REMINDER: There is NO CLASS next week! I will be out of town. This is reflected in the calendar that is pasted in the back of your child's homework booklet.

Class was fun today! Believe it or not, even with the rigor of the concepts we're learning, we actually have quite a bit of silly fun during kid-only days. Your kids are eager and seem to be enjoying all they are learning. I love teaching them! 

We played our C minor cadences (p. 5) and reviewed how to play the flat in the red and blue chord. If your child is struggling with this cadence, please help them understand how to play. Use the Play at Home demonstration video to ensure they are using the correct fingering. If they are really struggling with this new cadence, it may help to remember how to play the C Major Cadence correctly with the right fingering. When our C Major cadence is mastered it is much easier to understand how to play the differences in the C minor cadence.

The new song this week is Halloween Night and their task is to just learn the RH a little bit at a time. The rest of their practice will be review of stuff they've already had a chance to practice! This review is not busy-work - - it builds technique, strength, and a solid foundation for the new stuff we'll learn in coming weeks. 

If you aren't sure where to find the Play at Home videos password, look at the sticker on the back of their homework booklet! If you need me to text you the password separately, don't hesitate to reach out.

Ode to Joy

We practiced hearing downbeats last year, now we’re listening for the upbeats as well. The downbeat is the first beat of the measure, and the upbeat just precedes that stronger downbeat. This song helps us feel that with our bodies --- and helps us to get to know a little bit about Ludwig van Beethoven along the way!

Halloween Night

This 'spooky' song is a great repertoire piece to give us a little more practice on our C minor cadence. Hands will play together in our new 3/4 time signature, and we will even have an opportunity to try a bit of improvisation as the semester continues. 

Even the Muppets like to have a little fun with the upbeat in Ode to Joy. Click here if the video doesn't display below! 

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

Thank you!