We can play a red chord now! In class I put little red dot stickers on their right hand on the THUMB (finger #1), MIDDLE FINGER (finger #3), and PINKY (finger #5). These are the finger numbers that are used to play the RED chord. Put the RED stickers on your piano at home and your kiddo will match the red stickers with where I put the red dots in class. They’ll be ready to play Old Paint next week! 

Thank you for taking the time to sit with your kiddo and practice with them! I know that the parental involvement feels like a lot as we start practicing 5 days a week this year, but it makes all the difference. The involvement really isn't that much different from last year - it's just shifted to more time at home and less time in the classroom since you only attend about once a month. Please let me know if the practicing/homework is a struggle and I'd be happy to help you come up with solutions to make it easier and more enjoyable for everyone. Practicing every song one time should still only be taking about 3-5 minutes. 

Check out the link below for some helpful homework videos! (Password is on the bookmark in their homework booklet.)

Kit Kat Keyboard

Now that we know the black keys ‘sol’ well we are ready to master the white keys! Notice that the grouping of the black keys influences the grouping of the white keys. It is important for them to look closely and frequently at the keyboard in the beginning to reinforce keyboard geography. When they are hunting for those C's and F's refrain from giving too many verbal cues- or talking too much. Just keep singing the key phrases "find a group of 2 down one is C" and "a group of 3 leads to F Yippee!" and saying, "look again" "does that look right?"

C Position Chant

We learned ‘C POSITION’ this week which means our right “Thumb’s on Middle C and a finger for each key!" When we are in ‘C Position’ each finger is assigned to play the note it is sitting on. We will sing this chant A LOT in class! This week we practiced floating our bubble hands over the keys and then letting them land on ‘C Position’. Continue this at home! 

Don’t feel frustrated if it’s tricky for your child at this point to press down ONLY the 1,3,5 fingers… we’ll keep strengthening those fingers and soon it will be easier. Learn more here on how muscle memory works when learning to play the piano and why is it soooo important to emphasize that correct fingers are used when learning chords from the very beginning! 

I value open and honest communication so please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

Thank you!