Orange Roots Lesson 3

 
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Lesson # 3

 
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Great class this week! I hope some of things that were tough to digest that first class are starting to sink in. I know from watching them that the kids are getting it. We found some roots this week, and NOT ONLY in root position. What a tricky concept that they totally got!

We have a new fancy club! I call it our "In a Flash Club". We have a special "score board", and the students will be keeping track of their fastest flashcard times each week. I'm encouraging them to not compare their times with their classmates, but we'll celebrate each time they beat their personal fastest time. Hopefully this will keep them motivated to keep at this VITAL piece of practicing for their musical fluency going forward. (Just don't tell them that - they just need to know it's fun!)

A new song this week is "Going Home". It would be easy to just simply 'play' the first two lines of Part I of this song, but remember to not only sing the note names, (“e-g-g-e-d-c” etc.) but try saying the rhythm as well (“shoot-the half note” etc.), or even counting (1-2 + 3-4) while playing it this week.

 
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John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith

This fun song from your childhood will get us learning a new style of bass root accompanying. Once we understand this we can improvise on a two handed marching style. It also is another opportunity to feel a half cadence. This song is also another opportunity to feel a half cadence (ends on a yellow chord instead of red).

I Can Build a Triad

Like the song says, "Pick any note to be the root... then add a third, and add a fifth!" Now that we are learning chord structure, our skipping snakes will help us to chant and spell each of our triads. Like any language, you speak (sing) it first, and then you can learn to write it. Want to practice making your own Skipping Snakes at home? Print out the attached file and have fun with your own alphabet magnets at home!

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There are lots of different variations on our 'John Jacob' song. I remembered singing it as 'Schmidt' instead of 'Smith' as a kid, and instead of 'look there he goes again' we would just sing 'la la la la la la la.' It can be lots of fun to take a familiar tune and improvise in fun and crazy ways. Which way does your family like best? The Rock'n'Roll, the Sesame Street, or the Sing a Ma Jig version??