teacher`s guide - Fennica Gehrman

a rja s uor s a-r a nna nm ä k i
teacher’s guide
c ol ou r k e y s – t he pi a no a b c
10 on our way to musicland
Once upon a time...
A short story will take us to Musicland. Feel free to add your own ideas to
the story and let your imagination fly! Have a nice trip!
10 once upon a time there was a little do...
The door to a small space rocket was wide open. Little do was standing by
the front step looking pleased. Little do had made the rocket very comfortable for the trip. There were soft armchairs, lots of snacks on the table, and
a library of travel books waiting for readers. Little do had purchased new
and fancy stereo equipment as well as many exciting movies for the long
adventure. Everything was ready.
Little do enthusiastically waited for his friends to arrive and then finally
saw them approach with their luggage. After everyone had settled in comfortably, Little do double-checked that his very special suitcase was safely
on board.
Then Little do made an announcement: “Welcome to Musicair flight number 1 to Musicland. I wish everyone a pleasant journey!”
2
11 solar system
After traveling for a good while in space, Little do saw the big yellow Sun
with a friendly smile. Beautiful planets of different colours were orbiting
the Sun. Little do directed the space rocket towards the kingdom of Sun
known as the Solar System. Now he just needed to find the green and blue
planet called Earth. Little do knew that Musicland would be right there!
12 earth
“Hey, there it is!” they all exclaimed
with one voice. “Where then is this
Musicland? How much longer until
we get there?”
3
13 musicland in sight!
“We will be landing shortly at the Musicland airport. Please fasten your
seatbelts!” Who might be welcoming Little do and his friends at the airport?
14 inhabitants of musicland
The inhabitants of Musicland are: Dino, Elephant, Teddy, Daddy, Mommy, Birdie, Clouds, Stars, and the Sun.
If the names Daddy and Mommy are not suitable for a particular student,
the teacher can think of alternative names to use. For example, the teacher
could talk about grandpa and grandma, uncle and aunt etc.
4
15 coloured slip and the inhabitants of musicland on the
keyboard.
A coloured slip is placed behind the keys to help visualize the octave
ranges. Each colour represents a specific octave range. The coloured slip
shows the abode of each inhabitant on the keyboard. Each inhabitant has
its unique colour based on which octave range they live in. The colours of
the inhabitants and their corresponding octave ranges are:
Dino
Elephant
Teddy
Daddy
Mommy
Birdie
Clouds
Stars
Sun
sub-contra
contra
great
small
1-line
2-line
3-line
4-line
5-line
purple
grey
green
red
blue
yellow
light blue
silver (light grey)
gold (light orange)
For example, Birdie can sing and play on all the keys in the yellow range,
both white and black keys. Explore the different octave ranges and colours
with the child: who lives in the green area, what about in the light blue area? What colour are the stars? Where do they twinkle? Where does Dino
live? What colour is Dino’s home? Who lives in the red area? Etc.
4
3
2
2
5
5
4
5
1
Learning the finger numbers.
3
1
16 rhythm exercises
ta
The exercises are clapped by saying rhythm syllables and then played. The exercises are played
hands separately until page 24. The rhythm exercises are played non-legato. See page 60 for further instructions.
16 ta
Quarter note
A quarter note is called ta. It serves as the basic beat in all exercises. The
writing of rhythm syllables is done using stick notation. Drawing these
symbols is easy for children.
Finding the basic beat of a ta is first accomplished away from the book
by clapping or walking to the beat. Later the teacher gives a signal to start
by saying rhythmically “rea-dy”. Each syllable equals a ta note. The student
keeps clapping ta notes with the hands while saying out loud ta, ta etc.
until a steady pulse is established. It is a good idea for pianists also to practise tapping the rhythms on their lap in order to enhance coordination
skills. This exercise prepares the students for the actual playing.
The student continues to clap while looking at the notation and aims to
maintain a steady pulse throughout. Next start using some words: Di-no,
Ted-dy, Dad-dy, Mom-my etc. One syllable equals one ta note. For example, for the Elephant, the student could say “Dum-bo”, for the Clouds “Cloudlet”, for the Stars “Bright Stars” (each word receives one ta) and for the Sun
“Sun-shine”. Two-syllable names of children, teachers, friends etc. can be
used for learning ta notes. Word associations are quite useful in practising any rhythm. In order to help the children keep their eyes focused on
the notation while maintaining a steady pulse, the teacher can guide the
students by pointing with the finger to the next note on the book and in this
way help the students anticipate what comes next.
The goal is for the students to both feel a clear a pulse in their bodies
and to become familiar with the ta sign.
6
Hand position
Right from the beginning the teacher shall guide the child towards a relaxed and elastic use of the arm and the wrist. A natural hand position
is found easily by dropping the hands down on the lap, the backs of the
hands facing down: the fingers are slightly curved and the wrists and lower
arms rest on the lap with their natural weight. The palms can be compared
to a soft bird’s nest or they can be called “playing nests”. Then “the nest” is
turned around and the student can admire its shape: even the knuckles
stand out naturally. The student plays ta notes with the “playing nests” on
the lap while letting the arms and wrists move with elasticity.
Sitting posture
Sitting posture can also be explored through a game while sitting on the piano bench: Imagine a curled up cat sleeping. Slowly it wakes up and straightens its back into an upright sitting position. The cat holds up its head high
so that it could even wear a crown or a magician’s hat! A good and stable sitting posture requires a steady surface under the feet. Often young pianists
need to use a small footrest under their feet.
Now the exercise will be played. There are no so-called “wrong notes”.
The goal is to find the correct colour, in other words the correct octave
range, where each of the characters plays its own ta notes. This exercise can
also be played first using the whole hand, i.e. tone clusters. Once the correct
colour or octave range is discovered and the pulse stays steady, the student
can practise in the following way: the lh (left hand) uses the middle finger
and plays the lowest registers from Dino to Daddy and the rh (right hand)
uses the middle finger and plays all the registers going up from Mommy.
Using the middle finger for playing will help the student find a balanced
hand position. In the beginning, other fingers can be used as well; the goal
is that the child learns to find the ta notes in the marked octave ranges and
gets to experience a steadily beating pulse while playing.
7
18 ti-ti
Eighth notes
After the ta note, ti-ti notes are introduced. One ti
note equals one 1/8 note. ti-ti notes are used together with ta notes. The rhythms are practised by clapping the hands together while saying out loud the
ti
ti
rhythm syllables, as well as with the help of name associations (e.g. twin-kle twin-kle bright star = ti-ti titi ta ta). A train symbolizes ti-ti notes speeding at
140km/h, and the car ta notes trudging along at 70km/h.
It is recommended to clap the ti-ti and the ta notes in the following
way: the faster and lighter ti-ti notes are clapped with only the index and
the middle finger of one hand onto the palm of the other hand. Clapping
the fast notes in this way makes it easier than using the whole palm. The
ta notes are clapped in the usual way. The switch from the ta notes to the
ti-ti notes within the rhythm patterns becomes very concrete to the children when they can experience the change physically by clapping the
rhythms in different ways.
Clap the exercise while saying aloud the rhythm syllables. The rh and the
lh parts can be divided between the students so that some clap and say
aloud the rhythms for Birdie’s notes and the others for Daddy’s notes. Play
the exercise on the lap: Birdie’s part with the rh and then Daddy’s part with
the lh. Finally, play this exercise on the piano hands separately. Play the
ti-ti notes with a light gesture and the ta notes with a slower elastic movement. The playing exercise can also be divided: one student can play the
Birdie notes and another student the Daddy notes.
-
19 laughter
“Ha Ha Hah! He He Heh! “
(Arja Suorsa-Rannanmäki)
19 teddys paws
“Teddy stomps along” (Heidi Saario)
8
20 tau
(tau)
Quarter rest
Children like being active instead of sitting still doing nothing. During a rest, you can do something
that makes you think of silence. The student could
blow out a candle or blow away the clouds covering the sun. During a rest, the student can blow or
quietly whisper tau. Clap the exercises first while
saying the rhythm syllables out loud and then play.
21 ta-a
Half note
When clapping half notes, the hands are kept together after the clap and the arms and elbows swing out
so that a child can experience the two beats within a
ta-a note. The students say out loud ta-a while emphasizing the first syllable. The duration of a half
note can be illustrated with slow movement of a sailboat and the quarter note beats with two waves. After
clapping the rhythm, the exercise is played: ta notes with an elastic gesture
from the arm and the wrist, and the ta-a notes with a slower and deeper
elastic movement that lasts for the entire duration of the note.
22–23 student’s and teacher’s pages
The book includes blank pages that the student can use for practising
rhythms and writing short compositions. The teacher should encourage the
children to play their own compositions. If needed, the teacher can help the
student with writing these exercises.
The teacher can also use these pages, for example, to clarify some new concept taught in the lesson. The blank pages offer space for the teacher to write
down children’s songs and folk songs not included in this book. Especially
songs from the student’s own country are recommended supplementary repertoire. There is nothing stopping the teacher from composing
new pieces as well.
9
24 playing hands together
From here on the hands play together, first in unison, then one hand at a time, and finally the individual parts at the same time. A double bar line at
the end of a piece will be used. It can be called the
gable wall of the note house. To improve the coordination of the hands, the student is recommended
to practise the rhythms first by tapping on the lap with both hands.
The student can imagine playing a magic or toy piano.
25 playing partners of different colours
Different combinations of colours and octave ranges
are used here in order to help the student become familiar with the whole range of the keyboard. The student can write familiar rhythms in the exercises so that
both playing partners play the same rhythm. Then these
rhythm compositions are played. Attention! Before
moving forward in the book, the child should be familiar with the basic rhythms, in other words, be able to
recognize the symbols, draw them, and clap them.
26 the repeat friend
Repeat sign
The repeat sign is introduced. In the picture, the
pairs of eyes are following the approaching ta notes
with curiosity. The teacher could talk about repeat
friends that want to hear the piece again. The pairs of
eyes can be compared to the dots in the repeat sign.
The purpose of the repeat sign is explained to the
child: when there is a repeat sign at
the end of a piece, the piece will be
played once again.
10
28 solo and tutti
Up to this point the pieces have been played either
hands separately or together. Now we introduce the
solo
solo and tutti parts within a piece. At the same time,
tutti
coordination of the hands is developed further and
the form of the piece studied. In the following, the
pieces in the rhythm section are arranged to include both solo and tutti parts. More about illustrating the musical form is
found on page 61.
29 a light dance. elephant and dino.
Play these pieces lightly like dancing! In the first exercise, it is a good idea
that the teacher accompanies the student in the rhythm of a light waltz. The
second piece starts with an “upbeat” ta note. The emphasis is on the ta-a
note. It is important that the teacher with the accompaniment clearly supports the beat in the triple time.
forte
piano
34 forte and piano
Forte and piano as well as crescendo and diminuendo are introduced. It is important that the children put their soul into expressing the dynamics
when clapping, singing, and playing. The dynamics
are practised by using the child’s own voice in order to experience the
changes in dynamics in a concrete way, for example: the child claps ta
notes strongly with active movements and says in a loud voice: “for-te!”.
