Red Balloons #15

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Red Balloons #15: I love teaching your kids and am grateful to work with parents that are so involved in their children's lives.

PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS MUSIC FOR BELLS: If your student loves playing the bells, you can print off some Christmas songs at this link. Not required and just for fun!

BLUE BUGS MUSIC: The Blue Bugs music should be available on the app. Start listening to it now! You can also access the music here in a Google file with all the tracks available. If you'd like a CD, I will have one for you the first week of classes. 

SCHEDULE: Our next class will be Blue Bugs #1, on Wednesday, January 13, same time same place! The first day is a Parent Day, so I'll see you and your student then. Class calendars will be taped into your Blue Bugs workbooks. If you'd like it earlier, you can access it from this blog under "Calendars." The first tuition payment of the new semester will be due that day. I'll send an invoice during the week before.

PARENT EVALUATION: At the end of each semester, I like to give you the opportunity to give me feedback. I also have a spot on the form for you to add anybody to the email/text list to get Parent Note notifications if you'd like to include dad or grandma or anybody else. Let me know how you're doing at this link!

GOOD TO KNOW

ESCAPE ROOM: For a fun extention, see if your Red Balloon can solve the puzzles in this Let's Play Music Red Balloons Escape Room! It works better for me on a computer rather than a phone, but do whatever works for you!

FUN TO KNOW

This is one of my favorite Christmas commercials of all time! Enjoy it and have a very Merry Christmas!

Red Balloons #14

 

NEED TO KNOW

Red Balloons #14: Your students are so much fun and they have come so far! I can't believe we only have one class left of Red Balloons. Our last class will be next week on December 9. It will be a Parent Day and a fun review of everything we've learned.

NEXT SEMESTER: We'll start up with Blue Bugs on Tuesday, January 13. The first day IS a Parent Day to kick things off! The class calendar will be taped into the student workbook you'll get that first day of class. It is also available now and you can always find it at the Calendar part of the website.

GOOD TO KNOW

LET'S PLAY MUSIC: In our Let's Play Music song, we learned what MI RE DO and SOL SOL DO look like on the staff. We sang "baby-steps going down" and "down same leap-up" to help describe the notation.

WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS: Listening for specific sounds and having an expectation of what they're about to hear increases your students' ear sensitivity. We used the flower puppets again this week, and some of your students asked to have them at home. The link for the printable mini puppets is in the Parent Notes for Lesson #9, and can always be found in the Puppet Show section of the website.

FUN TO KNOW

Here is one of my favorite NBA commercials that shows how sports teamwork and musical ensemble practice can highlight similar skills! They are using the sound of the bouncing basketballs like tone bells, and the result is so much fun! As a heads up, I love this so much you'll get it every year! 

We've been experimenting with the Tongue Drum for the past few weeks. I love being able to show how musicians use the same basic chords no matter what instrument we play! Here is a video of some Christmas songs on a tongue drum. It's just so dreamy!

Red Balloons #13

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Red Balloons #13: It's always nice to have growups in class!

TUITION DUE: The last tuition payment of Red Balloons is due this week. Thank you for getting things in on time! The next tuition payment will be on the first day of Blue Bugs,  January 13.

CALENDAR REMINDER: Next week, November 25, there is no class due to Thanksgiving. The week after, December 2, will be a regular kid-only class.  December 9 will be Lesson #15, which is a parent day and the last Red Balloon class. Then there will be a break for the holiday. The first class of Blue Bugs will be Tuesday, January 13. It will be a parent day to kick off the semester. 

BLUE BUGS: We start Blue Bugs in January! Hooray! The first class will be January 13, and it will be a parent day. I will have your students' Blue Bugs materials that first day of class, including the calendar taped to the inside cover. If you'd like to check out the calendar earlier than that, it's available now at this link, and you can always find it under the Calendar link on the website.

GOOD TO KNOW

LET'S PLAY MUSIC: Our ears heard layers of sound this week as we sang the MI RE DO and the SOL SOL DO endings at the same time. Singing in harmony helps us to sing in tune.

