Are you looking for something for your child to do this summer?
How about learning how to play the piano?

"It has been noted that music can have a very positive affect on a child's personal development. Music helps to teach children crucial skills that have a postive impact on their lives. Studies have shown that children who learn music have better pitch. Better pitch will often help children to learn languages much easier." - www.sovietrussia.co.uk/music-can-help-children-learn-a-new-language/

"A research team exploring the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science."

"Research shows when a child listens to classical music the right hemisphere of the brain is activated, but when a child studies a musical instrument both left and right hemispheres of the brain "light up". Significantly, the areas that become activated are the same areas that are involved in analytical and mathematical thinking." - Dee Dickinson, "Music and the Mind," New Horizons for Learning, 1993.

Piano Lessons with Catherine!

Sign Up Today!!!

These lessons are given using SKYPE.

Send an email to Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *Smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
Reading Music, Middle C, D, and E
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Discovery

Saint Patrick was born in the 4th. century. He used the shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity. He died March 17, 461. As early as the 17th century people wore shamrocks to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

Answer the two questions. See if you get the answers right. The answers are at the bottom of the page.

1. True or False. The "wearing of the green" means to wear a shamrock on one's clothing.

2. True or False. Originally the color that everyone associated with Saint Patrick was blue.

Write a poem or song about Saint Patrick, or a Shamrock, or the color green. I'd love to hear what you wrote. Please send it to me at Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day! *smiles*

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Answers:
1. True.
2. True.

Preschool, Toddlers, and Babies

Today let's make believe!!!

Have your child or children perform each activity after you describe it. Of course, it's fun if you do the activity also.

1. You are the rain.
(click here for the rain song to move to)
2. You are a snowflake.
(click here for the snowflake song to move to)
3. You are leaves falling from the tree.
(click here for the leaves falling song to move to)

If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have A Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Just A Little Reminder

These are things you should have already noticed while reading my blogs. You can find the answers to these questions by looking through my past blogs, or just look at the bottom of this page.

1. True or False. Music is sometimes loud and sometimes soft.

2. What is A capella?

3. True or False. The more you practice on your instrument the better you become.

4. What is tessitura?

5. What is tempo?

6. Can learning a musical instrument improve grades in school?

7. Does taking piano lessons help with SAT scores?

8. Who was Richard Wagner?

9. Name some musical instrument that make high sounds. Name some musical instruments that make low sounds. 10. When singing, should you ever 'belt it out'?

If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *Smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Answers:
1. True
2. A cappella music is music sung without any accompaniment.
3. True
4. Tessitura is the range in which a given voice has it's best timbre and texture.
5. Tempo in music is the speed of a composition. The tempo is measured according to beats per minute.
6. Yes. Studies have linked active music making with better language and math ability, improved school grade, better-adjusted social behavior, and improvments in "spatial-temporal reasoning". - American Music Conference, 2001.
7. Yes. There is a direct correlation between improved SAT scores and the length of time spent studying the arts. College-bound senior who'd had music experience scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion of their SATs and 37 point higher in math, than those without arts instruction. - Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, 1998.
8. Richard Wagner, a German composer was born May 22, 1813. He was the court composer for King Ludwig of Bavaria. You can see frescoes of his opera on the wall of Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle Disney copied for the Disney Castle.
9. High sounds - recorders, flutes, piccolos. Low sounds - bass fiddle, tuba.
10. Absolutely NO! It can ruin your voice and vocal chords.

Questions and Answers

This week's question is:
What are the different types of voices called in singing?

A high woman's voice is soprano. The medium is mezzo-soprano. And the low woman's voice is called alto.

The high man's voice is tenor. The medium is baritone. And the low man's voice is bass.

If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

Discovery Page

Happy Valentine's Day!

1. True or False. Valentine's Day is associated with the mutual exchange of love notes.

2. True or False. Valentine's Day is the third largest card-sending holiday of the year.

Interesting Fact:
Using the language of the law courts for rituals of courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentaine's Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading. -- Wikipedia, the free encycolpedia, "Valentine's Day".

Today write a poem about love and put it to music. If you would like to share it send it to me. I'll put some of the songs on this blog. Send to: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com


If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine

Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine
www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com

Answers:
1. True.
2. False. Valentine's Day is the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. Approximately one billion Valentine's are sent each year worldwide.

Preschoolers, Toddlers, and Babies

Let's be rag dolls and wooden soldiers today.

To the song below, have your child or children move around like floppy rag dolls. This is a very relaxed movement.

(click here for the floppy rag doll song)

Next have your child or children move around like stiff wooden soldiers to the song below. This is a tense movement. Remind them to walk straight and tall.

(click here for the stiff wooden soldiers song)

These musical exercises teach the children about contrast in movements.


If you have any questions about teaching music or about learning music please email me at: Catherines.Music.Notes@gmail.com

Have a Musical Day!!! *smiles*

Catherine
"Music lessons should be about the student. Each student learns in different ways, and at different speeds. Music is a journey, and on that journey we will work and learn together." - Catherine


Books with CDs included:
Impressions Volume One, Two, and Three
Marches
The Frog Prince
CDs include:
Wedding Bells
Lullabies

http://sites.google.com/site/musicbycatherine

www.ShoutLife.com/ClassyKeys
http://catherinesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/