Thank you for understanding my cancelling of classes this past week. I have had a good amount of time to rest and my body and voice are ready to teach next week! If you still would like to watch the Lesson 4 Online Video go to the link below and fill out the form with your contact info and the reason for needing the online video (teacher sick). You will then purchase the video for Yellow Arrows Lesson 4 for $8. Send me the receipt for your purchase (this can be a screenshot, a forwarded email, or any way to prove that you purchased the video) and I will reimburse the cost for the video from your tuition payment.

https://rke5ex9l.pages.infusionsoft.net/

A lot that was covered in Lesson 4! 

• The yellow chord - - your kids are catching on to making the chord shapes with the correct fingering so quickly. I'm so impressed. 

• How to play a C Major Scale with the left hand - - I can't tell you how COOL it is that your 5, 6, or 7 year old is already learning how to play a Major Scale! They may still need some help with understanding how to pop their bubble including assistance to know which fingers hit which keys. Each kid only tried out the C Major scale once so use the Play at Home video to help guide your child as they play it home this week.

• The LH of the first line of Robin Hood!

We will continue working on each of these skills so please don't stress if you feel your kiddo didn't grasp everything in the online class. I know that others were also sick this past week so if you didn't watch the video, I will make sure to help everyone get up to speed. Put your yellow stickers on the Bass Clef Notes B, D, and G - - there's a video showing where to put them and the fingering for the yellow chord (as well as some other videos to help with the practicing this week).

Next week is parent day! It will be great to have our special grown-ups there and I will have a mini music store available.

C Position & Middle C Position

We learned where the RH and LH rest on the keyboard for both of these positions. With C Position the RH Thumb (Finger 1) is on Middle C and LH Pinky (Finger 5) is on Bass C. With Middle C Position both Thumbs (Fingers 1) share Middle C. We liken this position to a butterfly. The two thumbs resting on middle c together are the butterfly body and their hands are the wings. Are their soft wings (fingers) resting gently on the keys? 

A fun review is to chant each position, simply moving the LEFT HAND back and forth. Practice in the air, at the kitchen table, in the car running errands, and of course on the piano! 

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. We don’t have enough fingers to play this scale, so we learned how to POP our bubble hands and then reset them to complete the scale. Practice this SLOWLY to ensure that your child plays this correctly. 1) Play Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol with 5-4-3-2-1 fingers with a rounded bubble hand. 2) To play La, POP finger number 3 over the thumb. 3) Reset the BUBBLE and proceed to play La, Ti, Do with finger numbers 3-2-1.

I Am Robin Hood

Enjoy ‘drumming’ the slow slugs on the piano with the interval of a 5th using Left Hand Bass Clef fingers 5 and 1 when practicing this song. Sing the melody together while parents drum along on laps, the edge of the piano, clap along to keep a steady slug beat or drum with any can, canister, or container from around the home. Switch places so parents can play and kiddos can drum!

Do You Want to Build a YELLOW Snowman?

This bottom heavy snowman built with a 3rd on the bottom and a 4th on the top is melting from the YELLOW sun! We play this chord with fingers 5-3-1. Place Left Hand in C Position. SLIDE Finger 5 (pinky) and Finger 3 (middle finger) down one baby step while Finger 1 (thumb) stays put. Now time your musician for 30 seconds and count how many bass clef Yellow Chords they can play!

We call our new puppet show “The Pirate Ship” but the real title is Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms. The Hungarian Dances are a set of 21 lively dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes. They are among Brahms' most popular works, and were certainly the most profitable for him. Each dance has been arranged for a wide variety of instruments and ensembles. Brahms originally wrote the version for piano four-hands and later arranged the first 10 dances for solo piano. The most famous is HungarianDance No. 5. 

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

Thank you!