DO RE MI: We're learning to read notated music by relationships (steps, skips, leaps) rather than depending on note names alone. This is a more natural way to teach children to read music, and it produces better sight readers. Don't worry, we'll learn the staff note names! We'll introduce a few during 2nd Year, then the rest of them in 3rd Year.

FIVE FAT TURKEYS: We love our fun turkey song! If you are looking for something to do over the break, here is a link to a blogpost with 5-Fat-Turkey-based activities for all levels of LPM students. And if your student is a fan of crafts, here is a printable activity sheet that your student can cut out and act out the Five Fat Turkeys song.

FUN TO KNOW

If you're looking to add a music-based gift to the holiday mix, here is a blogpost with some ideas. In 2nd year, your student will need access to a piano or electronic keyboard for regular practice. Here is an outline of some things to look for. For LPM, the minimum size you need is 61 full-sized keys. Keep in mind, though, that a full-sized keyboard with 88 touch-sensitive keys (or an acoustic piano) will make practicing much more satisfying, especially as they continue through 3rd year and post-LPM play. Some people swear by the Black Friday deals on keyboards, so if you don't have one yet, be sure and check out the options!

 

Red Balloons #12

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Red Balloons #12: What a great group of kids are in Red Balloons this year!

ONLINE MAKE-UP CLASSES: Now that we're in the time of year where sicknesses rotate through kids everywhere, this is just a reminder that our LPM classes contain lots of repetition and missing a class or two here and there is no problem. Your student will be fine joining in the next week. But if you miss two or three in a row, I would suggest to do a catch up video lesson to stay on track. You can purchase access to any class for four weeks. All details can always be found on my website at this link.

PARENT DAY AND TUITION: Next week will be a Parent Day. The last tuition installment of the semester will be due. I'll send an invoice later this week. If you don't get one, it means you've already paid for this installment! Thank you!

GOOD TO KNOW

SCALE UP OR DOWN: We played a game today to quiz your kids' ears! Each student got to hide behind a sheet and play the bells. They chose whether to play a scale UP or a scale DOWN, and everybody else got to listen and vote on what they heard They did a great job! 

CHORDS IN PIECES: Your kids are getting so good at identifying parts of chords AND hearing which chord is playing!

FIVE FAT TURKEYS: We love our fun turkey song! If you are looking for something to do over the break, here is a link to a blogpost with 5-Fat-Turkey-based activities for all levels of LPM students. And if your student is a fan of crafts, here is a printable activity sheet that your student can cut out and act out the Five Fat Turkeys song. 

FUN TO KNOW    

In the Waltz of the Flowers puppet show, during the part where the butterfly kisses the flower, the chime sound is made by the triangle. During the puppet show time in class, we got out triangles and everybody played along with the song. It was awesome! Triangle days always remind me of this commercial with a triangle solo. And just in case you hadn't decided if musicians are total dorks, here is a remake of the commercial done by the Florida Orchestra. 

Red Balloons #11

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Red Balloons #11: Thank you for coming to class and being great parents. I hope you are enjoying this musical journey as much as I am! I love watching your kids absorb, and I love having parent days and seeing you interact with them. So much love!

KIDS ARE INDIVIDUALS: Some students are involved and excited, some are more introspective and withdrawn, and others are energetic but seem lost in their own world. It's okay! All of these reactions are just fine and all will foster learning! Some kids need extra sensory input. On student-only days, I frequently will have them lay on their backs or their tummies for different activities. Some of my best 2nd and 3rd year students in the past spent most of their 1st year classes rolling on the floor but it turned out that they were soaking up everything! Let your student experience class at their own pace. And know that they are absorbing the musical information they need.

LPM STORE: If you are looking for musical additions to Christmas lists, there are some fun things in the Let's Play Music online shop. Here is a link to that. My favorite things are the 8 Note Songbooks, which were made especially for LPM 1st Year students and are used to expand experience with the bell set. One includes songs that we use in class, and another is a Christmas Edition with holiday songs. I also love the Student Magnet Staff Board with the correlating magnet sets. None of these things are required, but your students might have fun with them, and they'd be great Christmas presents!

