This week was our second week, and we had a lively class! Everyone is making progress at the level they’re working on. Good job!

Level 1B, Lesson 16 – Andrew

Lesson 17 – Mya and Abigail

Lesson 18 – Beth

• We began our lesson by reviewing the life and times of Miss Fanny Mendelssohn. You remembered so much from last week! Good job!
• Then we clapped some 4 beat rhythms together in a rhythm circle.
• We also reviewed the terms piano (quiet) and forte (loud).
• At the computers, you each worked through lessons which helped you to play songs with stepping notes. Some of you played the songs ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ and ‘Mary Had a Big Fat Sheep!’
• After practising with Miss Melody, you had fun in the Games Room!

At Home this Week;

• It is very important at this stage in your piano playing, to remember to use all 5 fingers with your hands in a relaxed ant tunnel position. It is tempting to use just your pointer finger, but using all your fingers will help you to develop strong piano playing hands!
• Mya, Abigail and Andrew – Re-visit lesson and practice for lesson 17.
• Beth – visit Miss Melody in Lesson 18.
• Print out this sheet and see if you can find all the notes drawn on the lines!

Beth and Andrew, have a wonderful vacation!

Mya and Abigail, I’ll see you next week!

Adele

This Saturday was the second class for this term. Everyone worked super hard and made good progress!

Devon – Level 2B, Lesson 40 and 41

• This week you began reading more notes for the left and right hand on the Grand Staff. You can now play music using the first 4 fingers of you right hand, reading the treble clef notes Middle C, D E and F, and the first 3 fingers in the left hand reading the Bass Clef notes Middle C, B and A!
• You have also met Mr Woodpecker, and are getting more confident at tapping back rhythm patterns. You know what a whole note, half note and quarter note look like, and can recognize dotted half notes too! Good job!
• This week you met your new teacher Mr Tchaikovsky who taught you all about right hand note F.

At Home this Week;

• Print off this sheet and try to circle the correct notes! If you have trouble, bring it with you to class and we’ll complete it together!

Parker and Madeline – Piano Suite Level 2, Lesson 2 (See you next time, Luc)

• This week, Parker explored some songs in Level 1, and also watched some animations animations about correct body posture and hand position.
• Then we worked on the C Major scale. Remember the finger pattern, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 4 5.
• Then we tried the new scale – G Major. This one has one sharpened note, F#, but the finger pattern is the same.
• In the Piano Player library, you spent some time playing through songs from Level 1 and 2.

At Home this Week;

• Print out the Technique sheets for Level 1 and Level 2 . Keep working on C Major, C Contrary motion, and G Major scales.
• In the Piano Suite software, try the note naming Game in Theory Thinker that we played in class. (Both Treble and Bass staffs)
• Print out this sheet to practice note naming.

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 2

• This week we continued to work on the E Major and B Major scales. You are getting much more confident at playing them with both hands together over 2 octaves. This week, we also went through the C# Major scale together. Try this one hands apart this week.
• In Piano Player, you spent some time working on your 2 pieces for Level 7. Beethoven’s ‘German Dance’ and Mozart’s ‘Minuet in F.’ These will be your assessment pieces at the end of this term. Then you tried Bach’s Minuet in D for a challenege.

At home this week;

• Continue to practice your scales, EVERYDAY!
• Try to find the time to practice your repertoire pieces in Piano Player.
• As you didn’t get chance last week, please print out this sheet and the ‘Circle of Fifths sheet to work out these sharp key signatures.

Have a great week!

Adele

It was great to hear all about your Christmas Holidays, and now I’m looking forward to some fun filled weeks ahead making music together!

Level 1B, Lesson 16 – Beth, Mya, Abigail and Andrew

• We began by reviewing circle notes above and below the Middle C line. We talked about stepping notes which are played on next door neighbour white notes with each finger in turn.
• Then we spoke about your new teacher, Miss Fanny Mendelssohn. Fanny and her brother Felix wrote beautiful music for the pianoforte – a keyboard instrument which could play loud (forte) or quiet (piano) depending on how forcefully you pushed the keys down. That’s just like a piano today, too!
• At the computers, Miss Mendelssohn helped you to play lots of tunes which used stepping notes in both your right and left hands going away from Middle C, and returning to Middle C. You also played holding notes too!
• After practising with Miss Melody, you had fun in the Games Room!