Correspondingly the student claps ta notes more mysteriously and with
less active movements and says quietly: “pia-no”. Use dynamic variation in
the future as well and mark the changes on the music!
11
35 crescendo and diminuendo
Crescendo and diminuendo are also explored with
the help of the child’s own voice. The easiest way
crescendo
to experience this type of dynamic variation is by
diminuendo
clapping the rhythm with rhythm syllables, for example ti-ti ti-ti ta ta, while letting the voice become stronger towards the end of the pattern. Answer then by clapping the same pattern while letting the voice become
softer. It is fun to practise the first exercise on this page this way: use the
rhythm and dynamics of the exercise and say aloud cre-scen-do and di-minu-en-do (ta ta ta ta ti-ti ti-ti ta-a). In this way the children can physically feel the changes in dynamics in their own body. A student can
also practise crescendo and diminuendo by singing a familiar tune, for
example “Mommy Went to Sauna”. The student can sing a crescendo during
the first phrase (Mommy went to sauna) and then diminuendo during the
second phrase (soap is what she found there). In addition, the experience
can be reinforced with body movements. Hold your palms together at the
height of the shoulders. Keep your elbows against the body. Start singing
the first phrase quietly opening up the arms smoothly during the crescendo. By the end of the phrase during the forte dynamic the arms will have
opened wide horizontally on both sides. During the diminuendo in the second phrase let the arms return back down to the starting position. This arm
movement can be compared, for example, to the opening and closing of the
bellows of an accordion.
Now is a good time to review some earlier rhythm exercises and play
them with dynamics. Decide on the dynamics and write them on the music. Clap and say aloud the rhythm syllables, and play with expressive dynamics. During the clapping and playing the children can also express the
dynamics by using their own voice.
Remember the dynamics in the future as well!
12
36–37 up and down in the colour lift
to floors of different colours!
The purpose of the colour lift is to encourage the
colour
child to use the whole range of the keyboard. In adlift
dition, these exercises prepare the student to move
hands from one octave to another as well as to cross
one hand over the other. A picture of the colour lift
will appear often in the following pages. It encourages playing pieces in
different octaves, not only the octave that the piece is written in.
38 the lift going up!
Play the piece first with the rh or the lh (note the right-handedness or lefthandedness). Switch hands and play the exercise again. Finally, play the
Teddy and Daddy notes with the lh and the Mommy and Birdie notes with
the rh.
39 the lift coming down!
Play the piece first with the rh or the lh. Switch hands and play the exercise again. Finally, play the Birdie and Mommy notes with the rh and the
Daddy and Teddy notes with the lh.
13
40–41 hands crossing
over each other
On page 40, the lh crosses over
the rh and plays the red and
the yellow notes. The rh stays
in its own octave range and
plays the blue notes. On page
41, the rh crosses over the lh
and plays the yellow and silver
notes. The lh stays in its own octave range and plays the light blue notes.
Let the student choose a colour and colour the lines illustrating the different octave ranges at the beginning of the rhythm score. The ta notes are
written with the corresponding colours.
46 singing in musicland
The inhabitants of Musicland are singing a do song together. Elephant trumpets nice low sounds, Teddy sings with
soft grunts. Daddy sings with a lower
voice than Mommy and Birdie trills
with a clear high-pitched voice. How
does the Cloud hum? What about the
Stars? What do you hear in the starry
sky? Who knows what the song of the
Sun sounds like? The inhabitants “welcome” do with a do hand sign.
about hand signs
The method uses a specific hand sign for
each note. With the help of the hand signs
the relationships between the notes become
more concrete. The pieces are sung using solmization (i.e. singing using the solfa syllables) and hand
signs are used. First the do hand sign is introduced.
14
do
47 the note house and the do clef
The notes need a home. The note house, i.e. the staff,
is being built one floor at a time. The do clef will let
you into the note house. From now on, short pieces
are played. The “stick writing” is replaced with the
standard notation.
œ œ
15
do
c- do
48 do
do is the tonic or a root note of a major scale, c-do in c major, d-do in d
major, e-do in e major, etc.
Attention! Carefully avoid using a fixed c-do! This is why two different dos, c-do and d-do, are used right from the beginning. This method
uses relative solfa that is based on a movable do. Avoid any misunderstanding from the beginning!
c-do on the keyboard
Before introducing the do on the staff, the student will learn about the do
on the keyboard. The picture here illustrates the concrete location of the
do on the keyboard. The do character is wearing FLEX running shoes
that help do jump into a new location on the keyboard, i.e. to a new key that
represents the tonic of a major scale (c in c major, d in d major, e in e major,
etc.). First the c-do is introduced on the keyboard. Find all the cs on the
keyboard.
16
49 single-line staff
The importance of the do clef
Starting positions
A coloured single-line staff is used in the beginning. The do clef shows
where do lives on the staff. do lives either under the line or on the line depending on whether c-do or d-do is used. c-do lives under the line and d-do
on the line. In the beginning the melodies are either in the key of c major or
d major. Birdie’s and Daddy’s octave ranges are used as the starting position
(yellow and red octave range). A short section of the traditional grand staff
is shown at the beginning of the staff. The lines are coloured based on the
colours assigned to each octave range. The g and f clefs are visible here as
well in order for an image of the traditional grand staff to be imprinted in the
student’s memory before it is formally introduced.
In addition to the written notes on the staff, the small dots placed on the piano keys in the picture of the keyboard show the location of the notes used in
each piece: in the do pieces, a dot is placed on ‘c’ to illustrate a c-do or on ‘d’
to illustrate a d-do. In the same way in the do-re pieces, do is placed on ‘c’ in
c major, and re on ‘d’. In the key of d major, do is placed on ‘d’ and re on ‘e’.
Starting with the do-re melodies, the necessary solfa syllables are printed on the coloured slip behind the keyboard. These names should not be
written on the actual physical coloured slip. The solfa syllables used in solmization could be called singing names. The absolute names could first
be called the names of the piano keys. The names of the piano keys are
written at the front end of the keys. The names of the piano keys will also
become familiar in transposition. Transposition is illustrated on page 64.
c-do on the staff
The do clef shows the location of the c-do
under the line. A small rhyme can be used
to memorize this. Use the rhythm ta ti-ti
ti-ti ta and ask: Where does the c-do live?
Use rhythm ta ti-ti ta z and answer: Under the line. A child can write words on the
road sign that start with a letter c.
17
&
?
œ
œ
50 city marathon. london city.
Solmization and hand signs are used for these songs. The hand also accents
the beats with a movement from the wrist. Switch the hand according to the
part. Before playing, the rhythms of each part are tapped on one’s lap.
“Marathon has gotten started, all the boys and girls are running.” (Heidi Saario)
“Let’s have fun, London here I come!” (Heidi Saario)
51 do travels on the keyboard
movable
do
Movable do
In the picture do wanders around the keyboard carrying his suitcase. The picture illustrates the mobility of the do (movable do) and introduces the idea of
transposition. Once a piece is memorized, the child
can play it by ear starting on any key. Find out more
information on transposition on page 64.
18
52 d-do
on the keyboard
do
d - do
do has jumped with his flex
shoes onto the d key. Find all the
ds on the keyboard.
53 d-do on the staff
d-do is located on the line that is located in
between the teeth of the do clef. A rhyme for
memorization: where does the d-do live (ta
ti-ti ti-ti ta)? Answer: On the line (ta ta ta
z)! A child can write words on the road sign
that begin with a letter d.
19
&
?
œ
œ
54 dalmatian barks!
daniel and daniela’s running race
Before playing this piece, sing the song with lyrics, clap all the parts on the
lap, and use solmization.
“Can you hear the doggy barking out there?” (Heidi Saario)
“Running quickly, running quickly, phew, phew!” (Heidi Saario)
do pieces
Clap the individual parts while saying out loud the rhythm syllables. Next,
tap the Birdie and Daddy parts for the rh and the lh on the lap. Sing the do
notes together with the hand sign. At the same time, the hand accents the
beats with a movement from the wrist. Now play the piece: ti-ti notes lightly,
ta notes with an elastic movement from the arm and the wrist, ta-a notes
with a slower and deeper gesture that lasts for the duration of the note.
While playing the piece, it is a good idea to sing along using the lyrics or
solmization. The lyrics will add more content and are essential especially
at the beginning stages when the repertoire includes pieces of only a few
notes. Using solmization during playing will develop the cooperation between the ear and the fingers. If the rhythm syllables are used while playing, the student should be encouraged to sing them.
56–57 DO-RE
re hand sign
Steps
re
c-do
Introducing re. Learning the re hand sign. A picture
of the stairs is used to illustrate the relationship between the notes. Using the c-do, the teacher introduces the locations of do-re notes both on the keyboard and on the staff.
The teacher demonstrates do and re notes by singing and by using the
hand signs, and the children will follow along. The teacher leads the singing by pointing to the notes on the stairs and then on the staff. When using
relative solfa, the ear for music is being trained by singing melodies at
c- do
20
different pitches. Before starting to sing in a new pitch, the do has to be
tuned. The teacher demonstrates and keeps singing the new do and goes
through each student and checks whether they can match their pitch with
the teacher’s. The teacher adapts to a vocal range that is comfortable
for the child. Then everyone sings the new do together. Especially in the
beginning, it is hard for the students to hear their own voice if everybody is
singing at the same time. Therefore, finding the correct pitch is easier when
singing alone. It is important to find a comfortable vocal range for each individual student.
The teacher can demonstrate the exercises in the following way: when the
pitch is low, the teacher can show the hand signs while holding the hand
literally lower, and when the pitch is high, the teacher can raise the hand
and show the hand signs higher and if the pitch in mid-range, the teacher
can hold the hand at the level of the waist. The children will follow and
copy the teacher. The most important thing is that the melodies are always
sung with both expression and dynamic shaping and that the pitches are in
a comfortable range for the students.
The do-re notes can be played hands separately or together. Letting the
student find different do-re note patterns across the keyboard starting on
the c in different octaves is recommended.
do-re pieces are played with the following fingering: rh fingers 2-3 and
lh fingers 3-2. The teacher might consider using an alternative fingering.
d - do
d-do
Follow the previous instructions when practising the
d-do. This note pattern can be played hands together or separately. The student is recommended to find
and play the do-re keys in different octaves starting
on a d.
58 mommy takes a coffee break.
bear is picking blueberries.
“Mommy takes a coffee break.” (Heidi Saario)
“Bear is picking blueberries.” (Heidi Saario)
21
59 student’s page
Take the Musicland inhabitants home! Use crayons.
non
legato
60 non legato. a cat and a ball
Non-legato (detached) is the most essential articulation in the early stages of learning to play the piano.
In the picture the nimble Non-Legato Cat bounces
around. The paws move in the same way as the fingers playing in non-legato. Non-legato playing can also be compared to bouncing a ball. This way of
playing enables the hand to stay nimble and promotes the differentiation of
each finger. Starting legato playing too early may stiffen the hand.
The teacher demonstrates a piece by playing it in non-legato. Having the
student rest the hand on
the teacher’s hand while
the teacher is demonstrating the non-legato touch
often reinforces the learning. This way the students
physically feel the correct
motion of the hand, which
they can then imitate. Remember the relaxed wrist
and arm.
About articulation: The same pieces can be articulated in many different ways and this is why articulation is not printed on the score. The teacher chooses an articulation that suits each individual student as well as the
character of the piece and writes it down in the book. It is recommended
that the articulation be written down only after the student has mastered
the new touch. This way the children can internalize the abstract symbol
through their own concrete experience.
61 busy bee and teddy bear
Honey from the busy bee. Teddy Bear would like to see. Busy Bee, busy bee. Honey
sweet for you and me.” (Philip Binham)
22
The same or different? Or almost the same?
Form: Sometimes focusing on the rhythm and the melodies may overshadow exploring the form of a piece with young children. In addition to clapping, singing and playing the pieces, drawing and building can be used
as efficient tools in comparing, visualizing, and concretizing the form
as well as the similarities and differences between the phrases.
With the help of pictures drawn by the teacher and the children (a whiteboard is a great teaching aid) the form of a piece can be explained in a simple manner: for example, the Way Up High (Mr. Sun) song (page 63) has four
phrases of which three are identical and one (the second last) is different.
A cat can serve as a symbol for the identical phrases and a dog for the different phrase. Thus the form of the Way Up High (Mr. Sun) can be drawn
as cat-cat-dog-cat. When the drawings are finished on the whiteboard, the
melody is sung while reading the pictures.
Some pieces have phrases that look almost identical. A repeating phrase
might have been altered slightly, for example by changing the rhythm, as
in the My Molly Dolly (see page 75). This piece has six phrases: the first two
are identical, and the following two (the 3rd and the 4th phrase) are identical. The fifth phrase is almost the same as the first and the second phrase;
however, the rhythm is slightly altered. The last phrase is identical with the
first and the second one. One could explore the form with the help of the
following images: draw a Molly Dolly to symbolize the first phrase. Draw
another Molly Dolly to symbolize the second phrase that is identical with
the first one. One can draw two boys to symbolize the third and the fourth
phrase. The fifth phrase is almost the same as the Molly Dolly symbolizing
the first and the second phrase: to describe a slight change one could, for
example, add a ribbon in Molly Dolly’s hair!
Duplo Legos are also very useful tools in visualizing the form of a piece: use
a different colour Lego piece to describe each phrase and the form of the
piece reveals itself in no time at all.
Encourage the child to vary the dynamics and to write down the chosen
dynamics on the music. When the piece starts to sound secure, it is time to
use the colour lift.
23
62 legato cat walking
The student is already familiar with non-legato articulation. The notes sound detached while the finlegato
gers bounce on the keys and catch the notes one at a
time. The teacher now plays some piece demonstrating a legato touch. The student listens carefully, but
does not yet look at how the teacher is playing. Closing the eyes can help the student listen more attentively. How does the playing sound? Do the notes sound detached or do they sound connected as if
tied together? Singing can also be used to practice listening to the legato
sound. In addition, singing can be used to help clarify the differences between non-legato and legato.
Legato can be compared to walking. When walking, one foot is lifted only after the other foot has touched the ground. It is a good idea to test this
in practice with the student. When playing legato, the fingers are lifted as
if they were walking: one finger is lifted only after the
other finger plays.
Legato playing is practiced with do and re notes and
the teacher will explain the meaning of the legato slur.
œ
œ
63 way up high (mr. sun)
“Way up high, swallows fly. Diving, racing, sunbeams
chasing, way up high.” (Angela Ailes)
The legato touch is practiced here in the phrases that
have ta notes. If the students can play legato without
tensing their hands, the phrases with the ta notes can
be played legato. The teacher will write the legato slurs on the music. titi notes are played non-legato. If the student is not yet ready to use legato,
the piece is played in the familiar non-legato way. At the discretion of the
teacher, legato playing can gradually be introduced in other pieces as well.
The form of the piece is explored. Look for some ideas in the instructions
on page 61. Use dynamics.
24
64 transposition
do travels
In the picture of the keyboard, do travels, a suitcase
transposition in hand, to different destinations, i.e., different keys.
Transposing begins here. Any note can function
as do, i.e., as the tonic note of a major key. Using the
movable do, the pieces can be played in all keys.
do
re
mi fa
so
A movable do “travels”; it starts a piece on keys with
different names. It is a good idea to associate the key names with other
names. For example, do can have a playdate with his friend from school,
Christian, who lives in the c building. Then do travels, for example, to the d
key to see the Dalmatian, or visits Doris, or the Dolphin (or visits Denmark,
Dublin, David, etc.) In other words, one plays in the key of d major. When
traveling to E, one could visit England, Edward, Emily, etc.do jumps to the
F key to visit Finland, France, etc. do’s friend Gabriel lives in Greece or Gibraltar, etc. do will visit Africa with Anne and Aaron who live in America.
During his vacation do travels to Berlin. The names of the keys are printed
below each key. Sometimes the names are left out so that the student can
fill them in.
Attention! do should never be fixed on c, not on the music nor on the
keyboard. As mentioned earlier, this method employs a movable do.
25
do’s travel ticket
transposing slip
The use of the transposing slip
To illustrate transposing visually a
transparent, movable transposing slip
can be used on top of the coloured slip. This
travel ticket works in every key and the
solfa names are printed on the slip. When
one positions the name do printed on the
major scale slip behind a specific key, the
solfa names on the slip show the correct
keys to be used in that particular major
key. In addition to listening, the visual appearance of the different major keys on the keyboard can now be clarified with the use of the transposing slip that shows all the necessary piano keys needed in any particular key. The travel ticket also helps a child to play in so-called difficult
keys without too much challenge. This will further improve the control of the instrument in an auditory as well as visual way, but also in a
kinaesthetic way, and the hand becomes more comfortable with playing different combinations of keys.
do-re pieces are now played starting on any key. The two-note pieces are
played in various different ways: on two black keys, on two white keys, as
well as on a black and a white key and vice versa. As a result, the keyboard
becomes more familiar, and playing in different keys feels natural.
Attention! Transpose only pieces that have been memorized in order
not to interfere with the note learning process. In other words, transpose pieces without the book. When using the book, play only in the
key that the piece is originally written. Children can transpose a
piece after they can play it fluently from memory.
do
mi
re
26
fa
so
66 ritardando
ritardando
In the picture, a train slows down when approaching the station. The railway guard slows down his
running speed and shows a stop sign. In music,
the tempo can also slow down towards the end of a
piece. A new term ritardando and its abbreviation
rit. is learnt.
67 ritardando train
“Quickly now, quickly now, hear the train wheels beating.
Slowing down, slowing down, until at the station.” (Heidi Saario)
68 dashing dan
“Here’s my dog, he’s Dashing Dan. He will catch you if he can. He is
loyal, he is true. Dan will wag his tail for you.” (Angela Ailes)
69 student’s and teacher’s page
The c-do exercise on the top staff: Study the location of the do clef on the
staff with your students, and make sure that it is clear to them where the
do note is located on the staff and how the do clef indicates that location.
Guide your students in writing notes in the Birdie octave, sometimes below
the line (do) and sometimes on the line (re).
Let the child use first only ta notes. To add variety, encourage the student
sometimes to use repeated do and re notes as well. When the composition
is ready, sing and play it together with the student. It is important that the
children can hear what they have composed. After this, ask the child to
copy and write this piece in the Daddy octave and play hands together in
unison. If desired, familiar dynamics, articulation, and agogics (ritardando) can be used to add more expression. In the exercise at the bottom, repeat the same exercise, now using d-do.
The teacher can also write down a children’s song or a folk song on the
staff. Especially songs from the student’s own country are excellent supplementary repertoire. Nothing stops a teacher from composing a completely
new piece!
27
71 student’s page
Compose do-re pieces and play them. Which keys will you use?
Mark them on the keyboard.
72–73 do-re-mi
mi
Two-line staff
c-do
As the number of notes increases, more lines are added to the staff. From now on, a two-line staff is used. mi
is introduced and the mi hand sign is learnt. The relations between the notes are illustrated with steps in the picture. The locations of the do, re, and mi notes are first learnt by using c-do.
Sing and improvise short do-re-mi melodies using the steps and hand
signs. Sing do-re-mi going up and mi-re-do coming down. Sing melodies
by combining neighbouring notes together. Practise also the do-mi skip. A
skip between do and mi can easily be explained by showing it concretely
on the steps in the picture. It is a good idea to encourage children to be conductors themselves and point to the different steps in the picture while the
other students and the teacher follow along and sing. When singing, remember to use keys that are suitable for a child.
The melodies can be played hands separately or together. Letting the student find and play do-re-mi melodies starting on c in different octaves is
recommended.
c- do
d-do
Ladder – sharp sign
When the do-re-mi pattern is played in d major, a
sharp sign, i.e. “a ladder” is introduced. “The ladder”
is used for climbing up. At this
stage, only accidentals are used
and the ladder is marked below
the note. With the help of the ladder, a note will climb
up to the closest key. Discuss the function of the ladder
with the students and ask them where to move from a
d - do
28
specific key on the keyboard when a sharp sign is used. Practice by using
both white and black keys as a starting point.
The melodies can be played hands separately or together. Letting the student find and play do-re-mi melodies starting on d in different octaves is
recommended. (e-do on the keyboard and staff will be introduced on pages
84 and 85).
It is recommended to play the do-re-mi pieces with mirror fingering:
rh fingers 1-2-3 and lh fingers 3-2-1.
74 hot cross buns
“Hot cross buns, hot cross buns. One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns.” (Eng-
lish Folksong)
Play also on the black keys. Transpose.
75 my molly dolly
“This is little Molly, Molly is my Dolly. Doctor can you mend her leg? Do it gently
please I beg. Now Molly please try, do be brave and don’t cry.” (Angela Ailes)
Explore the form of this piece and choose supporting dynamics for it.
76 notes live in a row house
Measure and time signature
The notes live in “row houses”. The time signature in front of the house indicates how many TA notes live in each apartment or in a measure. If the
children wonder why you can fit in more ti-ti notes than ta notes in an
apartment, one can compare the ta notes to adults and ti-ti notes to children. What about the passengers on the back seat of a car? Can you fit in
more children than adults?
œ
2
3
œ
œ2
œ
œ 3 œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
29
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œœ
œ
œ
œ
77 busy bee
“Suddenly, suddenly, sunny Sunday. Middling, muddling, moony Monday.”
(Philip Binham)
78 ta-a-a
Dotted half note
Once upon a time there were
three bears…
The dotted half note is introta a a
duced next. It is called ta-a-a.
Three bears fit in the ta-a-a row boat in the picture.
With the help of a picture of a seesaw, one can compare the “weight” of a taa-a note to the “weight” of a ta note. The seesaw is balanced if ta-a-a is playing with three tas. You can also compare the notes to big bears and small
cubs.
When clapping dotted half notes, the hands stay together after the clap
and the arms and elbows swing so that a child can experience the three
beats within a ta-a-a note.
--
Three Bears
“See the bears rowing the boat on the sea,
ta-a-a boat takes home one, two, and three.” (Heidi Saario)
79 squirrel
“Squirrel sits up in his tree. Only one small nut has he. Let us go, you and me, with
a sackful for his tea.” (Angela Ailes)
80 cradle
“Cradle rocking to and fro, Mother singing sweet and low: “Time for bed, sleepy
head, now the Sand Man’s coming”. (Philip Binham)
82 run, run, run away
“Run, run, oh what fun. Now our game has just begun. Are you hiding, now I’m
seeking, Back of ev’ry tree I’m peeking.” (Philip Binham)
30
83 what is the little bear doing in the forest?
