This is the last week your child will be assigned "Alouette". I will be having them play a piece of it next week in class. We played it together in class this past week and I saw that your kids have been playing a lot at home! 

We learned some new skills this week and if you need to see me demonstrate anything, please check out the Play at Home Videos. The password is on the bookmark from your child's homework booklet or you can text me. 

Thank you for helping your kids get FIVE practices during the week! Each tally is working on a song ONE time so if they sit down to play and they play one of the assigned pieces three times through - - - they should be marking THREE tallies! Give credit where it is due! If they happen to be passing by the piano and they play an F major cadence, a tally should be marked! The tallies aren't just for me to see that they are playing at home, but for them to see that practice does make progress. Your positive and uplifting encouragement to play the piano at home is incredibly impactful and will make a big difference in their love for music and playing!

F Major Cadence

How exciting to play our primary chords in a new key! We will learn to strengthen and stretch our fingers in a new way. The fingerings will feel familiar, but we will also need to use our newly acquired knowledge about 'magic keys' as well as our ear training to play our chords correctly.

A Royal Problem

Like all of our puppet shows, 'A Royal Problem' (Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, 3rd movement) aids in the intelligent listening of classical music. We learned to recognize major and minor tonalities, staccato and legato themes, and continued our study of classical ABA (ternary) form. 

Our Royal Problem puppet show is really the 3rd Movement of Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This work has elicited varying interpretations from critics, but the most common perception today is that the symphony is tragic in tone and intensely emotional. Watch a full orchestra performance below ( click here if video doesn't display below). As you watch with your student, ask them to label the A (problem) and B (not a problem) section for you. This will prepare them for their homework next week. 

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

Thank you!