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Category Archives: Theory
Issue 124: Topic; Spies and Secrets
This class topic has been a gift for me. Now the entire year 3 keyboard class is able to read and play from notation with almost zero input from me! How? We had been playing simple music for a term, building up from … Continue reading
Posted in Class Teaching, Keyboards, Theory
Tagged decoding, reading music, reading notation, spies
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Issue 124: First Steps in piano (or keyboard)
I’ve been trying out different ways of introducing notation to young keyboard/piano students. This worked surprisingly well in the year 3 Wider Opportunities Keyboard class I started teaching back in September: I taught “D” as the first note, and each key … Continue reading
Issue 115: Failing a Music Theory Exam
As occasionally happens, (VERY occasionally, let me add!), one of my pupils has failed a music exam. Theory, this time. I reckoned there was a good chance that they might pass, but I wouldn’t have bet on it. Why did they … Continue reading
Issue 114: Introduction to Easy-Peasy Chord building
So, what does I VI II V mean? It is a chord progression, listing a sequence of chords built upon notes of any scale. If I show you how it works for C major, the easiest scale of all for … Continue reading
Issue 103:Teaching theory; Inspirational Quote
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” Mark Van Doren never heard of him? Neither had I – until today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Van_Doren Discuss! Sometimes I feel as though the art of teaching has been boiled down to just … Continue reading
Issue 88: Class ABRSM Music Theory Lessons
One primary school I work in has been running a music theory club in the lunchtime. The first group of students are all set to take Grade 1 theory this Summer, having started from scratch last October. It was very … Continue reading
Issue 68: Finding Patterns
As part of a series of lessons on music form with a year 5 and 6 class, I gave them the task of going through a piece of notated music and colour coding all the bars with matching patterns. The … Continue reading
Posted in Learning, Lessons that have happened, Theory, Uncategorized
Tagged notation, reading music, reading notation
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Issue 48: Music “Literacy”
I follow Michael Rosen’s blog at http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com . He writes with passion about children’s literacy issues, and libraries, and the importance of books. It set me thinking about how “literacy” is part of music teaching. Last week I posted about … Continue reading