UNIT Unit 1

Concepts Covered in Each Unit Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randall Faber Primer Level Due October 4, 2011 CONCEPTS INTRODUCED Introduction to Playing: posture, hand position, finger numbers, steady beat, black key groups

ACTIVITIES

Unit 2

Basic Rhythms: the quarter note, the half note, the whole note Introduction to Dynamics: forte, piano

Unit 3

The Music Alphabet Key Names: ABCDEFG Steps The Measure New Dynamic Mark: mezzoforte The Dotted Half Note

Posture: demonstrate and explain what proper posture should look like and have students imitate Hand position: describe proper hand position with the analogy of blooming flowers Finger Numbers: have students trace their hands on a sheet of paper and then label their fingers with correct numberings; use finger flashcards and have students tap fingers on closed keyboard; sing Where is Thumbkin? Steady beat: have students play every white key from C4 to C2 (or C6) [or clap or march] to a steady beat while the teacher plays an accompaniment duet part Black key groups: have students count and play all of the groups of 2 and 3 black keys; refer to the black groups as twins and triplets for comprehension purposes Quarter/half/whole notes: have students clap back the number of beats that you say; have students draw quarter notes on a chalkboard and write below how many counts it gets Dynamics: compare forte and piano to a lion and a little birdie (or two other contrasting animals) and demonstrate (maybe even exaggerate so that they understand) the difference of sound level between the two Key names: sing a song that teaches the musical alphabet; print off a blank piano keyboard and have students write the correct note name on the correct key; have students begin from one end of the keyboard and play and say the letter names our loud Dotted half note: same activities as quarter/half/whole notes

Unit 4

Orientation to the Grand Staff: bass clef, treble clef Landmark Notes: middle C, treble G, bass F

Grand staff: create a large grand staff on poster board and use it when teaching this concept Landmark notes: point to the different clefs and show how the treble and bass clefs resemble a G and F and teach middle C as living in the middle of the two clefs Steps: teach that consecutive notes on the keyboard are found side by side (line to space or space to line) on the grand staff Meter: create a large rhythm chart with different 4/4 patterns presented in different boxes consisting of the note values taught so far; point to various boxes and have students clap the rhythm to teacher Meter: same idea as for 4/4 meter

Unit 5

Middle C D E F G Notes Steps on the Staff Meter: 4/4

Unit 6

Middle C B A G F Notes Meter: 3/4 Skips on the Staff

Unit 7

Remind students of what skips are (line to space or space to line right next to each other) and teach students that anything bigger than that is a skip; compare it to taking tiny steps as a baby and to skipping down the sidewalk

Unit 8

Bass C D E F G Notes: five finger scale The Octave Musical Question/Answer Phrases

Q/A phrases: create some question and answer phrases that would interest your students and then play possible Q/A phrases asking them which sounds like a question (not final) or an answer (final)

Unit 9

The Tie

Create a worksheet consisting of some tied quarter, half, and/or whole notes and have students write the value under each individual notes and after the ties have them add the numbers together and write the sum down

Unit 10

The Quarter Rest

Have students replace their clap with the word hold while counting in a rhythm containing quarter rests; have students attempt to draw quarter rests on the chalkboard and write the value beneath them

Indicate Yes or No in the blank next to each statement. ______ I have played every piece in the Faber Piano Adventures Primer Level lesson book. ______ I have played every piece in the Keyboard Treasury Volume I. Points earned _____/20 Grade ___________ Signature _______________________________