At Home this Week;

• Some of you may have done this sheet last term, but it’s good to practice again. Print it out and see if you can spot the stepping notes moving up, and the stepping notes moving down!
• In the Games Room, try playing the Lilly Pad game a few times, but make sure that you are using both hands, and all the correct fingers! Not just your pointer finger!
• Mya, Abigail and Andrew – visit Miss Melody again for Lesson 16 to have an extra practice at reading all those stepping notes.
• Beth – visit Miss Melody in Lesson 17. You completed the Lesson in class, but didn’t have time to finish the practice part.

See you all next week,

Adele

It was wonderful to see everyone again and I know we’re going to have lots of fun over the next few weeks!

Devon – We look forward to seeing you next week!

Parker – Level 3B, Lessons 79 and 80

• Today you worked hard at holding down sticky notes in the left hand while your right hand was playing the melody. You worked on ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ which sounded great!
• You enjoyed playing in the Games Room too after completing 2 lessons today!
• This week I showed you the Piano Player library within the Piano Suite software and you played through a Level 1 song brilliantly! Good for you!

At Home this week;

• Print out and try this review page which covers all the concepts you have met so far in MusIQ.
• Also take a look at this rhythm review sheet. Bring both sheets with you next week and we can go through them together.

Madeline and Luc  - Piano Suite Level 2, Lesson 1

• Today you both began your journey with Piano Suite by watching a few animations about correct body posture and hand position.
• Then we worked on keeping our thumb tucks smooth when we play the C Major scale. (And keeping our pinkie fingers relaxed Madeline!)
• Today I showed you a new scale – G Major. This one has one sharpened note, F#, but the finger pattern is the same.
• In the Piano Player library, you both explored some of the pieces in Level 1. Then you played through the Level 2 piece, ’Old Grey Goose’ using both hands together! Great job!
• We spent some time reviewing note placement on the Grand Staff, and then you played a game in Theory Thinker to help practice finding different line and space notes in the Treble and Bass staffs.

At Home this Week;

• Print out the Technique sheets for Level 1 and Level 2 and have a go at C Major, C Contrary motion, and G Major scales. Don’t worry about the Pentatonic scales, or F Major, we’ll look at those together another time.
• In the Piano Suite software, try the note naming Game in Theory Thinker that we played in class. (Both Treble and Bass staffs)
• Print out the tune ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ and work on it at home.

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 1

• We revisited some of the scales we looked at last term. This week we focussed on E Major and B Major. You did a good job over one octave with hands together, and then you practised going over two octaves.
• Then you spent some time working on your 2 pieces for Level 7. Beethoven’s ‘German Dance’ and Mozart’s ‘Minuet in F.’ These will be your assessment pieces at the end of this term.
• In Theory Thinker you tried to play the note placement game. Despite a few technical difficulties, you still did a great job!

At home this week;

• You will need to demonstrate a confident ability in your Level 7 scales on assessment day. This week, make time each day to work on E Major (4 sharps) and B Major (5 sharps) over 2 octaves.
• Practice your repertoire pieces in Piano Player. Remember, you can print the music out at home and work on your piano if you prefer.
• The theory for this level focusses a lot on your ability to recognize key signatures. Print out this sheet and the ‘Circle of Fifths sheet to work out these sharp key signatures.

Have a great week!

Adele

We had a great lesson today! We began by reviewing everything we know about Mr Beethoven, Mr Bach and Mr Joplin! You remembered a lot of facts about them!

Then we played some interesting rhythms on my froggy Guiro! You have discovered so many interesting ways to play him!

Finally, we sang some notes moving higher and higher, and lower and lower. You were great at working out which direction the notes were moving!

