when they crawl around the flower.  A bee gathers it from the hairs and carries it in pollen baskets on her legs.  She has a special tongue to suck up nectar and water.  Bees need water, too!
• GUARD BEES are workers with the specific job of keeping an eye out for mammals or even ROBBER BEES from other bee colonies.  They all want the food inside the hive!
• BEES STING only if they feel the hive is threatened.  If a honeybee stings a mammal, the barb in its stinger will stick in the thick skin and the bee will die.  However, the bee can sting other insects multiple times without harming itself.  Some species, like Bumblebees, have smooth stingers and can sting multiple times.
• The COLONY works together like a single animal- if one part is threatened, the whole hive reacts.  In this music, you can hear how the music becomes minor when the whole hive is worried about attack.

Working in Concert

Who else besides bees are highly organized with specific roles?  Orchestras and bands! When you hear the music of the whole hive buzzing together, imagine you are conducting a bee orchestra.

The conductor helps all the musicians work together to express the dynamics of the music (volume and stylistic expression.)  Without a conductor, the musicians might play the correct notes, but some might be playing forte (loudly) when they should be playing piano (softly).  Even worse, some might play too fast or too slow and the group wouldn't stay together.  To help your child get an idea of the fun and power of conducing, enjoy this video of Mickey Mouse and his band.

As I sign off, here's a table of a few more terms your young composer might want to use as he conducts his beehive puppets this week, AND he may end up using them in his piano composition in Orange semester!

pianissimo (pp) superlative of piano- very softly
mezzo piano (mp) moderately softly
fortissimo (ff) superlative of forte- very loudly
fortississimo (fff) as loudly as possible
mezzo forte (mf) moderately loudly
forte-piano (fp) loudly followed immediately by softly
forzando (fz) >  or ^ : indicate a single tone or chord is to be accented
crescendo gradually become louder
decrescendo gradually become softer
crescendo poco a poco becoming louder little by little
crescendo subito becoming louder immediately
crescendo al fortissimo becoming gradually louder until f has been reached
crescendo ed animando gradually louder and faste 
con amore (with tenderness) con bravura (with boldness) con energia (with energy)

con espressione espressivo

(with expression)

 con fuoco (with fire) con passione (with passion) con grazia (with grace)

con maesta maestoso

(majestically)

scherzando schcrzoso

(jokingly)

sotto voce (with subdued voice)

Have fun with your bees and Vivaldi!
- Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music teacher

What Type of Musician Is Your Child?

Would you like to have more ease, peace, and fun during piano practice time?  Would you like music time to go more smoothly- with less yelling, arguing or bribing?  Read on to explore how understanding your child's experience and perspective can give you one tool for welcoming the joy you seek.

At the 2013 Let's Play Music symposium, teachers attended a workshop featuring the book The Child Whisperer by Carol Tuttle.  Tuttle's goal is to help parents and teachers have ease with children, through honoring the true nature of each child. 

The 4 Types

Tuttle identifies 4 Types to be profiled (not personalities, but inherent natures). All children have all types within them, but lead with a dominant one.   To get a better pinpoint on which type matches your child, read more in The Child Whisperer or get a glimpse with this brief summary:

• Type 1 children are fun-loving, social, and spontaneous.  
• Type 2 children are thoughtful, emotional, and in-touch with feelings. 
• Type 3 children are physical, active, energetic, and love challenges.
• Type 4 children are intellectual, efficient, exact, and analytical.

Type 1: Practice Must be Fun

The fun-loving child wants practice to be FUN.  She'll love to pretend she has laser-beam eyes firing at her book, to put fancy stickers on her daily practice chart, to give high-fives at the end of every single song, and to play imaginative games you invent to make practice go by.  "At the end of this song, let's do jumping jacks!"  Because everything is more fun with a friend, she'll love playing duets with a parent or sibling and performing regularly to any cheering crowd.  Although having a daily practice time is always a good idea, this spontaneous child loves to pop in and play a song or two of her choice in short bursts whenever it suits her.  She won't mind if you propose a short impromptu play time at the piano randomly during the day, and she'll have more fun with you by her side.   When composing time comes, she'll have lots of short ideas and needs to have all of them appreciated and validated before cutting it down to the themes that will become the piece.  If you feel your relationship with your Type 1 is strained, it may be a sign you need more laughing, hugging, and cheering. She feels loved by having fun with you and she'll have a long relationship with music if she identifies it as one of her playful outlets.

Type 2: I Know Exactly What to Do

Your Type-2 child is a planner.  He can see details and how they add up.  At practice time, he'll want to discuss with you exactly how many reps he'll need to do of each drill each day to meet the weekly goal, and he'll care a lot about knowing exactly what the weekly goals are. He'll want to plan out what order he'll do the songs  before starting each practice, and have a vision of exactly how long it's going to take him at his own pace.  Encourage him and let him know that he will be able to achieve the weekly goals, even when they seem large.  He cares about making life flow easily, and will want to be in on the discussion about when the practice time will be happening each day.  This sensitive child will like to hear you tell him about your feelings and emotions.  "I am happy to see you trying so hard, even though I can tell it is not always easy."  "Thank you for singing and snuggling with me in class- I sure do enjoy spending time with you."  He will enjoy singing with you or playing duets with you because it gives a sense of connection and bonding.  When composing time comes, he will feel most confident if given as many details as possible about what is expected and how the process is going to play out.  "Please come next week with four bars of melody and some block chords to harmonize."  If your Type 2 child is unhappy in class, he likely wants to talk about his feelings and be understood, without being rushed.  Reflect back to him to show that you understood. "Are you feeling nervous because you think it might sound bad the first time?" The great news is that this type of child has the patience to practice and make steady progress.

Type 3: I Can Do This!

Your determined Type-3 child is adventurous and self-motivated once she decides she wants to do this.  She loves creating results, and will appreciate if you film her each time she masters a song and put stickers on the pages so you can look back frequently and celebrate her achievements.  For the same reason, she'll love to put on mini-recitals with photo documentation.  This child will enjoy manageable challenges like striving for a perfect practice record every week, and she'll enjoy sticker charts to show her progress.  If she has a hard time getting to practice at the agreed-upon time, it's possibly because she's excited about another pursuit she's equally passionate about in the moment.  Show respect for all of her passions, and remind her of what she's accomplished.

 When she feels downhearted, reflect with her. "Remember when you could not tie your shoes, but you kept trying, and now you can do it so easily? I think if you stick with this scale, you will be able to do it very soon."  Help your child be very aware of the weekly goals.  If she is enthusiastic and puts in two hours straight to complete the goals on the first day, it may be fine to let her take a few days off to pursue other passions (but a refresher just before returning to class is a good idea.)  This is also the child most likely to request advanced options from the teacher and have the drive to achieve them.  Provide her with recordings of various piano music. She may hear a song she loves and let you know, "I MUST learn to play this song!"  Get her the sheet music and she will! 

Type 4: This is Serious Business

Your analytical child wants respect from you, and enjoys being taken as seriously as another adult.  Include him in the discussion of when and how to practice and let him know that his ideas are taken seriously.  You may be surprised at his problem-solving.  "I think the best way for me to practice without being interrupted by the little kids is if you let me stay up to practice after they are in bed."  This Type enjoys perfecting and polishing his songs, so if he is ever frustrated when the group class puts a song away, assure him that he can keep working on it at home.  For the same reason, he may get frustrated when his progress is not quick and perfect.  Assure him, "It seems you are frustrated that it's taking a long time to learn this part.  I think your progress is right on track, and it was expected that this part would be tricky.  It's okay to feel frustrated, and it doesn't mean you're not a good pianist." Because he longs for respect, ask before offering too much advice on his work.  "I heard a few mistakes in that last song; would you like me to help you notice them, or do you want to keep working on it alone for a bit longer?"  Your thoughtful child may easily fall in love with the beautiful mathematics and theory of music as well the satisfaction of playing polished pieces and mastering technique.   He is the most likely Type to appreciate knowing the many ways music lessons can affect and improve his brain and school success.  He also is the Type who will enjoy knowing the purpose of each activity in class- what theory it is teaching and what skills it helps him practice. If your Type 4 child is not enjoying class, he may feel like he's not being included in designing how to go about learning and practicing.  The great news is he'll be able to handle a mature and respectful problem-solving conversation; if you take him seriously he'll love to find the solution for making things work.

Let's Play Music!

Now as you head to class and practice time, keep your child's experience, needs, and perspectives in mind.  Many parents are aware that each of their children go about music learning in a slightly different way, often different from how the parents themselves would work through it.  Respect your child's nature while guiding him through this wonderful and sensitive period.  Let's plant the seeds of love for music and offer a platform for bonding between parent and child.

For more ideas, grab your own copy of The Child Whisperer, by Carol Tuttle.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher