Discover a new perspective on teaching music reading and why it’s not always the best learning process for your piano students. Read more here.

I'm Going to Leave Old Texas, sometimes known as "The Cowboy's Lament," arranged for easy and beginner piano in several keys, FREE.

Learn how to play various major, minor, and diminished chords in the key of C major on the piano with this guide with example pictures.

Piano notes for beginners on the staff - two quickly-learned little songs with just two notes each. For left hand, Middle C and B; for right hand, Middle C and D.

Interested in learning the blues? Here are a couple of tips to start learning the blues in the key of C (technically C minor)!

Easy Peasy intervals is a fun worksheet for students identify intervals of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, and 5th that move up or down on the staff in groups of three.

This piece is in middle C position for young beginners to learn. It has a lyrical nature to it, helping students who are on this level to develop a softer touch when playing.

Are you interested in learning how to play chords, or someday play in a band. This free printable piano chord chart help get you started. It introduces you to 28 of the most popular piano chords, a…

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If you’ve been playing piano and learning piano chords, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term “augumented.” The word may sound a little scary to you. But augumented chords are not hard to learn! They sound a little strange at first, but once you know how to use them they can open up a … Ultimate Guide to Augmented Chords on Piano Read More »

Hello! This is Tanya LeJeune. I hope everyone is keeping warm. It’s cold here in Colorado! For my first blog post here at Kodály Corner I’m going to focus on what I refer to as opening songs. Before they walk into the music room, most students have been sitting in the classroom at their desk and working independently. In music they have to work musically as a group and independently. Students need to change gears. Opening songs set the stage for music and provide a warm-up for the voice and the brain. Additionally, the structure and predictability that an opening song provides is helpful in keeping students focused for the class time. The song we sing may or may not be connected to the specific concepts that grade level is working on. An opening song is not the focus of the lesson and should not take up more than a few minutes. Most of the opening songs I use are also canons and give us the opportunity to practice part work. I keep my opening songs for 1 – 2 months. As students become more confident singing their opening song we add complexity with canons, ostinati, and instruments. Here are a few opening songs I’m using this month. 4th Grade I Love the Mountains The 4th graders are preparing for their Colorado concert and this familiar song will be included. For concerts and performances I like to have an audience participation piece to end the performance. Sometimes the audience participation piece is a simple line dance audience members can do from their seats, (last year the students taught their families the South African dance Pata Pata,) and sometimes I choose a well known song. This might be the audience participation song for the Colorado concert. (or I may use This Land is Your Land, I’m still deciding.) I Love the Mountains is a good song to inspire the students to create accompanying movements. We'll sing and move in canon for the concert, possibly adding the audience as a 4th part. 3rd Grade To Stop the Train Here’s a fun and melodically challenging song to sing. I'm preparing low sol in 3rd grade and later we'll extract the last two note, "five pounds!" (We won't be decoding the rest of the melody!) The movements are as follows: To stop: hands out in “stop” position The train: slide hands together in a circular motion In cases of emergency: hands up “flashing lights”moving fingers out and in on the beat Pull on the chain: both hands up and pull down Penalty for improper use: waggfinger Five pounds: show 5 fingers on “five” and then flatten hand down as if to receive payment This song also provides great audition (inner hearing) practice. I'll have students audiate and perform the motions of sections until they are inner-hearing the entire song. 2nd Grade Are You Sleeping? The 2nd graders are practicing half note. Are You Sleeping is a perfect opening song for them. They sing the lyrics and then sing the rhythm syllables. I hand out hand chimes to four students to add the “ding, ding, dongs,” at the end of the song, (we sing it in F major with the hand chimes playing F C, F F C, F.) During the next class period we’ll turn the “ding, ding, dongs” into an ostinato with half of the class singing with the hand chimes. I have a ostinato song that is sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping that I’ll use as well. (It’s one of those songs I’ve known forever and I have no idea where I first heard it, definitely BK!) Soon they'll learn the Are You Sleeping? lyrics in french and we'll create a class arrangement using ABA form. 1st Grade The 1st graders love moving and grooving to That's a Mighty Pretty Motion! Due to the cold and snow, it's looking like we'll have an "inside recess" day everyday this week. You can bet we'll be very active in the music room! Stay warm and continue singing, playing, and learning!

If you would prefer to download it as a PDF: major-ukulele-scalesDownload

Ode to Joy, with not only advanced "BIG"-sounding arrangements, piano duets, "Joyful, joyful" lyrics, but also multiple EARLY and LATE beginner arrangements!

Does your child hate practicing their musical instrument? Well, you're not alone. Check out this year-long practicing chart that will rock your world.