Level 1A – Lesson 14 and 15 – Andrew

                 Lessons 15 and 16 – Beth, Mya and Abigail

Lessoons 16 and 17 – Sara

• Everyone worked really hard on using their ant tunnels today.
• Mr Joplin helped you to read circle notes which were moving in  a stepping motion. That is when you’re playing next door neighbour notes.
• By Lesson 16, you were playing songs which were using fingers 1, 2, 3 and 4, and swapping hands often! Amazing work!
• You also met a new teacher today, Miss Mendelssohn!
• In the Games Room, some of you tried out a new game where you had to listen for the correct pitch! If you found it, you got to dig for burried treasure!

Finally, we wished Mya and Abigail a Happy Birthday! We enjoyed some yummy cakes before we went home!

Next week will be our last class before the holidays.  We would like to invite Mums and Dads to come along 15 minutes before the end of the lesson (at 11:45) to hear what the children have been learning this term. We may even have a couple of students brave enough after just 10 weeks to play a little Christmas song!

Bye for now,

Adele Merritt

Wow! What a great recital to finish off this term! It was lovely to be able to perform infront of such an appreciative audience too! Thanks to everyone who came along to support the students today!

Craig – It was a pleasure to hear you perform your own composition ‘Lost Woods’ and I am so pleased with the progress you have made towards your Piano Suite Level 7 during the last 10 weeks. I was happy to award you a certificate to show your great participation this term!

Luc - You played from memory a song called ‘Drum Dance’ which you have mastered during the last few weeks. It had lots of 5th intervals to play in your left hand while the right hand played the melody line. I was pleased to award you Level 3c this term!’

Madeline – You also played a solo piece today! From memory, you performed ‘Away in a Manger’ which got us all in the Christmas spirit! Congratulations on your Level 3B award!

Parker – You played the song ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ which showed how well you play flats and tied notes. Good job, Parker! I was proud to award you Level 3B this term!

Devon – You did a fantastic job playing a piece which you’ve only had one week to learn! You performed ‘O Christmas Tree’ which was a song for both hands. You were very brave to play it infront of all those people today! I was pleased to award you Level 2A this term!

Congratulations to everybody! Our new term begins on Saturday, January 21st and the registration details can be found using the following link;

http://www.musiqclub.com/register.php

Happy Holidays!

Adele Merritt

We had another great lesson this week!

Level 1A, Lessons 12 and 13 – Andrew

            Lessons 13 and 14 – Mya, Abigail, Sara and Beth

• We begain this week by seeing how much you could remember about our new teacher, Mr Scott Joplin. You did a great job remembering so much detail from last week! This week, see if you can remember that his music is called Ragtime!
• We also looked at how we read the circle notes above and below the Middle C line. If the circle is far above the line, we play a very high note, but if it is only a small bit above the line, we play a note only a little higher than Middle C, and the same for the notes below the line too!
• We also reminded ourselves of our finger numbers, and how to hold our hands in a relaxed ant tunnel shape at the piano.
• At the computer most of you finished off Lesson 14 this week! You began playing tunes which had circle notes moving in a stepping motion using fingers 1 and 2 of each hand! Wow – great job!
• At the end of the lesson, you all had fun playing the Toybox game. This game helps you to remember the 7 letters of the Musical Alphabet – A B C D E F and G!

At Home this week;

• If you have the software at home, review lesson 14.
• Print out this sheet and see if you can find all the groups of 3 beats!
• Sara and Beth – have a go on your keyboards or pianos at home and ses if you can read the finger number sheet I gave you to play ‘O Christmas Tree!’ It is a bit of a challenge, so don’t worry if you find it a bit hard at first! Just a few tries each day and you’ll be surprised how good you get!

Have a great week!

Adele

Everyone worked very hard this week, working towards the end of their levels and also beginning to learn a new group piece ‘Oh Christmas Tree!” Good job! Next week will be the last session for this term. Mums and Dads are invited to come and watch from 10:40 to see how well the children are playing, and maybe we can perform for you!

Dylan – We missed you this week! Hope to see you for the last lesson next week!

