Category: Lessons

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Sorida

Introduction

Sorida is a song from Zimbabwe, which is a country in Africa.  The word sorida means hello.  Every language has a word for hello. Do you know how to say hello in a different language?

Zimbabwe is the home of a world-famous waterfall, called Victoria Falls. Look down below for a video of it taken from a plane flying overhead. Try moving it around. You can look around and even straight down!

Victoria Falls

Listen To The Song

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or
On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

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Pop! Goes The Weasel

Introduction

This is an old English nursery rhyme.  You’ve probably heard it before, and it’s a fun one.

Have a little fun listening to this, but no running around the house!

This song is played in Middle C Position.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano

Piano Challenge Version

Ukulele

Guitar

Recorder

Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

Posted on

Grand Staff

Introduction

The Grand Staff is what we call it when the G Clef and the F Clef are connected together for writing down piano music.

There is a bracket, (it kind of looks like a sideways mustache) that shows that they are connected.  When the clefs are connected like this, it means that they belong to the same instrument.  For the piano, the G Clef tells the right hand what to play and the F clef tells the left hand what to play.  The Grand Staff puts them together so both hands instructions can be put together.

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano

Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

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Andante Grazioso

Introduction

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the greatest composers of all time. He is certainly one of my favorites. He started playing the piano when he was 3 just by watching his father teach his sister to play. Within a year or two he was famous and performing for kings and queens.

Mozart had a way of writing music was beautiful, serious, funny and entertaining all at the same time. The piece we are learning today sounds like a grand walk. When you listen to it, you can almost picture a king or queen walking into the room at the start, and then during the second part you can almost hear the other people in the room start to whisper and chit-chat in their excitement.

While you are listening, close your eyes a bit and imagine what might be going on while this music is playing.

Mozart is a composer you really should know about. I added a video about his life below.

 

About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Video

The Lesson

Sheet Music

Piano
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Digging Deeper

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Duerme Pronto In C and in F

Mother Holding Baby

Introduction

Mother Holding Baby

This is a beautiful lullaby from Mexico.  The words are in Spanish.

Make sure you watch the videos at the bottom, which are about Mexico’s culture.

The melody has a repeating pattern in it and there is more than one way to play it, because it is written in 4 different keys.  The key changes how high or low the notes are, because we start and end on a different note in each key.

Listen

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment