Lesson 5

***Please check your email for an updated schedule, as I had to make some changes***

The primary chords song and the chords in pieces that we worked on will be an important part of our curriculum from now on. These 3 chords make up 90% of the music we listen to. Developing an ear for the chords will enable your child to understand and compose accompaniments…you’ll see them do so next year! Let me know if you have any questions about how the children can use the chord map to practice pointing to the chord color as they listen to the music on the CD. Help them point on the beat, as if they were strumming the autoharp.

The practice of singing “Do is home” to match a Middle C will also be practiced from now on, so the students can develop relative pitch (the ability to pull a correct pitch from think air!). Parents…YOU can improve your relative pitch, too, with practice. Don’t feel bad if your child learns it more quickly! This is the only exercise in which DO is always assigned Middle C. You know by now that we can build a major scale starting with DO on a C, or F….or any note! Eventually your child will use this knowledge to transpose between keys effortlessly.

The kids had a great time with Ooooo Halloween. This song isn't just for fun, and the ghost sounds we made weren't just nonsense. What we were doing is called "vocal channeling." We are extending their ranges (which is helpful with matching pitch) and using a pure head tone. The "oo" vowel is the best vowel for placing the tone up in the head and forward in the nose and "mask" of the face. Basically, it is a good beginning "voice lesson." It works for adults, too! :-)