Purple Magic Lesson #5

Teacher Tidbits

Starting next week (and for the rest of the semester) we will start class at 3:30 on Tuesday (I realize it will just be me and Riley).  The following week (lesson 7) will be our first “Showtime” week! I will be having the students show off how ever they have been practicing “Bounce and Roll” and assessing that they understand the skills being taught within that repertoire piece. They’ll get a little solo time with me to show me their stuff, I’ll make a little note about how they played on their semester progress report, and we’ll never play that song in class again. I don’t give “grades”, this is just to help me get an idea of each child’s individual progress on a song, their playing ability, and will also help me identify any “problem” spots that might need a little attention.

I'd like to do this at the beginning of class, as soon as the kids enter class, so if you’re able to drop them off 5 minutes earlier, that would be helpful as well.

Thanks for supporting your kids in class this week!  A few things we talked about that you'll want to remember.

• Let's Play Music: play a different pattern each day (unless you haven't mastered them yet, then play all the patterns each day)
• V-Fingers(Just a small technicality, when you are doing ‘V’ fingers for your student, you will need to be sitting to the left of your child. Then he/she can see what notes are coming next and you won’t be in his/her way. If you are confused about this, let me know and I can show you)
• Our puppet show Royal Problem is in ABA form! We will be referencing this as an option for our compositions in the spring.

Purpose in the Play

Magic Keys
This song is a multi-tasker! It helps us understand key signatures and chord theory, plus gives us the opportunity to practice our scales and cadences while self accompanying. Wow! Now that's complete musicianship! Check out this blog post!
https://makingmusicianslpm.blogspot.com/2017/11/magic-keys.html

Scratch My Back
When a cadence pattern doesn't make it back 'home' to a red chord, it gets stuck halfway on a yellow chord. This fun activity helps us not only hear, but 'feel' an unresolved half cadence with our whole body!


Making Musicians
Everyone did a great job pointing out flat, sharps and naturals on their quiet keyboards in class this week. Here's an online version that you and your student can play at home (or on the go) any time, and here's a little 'accidental' humor for you this week.
https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/keyboard/9yhd
https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Play....1406087930./10152345527334764/?type=3&theater

Now that we have 'unbanded' all of the Treble Clef notes in our flashcards, you will enjoy this Treble Clef parody of Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble!