Musical Elements

Rhythm

• Copy rhythms and drum beats
• Beat vs. Melody rhythms
• Pizza Rhythm flash cards
  • Whole, Half, Quarter and Eighth notes
  • Whole, Half, Quarter and Eighth Rests
  • Clapping to Flashcards
  • Translate to Keys – Count out loud 1&2&3&4&
• Hearing rhythms in songs
• Rhythm Cards –
  • Clap
  • Organize about four cards and play them; Mix them up and play again (preference)
  • Match to the rhythm they are hearing in the song (play familiar YouTube songs)
  • Use difficult cards to create a song using that measure in homework
• Measures
• Tempo
• Keeping to an outside beat
• Time signatures 2/4, 3/4 4/4
• Dotted Halves
• Swing rhythm+
• Marches
• Cut Time; Common Time
• 16^th Notes and dotted 16ths and rests
• Triplets
• 32^nd, 64^th notes and rests
• Counter rhythms
• Dotted Quarters
• Syncopation – push beats
• Polyrhythm
• Count with your thumb (left is on the count and right is “and”)

Melody

• Piano Keyboard Patterns
  • Musical Alphabet – 7 Notes – count up alphabet from first key – last key; find C
  • Two House – Small House, Large House
  • Dog, Cat, Elephant
  • Two Black notes between C-D-E song
  • FGAB – Front Door, Back Door, F F B B, What’s in the middle? Granny Annie!
  • Steps and Skips
• Contrary Scale – 1-2-3; 3-2-1
• Parallel 5 Finger Scales 1-5 Finger Numbers
• Transpose 5 Finger Scales
• Arpeggios (Rainbows) –
• Crossover 2
• Tucking thumbs
• Crossed hands
• Sharps and flats
• 1 octave scales – major and minor
• 2 Octave Scales
• Kinds of Scales
  • Major
  • Minor
  • Pentatonic
  • Chromatic
  • Harmonic Minor (Eastern)
• Ledger line notes
  • Middle
  • Above Staff
  • Below Staff
• Scales in all different keys
• Black note scales
• (Note) Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half

Harmony

• Steps and skips
• Double skips
• Two notes on one stem – played together
• Intervals – 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths,
• Octaves
• Arpeggios (Rainbows)
• Chord Inversions (with Legos)
• 2 Note Chords (C, F, G)
• 14 Chord Simple Songs
• Circle of 5ths
• Chords
  • Diminished
  • Sustained
  • 6ths, 7ths
  • Minor 6ths and 7ths
  • Augmented
  • Different bass note
  • Tonic – Home
  • Dominant – V7
  • Triads
  • Extended 9ths and 11ths
  • Consonant, dissonant
  • Resolution, unresolved
• Primary Chords
• Chord Progressions
• Lead Sheets
• Blocked Chords, Broken Chords
• Rounds

Structure

• Middle C position – 2 thumbs on c, and left 5 on C
• C Position LH5 on Bass C, RH1 on Middle C
• Middle G position – 2 thumbs on g, and left 5 on C
• Hand Position Shifts
• Staff
  • Intro to Staff
  • Grand Staff – Floor Staff
  • C’s, G’s and F’s – Anchor notes
    • Floor staff, Whiteboard and keyboard
  • Beady – B’s and D’s – Bird on the branch; Dogs digging worms
  • Steps and Skips
  • Double skips
  • Naming Notes (or solfeggio)
  • Sharps and flats
• Fundamental Patterns (Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, etc.)
• Time signatures 2/4, 3/4 4/4
• Time signatures – 3/8; 6/8
• Measures
• major and minor
• Transposing – C and G
• Half Steps, Whole Steps Formula (with octave scales)
• Primary chords in all keys – I, IV, V7
• Form – AB, ABA, AABB, etc.
• Repetition
• Intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, outro, clear
• Phrasing
• Motifs
• Use the whole keyboard
• Counterpoint – two melodies played simultaneously.
• Imitation (repeating melody in a different voice or part)
• canon
• fugue
• circle of 5ths (number of sharps or flats in each key)

Touch

• Posture
  • Sitting
  • L-Shaped Arms
  • Karate Chop Arms
  • Dancing on Fingertips
• Pecking rooster and hens – practice with each finger combined with thumb
• Dynamics
  • Ties and slurs
  • Double bar line
  • Repeat
  • Staccato- legato
  • 8va and 8vb; 15va and 15vb
  • P, pp, ppp, f, ff, fff
  • Crescendo and Decrescendo (alligator jaws)
  • Fermata – Bird’s Eye
  • Grace notes
  • Ritardando
  • Ostinato
  • Trills of different fingers
  • Glissando
  • Sforza
  • Vacillating between two notes (like an octave)
  • Volume
• Finger numbers
  • Thumbs are ones
• Twos Threes etc
• Fingering
• Hand Positions
• Smooth and Steady
• Pedaling
  • Damper pedal (sustained pedal – because it lifts the felts [dampers] off the strings and allows the strings to vibrate)
  • Soft pedal
• 1 octave arpeggios – over – under wrist pattern
• Coda, DC al fine; Fine;
• Relaxation – Loosening tension

Musicianship

Comprehension

• The Piano What is it? – describe the piano action – when you play a note the hammer inside strikes a string percussion-string instrument
• Feeling the spaces between the notes – finding each note
• Inner Ear
  • Hearing Low, Middle and High notes on the keyboard
  • Hearing Direction of travel on the keyboard
  • Hearing Major and Minor
  • Hearing Intervals – 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, Octaves
  • Pitch – show with arm
• Chords
• How does it feel in your body?
• What do you enjoy hearing or feeling under your fingers?
• What is the music saying?
• Perspective expansion – going to opera, ballet, concert, orchestra, etc.
• Draw the music
• Ability to deconstruct and reconstruct a song – show the elements
• Learning how to enjoy music
• Understanding the soul of a song

Expression

• Phrasing
• Pedals Damper pedal (sustained pedal – because it lifts the felts [dampers] off the strings and allows the strings to vibrate)
• Genres; Blues, jazz, boogies, ballads, rock, classical, popular, ragtime
• Beauty
• Raising the hands softly
• Imbuing emotion
• Dynamics (see Touch)
• Artistry

Self-Mastery

• How to practice
• Confidence in the process of my learning
  • Giving grace to myself – ok to make mistakes
  • Separating it from one’s worth
  • Patience with the time it takes
  • Ability to see one’s own growth
  • Shared attention with myself – learning where my attention is at
  • Nervous system regulation
• Intrinsic motivation
• Finds own joy and reason for piano
• Knows own style and genre preferences
• Sustained, consistent autonomous practice
  • Building Rituals
• Integrating music into daily life
• Learning how to give myself my next step (I see that this has room to grow)
• How does it feel in your body?
• What do you enjoy hearing or feeling under your fingers?
• Musical Voice, Personal style
• Curiosity and wonder mindset
• Curiosity in my creativity- Learning how to build the well
• Muscle Memory
• Playing from the soul

Composition

• Rhythm Cards
• Note Cards
• Chord Progressions
• Lyrics
• Transcription
• Alternate left hands
  • Broken chords
  • Blocked Chords
  • Alberti bass,
  • boogie beats, etc.
  • walking bass
  • swing
• Playing by Chords (left hand and right hand)
• Lead Sheet Improvisation
• Phrasing
• Musical Form AB; ABA, Bridges,
• Chord fluidity

Social Connection

• Integrating it into social life –
  • How to invite people to gather
• Duets
• Address songs
• Plays, musical theatres
• Accompaniment
• Improv – jazz
• Soundtracks
• Conducting
• Group singing
• Choirs
• Bands
• Collaboration
• Performance
  • Self Assurance – its fine however it turns out
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Breathing techniques – take your time to settle
  • Find your hand position
  • Including the audience – social presence
  • Reading an audience
  • Performance etiquette
  • Keep moving forward
• How to support others – Being a good sport – team spirit