Introduction to minor tones
“Can you hear the little bear, grunting in the forest? He just wants, to sit down,
and enjoy his honey.” (Heidi Saario)
Usually la is introduced as the tonic note in a minor key. However, re can
also be used as the tonic note when composing melodies in a minor key.
Both the melody on this page and the one on page 103 represent songs in
the character of minor tones.
e- do
84–85 do-re-mi and e-do
Introducing the do-re-mi scale in e major. Letting
the student find and play do-re-mi melodies starting
on E in different octaves is recommended. Attention!
Please note the ladder!
86 hot cross buns
“Hot Cross buns, hot cross buns. One a penny,
two a penny, hot cross buns.” (English Folksong)
Emily is serving some delicious sausage to her friends
Eric, Eva, Ethan, and Edith at her birthday party.
31
c- do
fa
90–91 do-re-mi-fa
fa hand sign
A small step – a semitone
c-do
Learning the new fa hand sign. The semitone is introduced for the first
time. The “staircase” shows the semitone and highlights the difference from
the other steps. A whole tone is called a big step and a semitone a small
step. Up to this point only the word step has been used, as all the steps were
equal in size.
On the staff the do-re-mi-fa scale is introduced in c major. The student is
recommended to play these patterns both hands separately and together. It
is a good idea to have students discover and play do-re-mi-fa scales starting on c in different octaves.
Have the student sing the steps up and down on the stairs including singing all different skips that can be formed using these notes. These exercises
are sung in many different keys. Singing different skips helps the use of hand
signs become more fluent as compared to only singing steps up and down in
order. It is also beneficial to sing the pattern using a glissando. When singing
do-re (gliss.), re-mi (gliss.), and mi-fa (gliss.) the child will experience how
going up the big step requires more “stretching” than going up the small step
from mi to fa. It feels like mi and fa are right next to each other, almost like
attached to each other. Practise singing the mi-fa semitones in different keys
with the hand signs. Next the notes are played. Before playing, however, it
should be made clear that mi and fa are the keys closest possible to each
other on the keyboard: when you go up from mi, fa is found on the very next
key above and when you go down from fa, mi is found on the very next key
below. The colour of the keys does not matter!
32
Have the student play mi-fa note patterns starting on any key and listen
carefully. In order to practise the difference between the small and the big
step, whole tones and semitones are played in turn.
It is important to make it clear that a small step will always take you to
the closest higher or lower key (not just from white to white, e.g., from e to
f or from b to c). The transposing slip illustrates the difference between
a whole tone and a semitone.
do-re-mi-fa pieces are played with either mirror fingering: rh fingers
1-2-3-4 and lh fingers 4-3-2-1; or with a fingering that leads to playing in
unison: rh fingers 1-2-3-4 and lh fingers 5-4-3-2.
You can find more pieces using the do-re-mi-fa scale in the beginning of
the book b.
d - do
d-do
On the staff, the do-re-mi-fa scale is introduced in d
major. The student should attempt to play the scale
patterns both hands separately and together. The student should be encouraged to seek out and play dore-mi-fa scales starting on D in different octaves.
92 to paris!
“Traveling to Paris, come with me now to Paris.“ (Heidi Saario)
93 the stork song
“On the roof once sat a stork. And the stork began to talk. ‘listen *now the bird said
clear (* or substitute student’s name), Don’t forget to practice, dear, ta, ta, ta, ta,
ti-ti ti-ti ta ta” (Philip Binham)
94 little train
“Choo, choo, choo, choo, Choo, choo, choo, choo, “Hurry little puffer train”, cried all
the children, see our merry flags are waving to and fro. No when the station master blows his shiny whistle, toot toot toot toot, off we’ll go.” (Angela Ailes)
33
96 do travels!
Travel destinations
The street signs in the picture show different travel destinations where do
could travel. Choose your favourite destination and play pieces in the specific key for that destination.
97 where does do travel next?
Come up with words that start with letters marked on the street signs. Help
do choose his travel route. For example, do could first go out to walk the
Dalmatian. Then he could go to the zoo to see what the Gorillas and Elephants are doing. Or should do fly straight to Africa, Asia, Australia or
America? do could also visit different countries in Europe and travel to Budapest or Amsterdam. Use the note name h or b depending on your country. (c, d, e, f, g, a, h/b).
98 staccato
A staccato cat and a pecking bird
In addition to non-legato and legato, staccato is learnt.
Staccato notes are played short. The sign for staccato is
a dot below the note. When the staccato cat illustrated
staccato
here bounces around, its paws touch the ground very
briefly. It only takes a second for the bird to pick “a staccato grain”. In the same way, the fingers can grab the keys with a quick movement. In the next piece, the student can try to switch between a staccato and
a legato touch. Write the articulation markings on the music.
34
w
100 ta-a-a-a
Whole note
The same principles the student uses when clapping
half notes and dotted half notes are applied here
ta a a a
to the whole notes, only now with four pulses. The
whole notes are compared to different note values. If
one side of the seesaw has a ta-a-a-a note, how many
TA notes are needed on the other side to maintain a good balance? And
what about ti-ti notes? The picture of a slow snail illustrates the length of
the whole note.
---
100 bow to your partner
“Bow to your partner! Bow to your partner! Stamp! Stamp! Turn yourself
around!” (English Folksong)
101 improvise with do-re-mi-fa
Look for do-re-mi-fa notes in different keys. Come up with new melodies
using these notes. The accompaniment can be an interval of a third playing
do-mi while sometimes switching to re-fa.