Devon – Level 2A, Lesson 39

• Today you both spent some time working with Mrs Beach playing even more songs for both hands!
• You showed me how well you can read right hand and left hand notes written on the lines and spaces of the grand staff! Great job!
• You are beginning to look ahead as you play so that you can get ready for the next note in time. Well done!
• You played some rhythms with the woodpecker tapping out the time. These are beginning to improve as you are recognizing whole, half and quarter notes more quickly.
• To finish off, you played your favourite games in the Games Room and had some fun creating music in the Improvisation Room!

At Home This Week;

• Have a go at this wordsearch all about Mrs Beach
• Print out this worksheet and see if you can name the notes on the Grand Staff.

Parker – Level 3A, Lessons 76 and 77

• Miss Melody helped you to practise the songs you chose to perform for Mr Haydn.
• Then you gave Mr Haydn a recital! You read the notes for both hands on the Grand Staff  and played beautifully!
• You played some rhythm patterns too, with the woodpecker!
• You visited the Games Room to finish off the lesson.

At Home This Week;

• Try tapping some different rhythms using both your right and left hands.
• Print out this review sheet which covers everything learned so far in Level 3A
• Next week we will begin to focus on some scale work.

Madeline – Level 3B, Lessons 81 and 82

• Once again, today’s lesson was all about playing with two hands together.
• You worked through pieces written in 4/4 time, and 3/4 time and tried to read the bass and treble clef at the same time!
• Your left hand had holding notes, whilst your right hand was playing quarter notes. You managed this well this week. Good job!
• After your lessons this week you showed me how well you could play Christmas Carols that you knew! Then you played through ‘O Christmas Tree.’

At Home this week;

• Print out and try this review page which covers all the concepts you have met so far in MusIQ.
• Also take a look at this rhythm review sheet. Bring both sheets with you next week and we can go through them together.

Luc – Level 3c, Lesson 94

• This week you worked in preparation for your recital for the end of Level 3 next week.
• You chose which pieces to play and spent some time practicing them with Miss Melody.
• You also continued to do very well with the rhythm tapping exercises this week with Mr Woodpecker!
• At the end of the lesson, you worked through a finger number tune for both hands, ‘O Christmas Tree.’

At Home this Week;

• This week, continue to work on our group tune ‘O Christmas Tree.’
• Keep working on your C Major scale ascending, descending and in contrary motion.
• Try this Grand Staff match up activity from Piano Suite level 1

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 9

• I’m so pleased that you now have the software hooked up at home. This will really help you to practice everyday!
• We looked at your scales once more, but you hadn’t had the chance to really practice them. See if you can run through them at least for 5 minutes each day. You’ll soon notice a difference!
• This week, you completed a Level 5 written assessment which you passed with flying colours! Next week we’ll try a Level 6 assessment. Then we know you’ll be ready to begin the requirements for Level 7 next term.
• You tried to learn the second part to our group piece. This is only for the right hand (I know you favour your left!) so it will be good practice for you!
• Then, in Piano Player, you worked hard on your Mozart Minuet this week! Keep up the good work!

At home this week;

• Keep working on your scales every day, especially on your right hand. I checked off the scales you now know on your Circle of 5ths sheet. I also wrote the fingering on the back for F# Major.
• Spend some time practicing the second part to our group piece, ‘O Christmas Tree.’ Make sure that you are playing the right rhythm, as well as the right notes!

Have a great week!

Adele

We have had a great couple of classes over the past two weeks!

Level 1A, Lessons 11, 12 and 13 - Mya, Abigail, Beth, Andrew and Sara

• We begain this week with a rhythm circle. You made some brilliant 4 beat rhythms on my froggy ‘Guiro’ which we had to clap back!
• Then we talked a little about our new teacher, Mr Scott Joplin. He was born in the United States around 100 years ago. You learned that he wrote piano music for everyday working people, not Kings, Queens and Emperors in palaces, like other composers! His music was fun and lively which made people want to throw back the rugs and start dancing! It’s called Ragtime music!
• Over the past couple of weeks, you have all learned about finger numbers and how to hold your hand to make an ant tunnel! This week you practiced this by holding your hand in an ant tunnel with your thumbs on Middle C, and pressing down each finger in turn as they sat on neighbouring white keys. Good job!
• In the Games Room, you were fantastic at making it across the water in the Lilly Pad Game!

At Home this week;

• If you have the software at home, review lesson 13 which is actually the last lesson for Level 1A!
• In the Games Room, keep on playing the Lilly Pad game with your hand in the ant tunnel position. This will help your fingers to get strong, especially your 4th fingers and pinkie fingers which we don’t use as much normally!
• Some of you might like to try a couple of these finger number tunes. Just place your thumbs on Middle C, and work through them slowly!

Have a great week!

Adele

We’ve had great classes over the last 2 weeks! We’ve enjoyed improvising together as well as working on our individual levels. Keep up the good work everyone!

Dylan – Level 1B, Lessons 20 and 21

• This week, Miss Mendelssohn began by reminding you about the grown up notes that you learned about last lesson. Remember, if the notes have a stem that goes up, you play it with the right hand, and if the stem points down, you play it with the left hand.
• In Lesson 21 you met a new teacher called Mr Villa Lobos!
• He lived in Brazil in South America and only died in 1959, which isn’t too long ago!
• He took long trips into the Amazon jungle and heard the tribal music there. He decided to try and use some of this great music in his own compositions so that the world could hear the music of his country.
• He also helped design a music education program for all school children in Brazil. He loved his country very much!
• Mr Villa Lobos helped you to play more stepping songs for the right and left hands. Then he helped you to play ‘Ode To Joy’ which is a tune that Mr Beethoven used in one of his symphonies, years earlier!
• To finish off the lesson you spent some time in the Games Room.

At Home this Week;

• Keep saying your musical alphabet, both forwards and backwards! How fast can you go?
• Print out and try this wordsearch about Mr Villa Lobos
• Print out these finger number tunes for fun at home! Just remember to place your thumbs on Middle C!

Devon – Level 2A, Lessons 37 and 38

• This week you played more songs for both hands written on the Grand Staff.
• You can now read Bass clef notes Middle C, B and A for the left hand, and Treble clef notes Middle C, D and E in the right hand. Great!
• You also worked with Mr Woodpecker who helped you to tap back rhtyhms and play whilst keeping keep in time with the beat!
• You had time for some fun in the Games Room and Improvisation Room and the end of the session!

At Home This Week;

• Finish Lesson 39 at home. (You began it but didn’t have time to complete it in class.)
• Also work through the Practice section for Lesson 39.
• Bring  this worksheet with you next week for us to complete together.

Parker – Level 3A, Lessons 74 and 75

• Parker has worked with Miss Chaminade over the last couple of weeks learning how to play even more songs reading notes in the Treble clef and Bass clef at the same time!
• You are now confident at playing notes which have sharps, flats and natural signs infront of them, as well as tied notes!
• Last week you had fun when we improvised as a group. I noticed how well you followed the backing track, and how you felt the pulse in the music you improvised. Great job, Parker!

At Home this Week;

• Have a go at this wordsearch all about Ms Chaminade
• Print out this page which is all about rhythms. Bring it with you to class next week for us to go through together.

Madeline – Level 3B, Lessons 79 and 80

• Madeline, you have covered a lot of ground over the past two weeks! You enjoy improvising and made up some great tunes around the home notes with the backing tracks last week.
• Also, you are doing well in Level 3B. You are much more confident at rhythm tapping and playing different things with both hands at the same time.
• This week I showed you part of the Piano Suite software, as you would like to move to Piano Suite Level 2 next term. Good for you!

At Home this week;

• Print out and try this review page which covers all the concepts you have met so far in MusIQ.
• Also take a look at this rhythm review sheet. Bring both sheets with you next week and we can go through them together.

Luc – Level 3c, Lesson 92 and 93

• Over the past couple of weeks you have made super progress.
• You were a little unsure about playing infront of the group when we tried some improvising last week, but in the end you played your C Major scale in time with the backing track and it sounded brilliant! Good job!
• This week’s lessons had you playing even more tunes which used triad chords in the left hand to accompany the melody in the right hand.
• You also continued to do very well with the rhythm tapping exercises this week with Mr Woodpecker!
• I also showed you some of the Piano Suite software and you decided to switch to Piano Suite Level 2 next term. You played through some Level 1 pieces, just to get used to the Piano Player section of the software. You did a great job!

At Home this Week;

• This week, log into Piano Suite and try some more tunes in Piano PLayer, Level 1.
• Keep working on your C Major scale ascending, descending and in contrary motion.
• Try this note naming activity sheet.
• Have a go at this tune “Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ for fun

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 8

• Over the past couple of weeks, we have looked at the Circle of Fifths, which helps you to understand how Key signatures relate to each other.
• We also looked at your scales with sharps in the key signature. Fior this level you need to be able to confidently play the new scales, B Major, F# Major and C# Major. We have looked together at the first 2 of these which you should practice everyday!
• You have also spent some time in the Ear Training Coach software. This week you did a fantastic job with your playbacks! You are also getting better at identifying intervals and we’ll keep working on this in class.
• Then, in Piano Player, you worked hard on your Mozart Minuet this week! Keep up the good work!

At home this week;

• It’s great that your dad is able to get you set up with the software at home this week! Now you can practice those intervals at home in Ear Training Coach. Try listening to +3rds, -3rds, 5ths and 8ves this week.
• Also, in Piano PLayer keep working on the Mozart Minuet in F (3)
• Keep working on your scales every day, especially on your right hand. I checked off the scales you now know on your Circle of 5ths sheet. I also wrote the fingering on the back for F# Major.

Have a great week!

Adele

We had a lovely class on Saturday, with everyone working hard and making some good progress!

Dylan – Level 1B, Lessons 18 and 19

• At the computers you met up with Miss Fanny Mendelsshon again. This week she helped you to play even more songs using both hands.
• In lesson 18 you practised the Musical Alphabet a little more, forwards, and backwards again!
• Then, in lesson 19, Miss Mendelssohn taught you all about grown up notes. From now on, we won’t be using circle notes as much. Instead, we will be learning to read grown up notes written on lines and spaces.
• You learned that for now, if the notes have a stem that goes up, you play it with the right hand, and if the stem points down, you play it with the left hand.
• There are also five lines on the screen now. The middle line is Middle C and then you build upwards or downwards from there. Each space and each line is worth one white note on the piano keyboard.

At Home this Week;

• Keep saying your musical alphabet, both forwards and backwards! How fast can you go?
• Print out and complete this weekly activity sheet

Devon – Level 2A, Lessons 34 and 35

• This week you learned even more about the Grand Staff.
• You looked at Treble G Clefs (for the right hand high notes) and Bass F Clefs (for the left hand low notes).
• Mr Mozart helped you to play some songs including whole, half, quarter and dotted half notes written on the Grand Staff! Great job!
• Together, we completed an activity sheet all about the different parts of the Grand Staff!
• You had time for some fun in the Games Room and Improvisation Room and the end of the session!

At Home This Week;

• Try this wordsearch all about Mr Mozart!
• Have another go at this worksheet which asks you to draw the notes Middle C, D and E in the right hand, and Middle C, B and A in the left! Good luck!

Madeline and Parker – Level 3A, Lessons 70, 71 and 75

• This week, Parker worked hard with Mr Scarlatti, playing through songs written for both hands which included tied notes. He also did very well with his rhythm tapping too!
• Madeline worked some more with Miss Chaminade who helped you to play even more songs reading notes in the Treble clef and Bass clef at the same time!
• Together, we spent some time talking about the different instrument sections of the orchestra. Then you both completed a sheet which was all about the woodwind section. Great job!

At Home this Week;

• Madeline, have a go at this wordsearch all about Ms Chaminade
• Parker, try this sheet which is all about flats.
• Both of you can have a go at this page which is all about rhythms. Bring it with you to class next week for us to go through together.