GOOD TO KNOW

BABY STEPS: We have been reading baby steps on the staff for a few weeks. Today we added another layer: playing baby steps on the bells. Don't worry if your student is having trouble understanding this. They're all totally on track and will get it! They're amazing!

LAYERED LEARNING: This week in my 2nd year classes, this skill (reading steps from the staff and playing them) is in full play. They're looking at different patterns of notes on the staff, figuring out what it means, and playing them on the keyboard. We're starting those sight-reading skills now by identifying baby steps on the staff and playing those baby steps on the bells. 

FUN TO KNOW

Have a snuggle-moment with your Red Balloon when you share this amazing marble run production synced perfectly to the Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker. Enjoy!

Red Balloons #10

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Red Balloons #10: I just can't tell you how great your kids are! I have had so much fun getting to know them and I'm so grateful that you share them with me!

HOMEWORK: In the Parent Orientation section of the Red Balloons workbook it states, "Young children will assimilate the concepts I introduce in class ONLY if they experience repetition and consistency at home during the week." I can tell you are doing that! Besides raising great kids, you're creating great musicians! 

GOOD TO KNOW

ONLINE VIDEO CLASS: As a reminder, if you miss a class or want some extra exposure, you're always invited to purchase access to any of the videos from the online LPM curriculum. They are very well done, and some kids watch them over and over because they're so fun! These are totally optional, but I don't want you to forget they exist! The link to purchase is is here.

PRIMARY CHORD SONG: Your students are playing the autoharp and totally rocking it! They used their eyes to see the color of chord to play and their ears to hear if they were right. When it wasn't right, they fixed it! They're getting so good!

PUPPET SHOW MINI PUPPETS AND COLORING SHEETS: We used mini puppets in class this week, and some of your students asked to have some at home. You can print them out! The links were in the Parent Notes last week (lesson #9), and I'll put them here as well.

* Here is a link to printable coloring pages for the Waltz of the Flowers puppet show.

* Here is a link to printable mini puppets for the Waltz of the Flowers puppet show.

FUN TO KNOW

This week in class and in your homework, we are working on notating baby steps on the staff. It's fun to make staves and notes with other things... Playdough is a great tool! Have your child roll out 5 lines with the 4 spaces in between, and then some baby steps. Or you can ditch the dough and use other supplies. Pipe cleaners and balloons, licorice sticks and skittles, chalk on the sidewalk... the options are limitless! You could even just use the staff in the back of your book and put the tiny treats on them as the baby steps!

Red Balloons #9

NEED TO KNOW

Red Balloons #9: Parent weeks are so much fun! Thank you to all the moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas for coming to class!

ATTENDANCE: Thank you for keeping me informed on family trips and when your kid is too sick to come. It helps me to know who to expect for class! The curriculum is built with lots of repetition, so your student will be fine missing class every once in a while. If you'd like to purchase access to the video classes, you can find more info on that here. 

TUITION: Thank you for paying tuition on time! It makes it so much easier for me when everything comes in at the same time. If you didn't get it in, I'll send a request/reminder.

GOOD TO KNOW

BABY STEP, LEAP: We are introducing steps and leaps when we sing and dance this song. This is an introduction to steps and skips, which we will solidify during 1st year, and intervals, which we will label in 2nd year.

OOOOO HALLOWEEN: The students are learning to feel the beat of the song even when there is silence, and to anticipate the beat. In this song, we audiate (hear in the brain rather than the ears) the beats that aren't played aloud to know when to say BOO. It's so much fun to scare (or at least surprise!) the grownups!

FUN TO KNOW

We started our new puppet show! Waltz of the Flowers by Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky is from the Nutcracker ballet.

* Here is a link to printable coloring pages for the Waltz of the Flowers puppet show.

* Here is a link to printable mini puppets for the Waltz of the Flowers puppet show.

The recording of Waltz of the Flowers on the LPM app is cut where the butterfly comes back in to help the cloud. The song is a lot longer than we have time to do in class, and it needed to be shortened. I was so unsatisfied by how that ending worked that I did my own edit that shortens the song from the original but includes the finale ending. In class, we'll use my version that has a "everybody all together" ending for our characters. If you'd like to access the mp3 of my edit, here is a link.