An exercise to develop inner hearing skills: Choose one piano key to
serve as do: Play it, hold it down and let it ring, and sing do. Then sing RE,
play it and lift the finger off the do key while holding down the re key. Then
sing mi, play it and lift the finger off the re key while holding down the mi
key. Sing fa, play it and lift the finger off the mi key. Repeat this exercise a
few of times, starting on different keys on the piano. Transpose pieces to
different keys.
U
fermata
102 fermata
Fermata Cat
The student will learn the meaning of the fermata
and its symbol. The fermata cat’s open eye resembles
the fermata symbol. The teacher can have a conversation with the children about this fermata cat, who
likes to lounge comfortably on the floor and enjoys
35
when someone stops to pet him for a moment. When encountering a note
with a fermata in music, we also stay with the note for a moment.
103 small caterpillar
“See the caterpillar there, crawling down the long road,
it is raining heavily, all his legs are wet now.” (Heidi Saario)
104 chuck, chuck, chickens
“Chuck, chuck, chickens, sleepy heads! Now it is time to leave your beds! Chuck,
chuck, chickens, do not fear! Mother Hen is always near!” (Angela Ailes)
105 transformation
transformation
What happened to my Molly Dolly?
Theatre ticket or an entrance ticket to a costume
party – transforming slip
Transformation offers refreshing variation to improvisation and to the pieces already learnt. Both transposition and transformation provide an excellent
way to stay with a piece a little longer in order to sup-
port further study.
The principles of transformation are put into practice properly in
book b, however, book A offers a preliminary introduction. Pieces can be
transformed or changed in a way that the relationships between the notes
in the original melody are altered. It is like a musical role-play where the
melodies transform themselves and sound different. One can still, however, recognize the origin of the melody. The student can have fun with the
transformation using relative solfa. The piece is altered to start on a different note of a scale than the original “correct” note: for example in
My Molly Dolly piece instead of do-re-mi notes, re-mi-fa notes are used.
This way the character of the melody changes completely creating a totally
new atmosphere. Transformation can even be compared to a costume
party: My Molly Dolly on this page has changed her costume and put on a
new outfit. What does the song sound like now? My Molly Dolly became My
Minor Molly Dolly! The Little Train wakes up at a new and different station
36
if you play with do-re-mi-fi instead of with its original notes do-re-mi-fa.
Try it out and listen! What kind of atmosphere will you create in the Way
Up High song (Mr. Sun) on page 107, if you start on MI instead?
transforming slips that are used on top of the coloured slip can visually illustrate transformation. There are three separate transforming slips
at the back of book a: mi-fa(-si-la-ti), re-mi-fa(-so-la), and do-re-mi-fi. A
transforming slip can be called a theatre ticket or an entrance ticket
to a costume party. The use of these slips resembles the use of the transposing slip (travel ticket). Use the slip in the following way: place the first
note that is printed on the transforming slip behind the original do key. If,
for example, My Molly Dolly that has been played in c major is transformed
to a minor scale re-mi-fa, re marked on the transforming slip is placed behind the c key. If, for example, The
Stork Song that has been played in
d major is transformed to a do-remi-fi scale, do marked on the transforming slip is placed behind the d
key.
The do-re-mi-fa-so pieces in book
B can be transformed using different pentascales, e.g. a whole tone
pentascale. For example, the dore-mi-fa-so pentascale in the song
”Mommy Went to Sauna” could be
transformed to do-re-mi-fi-si (by
raising the fourth and the fifth note
of the major scale). By doing this,
the melody receives an impressionist character. A Turkish pentascale
mi-fa-si-la-ti used instead of dore-mi-fa-so will take you to a “Turkish sauna”. Here “Mommy Went to
Sauna” that starts on do would be
transformed to start on the first
37
note on the Turkish scale, mi. My Molly Dolly could put on a Turkish costume and sing her do-re-mi song using notes mi-fa-si. “A Little Train” will
whistle mi-fi-si-la (instead of do-re-mi-fa) at the railway station in Istanbul.
In book b other scale patterns will be introduced in addition to the whole
tone and the Turkish pentascales.
Once the ambitus gradually reaches a full major scale, the tones of the
church modes become familiar to the children without further explanation. In that case a scale played from do to do becomes a Ionian scale,
from re to re a Dorian scale, from mi to mi a Phrygian scale, from fa to
fa a Lydian scale, from so to so a Mixolydian scale, and from la to la
an Aeolian scale. When transforming to the church modes, some of the
original notes of a piece are altered by a semitone. More information on
transformation in book b.
107 way up high (ms. sunset)
“Way down low, sun will go, evening’s here and sun is setting, way down low.”
(Heidi Saario)
38
39
colour keys piano is designed for young beginners. piano abc is suitable for both private and
group lessons. This method book applies the
ideas of Zoltán Kodály who believed in the importance of developing the inner hearing skills
through audio-visual means.
A child-centered Colour Keys method, which
is based on the Colour Strings approach, introduces new musical concepts in the simplest manner possible. The different octave ranges of the keyboard are illustrated with
a coloured slip. In addition, a different character represents each octave.
The coloured staff is constructed gradually from a single-line staff into a
five-line staff. Relative solfa is used in this method. The Little do wandering on the keyboard suggests transposition. Transposing slip will guide
transposition and functions in every key. The pieces in this book are a collection of folk songs and children’s songs from different countries. Teacher’s Guide offers pedagogical information about the teaching material as
well as lyrics to the songs.
kl 78.6107
ismn 979-0-55011-169-1
9 790550 111691
40