Luc – Level 3c, Lesson 88 and 89

• Good job for working so hard each week at home, Luc!
• This week’s lessons showed you how to play the 1st, 3rd and 5th finger at the same time to make a triad chord. You did a great job working through ‘Drumming Dance’ which had a lot of triads to play!
• You also played through Jingle Bells too!
• Together, we talked about all the different instrument sections in an orchestra. Then you completed a sheet all about the woodwind section. Great job!
• You continued to do very well with the rhythm tapping exercises this week with Mr Woodpecker!

At Home this Week;

• In CMJ, instead of completing a lesson at home, visit the Library this week and click on the ‘Lessons and Practices’ section. In here, Review some rhythm tapping, work through some exercises with sharps in the Pitch section, try Tapping with ties in the Rhythm section, and finally work through some Interval exercises to practices 3rds and 5ths.
• Keep working on your C Major scale ascending, descending and in contrary motion.
• Try this activity sheet which is all about intervals.

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 6

• This week we reviewed B Major and learned a new scale, F# Major. This new scale has 6 sharps in the key signature!
• Together we spent some time looking at the ‘Circle of 5ths’ for your Major scales. This shows you how the key signatures relate to the scales you have been practising.
• You spent some time in the Ear Training Coach software, identifying intervals which were also written on the screen.
• Then, in Piano Player, you worked hard on your 3 repertoire pieces. Great work on your Mozart Minuet this week!
• To finish off, you explored Composition Corner!

At home this week;

• Keep working on your scales every day, especially on your right hand. I checked off the scales you now know on your Circle of 5ths sheet. I also wrote the fingering on the back for F# Major.
• Try to print out and complete this worksheet which is all about Major key signatures with flats in them.

Have a great week!

Adele

We had a small class today, but we got a lot done! Abigail and Mya, I hope you had a great weekend and we’ll see you next time!

We began with a quick review of circle notes. You also showed me how well you could clap back a four beat rhythm, and you reminded me how much you could remember about Mr Bach!

Level 1A, Lessons 8 and 9 - Beth, Andrew and Sara

• At the computers, in Lesson 8 you learned about double notes. This is when your right hand plays a high note, and your left hand plays a low note at the same time!
• Miss Melody helped you to practice playing tunes with high, low and middle C notes, holding and double notes! Wow! Great job!
• Then, in lesson 9 you learned how to read circle notes going higher and higher awa y from Middle C, and lower and lower too!
• In the Games Room you played a new game called Cliffhanger! You had to listen really carefully to see if the sounds were going higher, or lower! You also noticed that there were now double notes in the Buoy Game!
• We finished off the class by making music in the Improvisation Room!

At Home this Week;

• Try this activity sheet which is all about double notes!
• Abigail and Mya, if you have the CMJ software at home, review lessons 8 and 9 at home.
• You could all visit the Lessons and Practices section of the Library and review double notes and notes going away from Middle C.

Have a great week!

Adele

It was lovely to see you all on Saturday and to hear all about your fun trick or treating on Halloween!

Level 1A, Lessons 6 and 7 – Abigail, Mya, Beth, Andrew and Sara

• My goodness! You are all whizzing through these lessons in Level 1!
• In Lesson 6 and 7 you met your new teacher Mr Bach. He was a great composer who lived in Germany even before Mr Beethoven was alive! He played beautiful music on the harpsichord and pipe organ. He also had 20 children!
• You worked with Mr Bach to learn all about holding notes today. Remember to hold the note down and count the numbers on the screen.
• In the Games Room you played 2 new games, the Princess Story ( a rhythm game) and the Train Game (a holding notes game). Great job everyone!

At Home this Week;

• Print out this activity sheet and see if you can find your way out of the maze by going higher and higher!
• Have a go at this wordsearch all about Mr Bach!
• If you have the CMJ software at home, review lesson 7 and then work through some of the Lesson 6 and 7 tunes which you can find in the practice section of the Library.

Have a great week!

Adele

It was great to see you all this Saturday, and it was good to hear about all your Halloween stories! Madeline and Parker, I hope you had fun at your Tae Kwon Do Tournament! See you next week!

Dylan – Level 1B, Lessons 16 and 17

•  In Lesson 16 we met our new teacher, Fanny Mendelssohn. She helped you to practise even more songs where the notes move up and down the white notes on the keyboard in steps!
• Then, in Lesson 17, Miss Mendelssohn helped you to play even more songs using circle notes on lines and spaces which move in a stepping motion! You played songs like Mary Had a Little Lamb which used all five fingers of your ant tunnels! Great job!
• You all practised the Musical Alphabet forwards, and backwards!
• Then, to finish off you played some Games and visited the Improvisation Room for some relaxing fun!

At Home this Week;

• Try this sheet and see if you can spot the line notes and space notes

Devon – Level 2A, Lessons 32 and 33

• This week you learned even more about the Grand Staff.
• You looked at Treble Clefs (for the right hand) and Bass Clefs (for the left hand).
• Mr Mozart helped you to play some songs including whole, half, quarter and dotted half notes written on the Grand Staff! You are really beginning to recognize these notes quickly now. Great job!
• You also learned about the treble clef notes C, D and E for the Right Hand.
• You had time for some fun in the Games Room playing Metronome Soup at the end of the session!

At Home This Week;

• Print out this worksheet to help practise matching up parts of the Grand Staff!
• Have another go at this activity sheet all about Treble Clef notes C, D and E

Luc – Level 3c, Lesson 85 and 86

• Great homework once again, Luc!
• This week’s lessons helped you to play skipping 5ths. You played lots of tunes with your hands playing at the same time, and your left hand played some 5ths in a rhythmic drumming song!
• You are now happy playing in Big C position, as well as Middle C position at the keyboard!
• You did a great job with the rhythm tapping exercises this week with Mr Woodpecker!
• You are also getting very good at identifying ‘skipping’ intervals such as 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and now 5ths!

At Home this Week;

• Review the practice for lesson 86 at home. Then try lesson 87.
• Keep working on your C Major scale ascending, descending and in contrary motion.
• Try this activity sheet which is all about playing notes in the Big C position

Craig – Piano Suite Level 7, Lesson 5

• This week we learned a new scale – B Major. This one has 5 sharps in the key signature, and the left hand begins on finger 4!
• You spent some time in the Ear Training Coach software, identifying intervals which were also written on the screen. You did well by playing the notes on the keyboard and working out which one sounded the same as the example. Next week, we’ll try some more where you work it out in your head!
• In Piano Player, you worked hard on your 2 repertoire pieces. Then you played through a new piece with hands apart. We’ll work some more on Mozart’s Minuet in F (3) next time.
• To finish off, we also clapped through some dotted 8th and 16th note rehythm combinations.

At home this week;

• Keep working on your scales every day, especially on your right hand. This week, also add your new scale B Major.
• Try to print out and complete this worksheet which is all about Major and Perfect intervals.

Have a great week!

Adele

We had a very rhythmic class this Saturday! It was great to have a visitor to our class too! Welcome to MusIQ Club, Ela!

We began with a rhythm circle. You first copied my 4 beat rhythm patterns, and then took turns inventing your own! Good job!

Then we played a game where I made up more rhythms using body percussion, like tapping my shoulders, clapping hands, tapping our knees etc. You did a super job copying my rhythms, and some were quite tricky! Then some of you had a go at leading the group too!

Level 1A, Lessons 4 and 5  – Sara, Abigail, Mya, Beth and Andrew

• This week,  in lesson 4, you learned all about circle notes! Instead of the bird, whale and boat pictures you now have circle notes! If the circle is high on the screen, you play a high note on the keyboard. If the circle is low, then you play a low note. If the circle sits on the line across the middle of the screen, you play Middle C.
• Then, in lesson 5, Mr Beethoven ran through all the different skills you have covered so far in MusIQ. Next week you’ll be meeting a new teacher called Mr Bach!

At Home this Week;

• Print out this activity sheet and see if you can find all the groups of 4 beats!
• If you didn’t get a chance yet, then have a go at this wordsearch all about Mr Beethoven!
• If you have the Children’s Music Journey software at home, try reviewing Lesson 5 so that you are absolutely happy with circle notes before we move on with our new teacher Mr Bach next week!

See you next week,

Adele Merritt