Charlie Chipmunk!!! Repertoire Book 1

Transcription

1 Charlie Chipmunk!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!!! Rote Piece 1 Encourage the student to listen to the Listening CD from the beginning of study to prepare to play this and future Rote Pieces and Technical Exercises. Hearing these pieces in advance will make them easier to learn by rote and will allow the student to aurally internalize details of rhythm, sound, and phrasing before playing the pieces. I teach this piece at the very first lesson. Present as many or few steps per lesson as the student can handle based on age and ability. Young students may only work through Step 3 at the first lesson. Other students may complete Step 8 at the first lesson. Steps 9-14 can be taught at subsequent lessons. The student plays the entire piece with Finger 2 or Fingers 2 3 held together. The student may hold his hand in a loose fist with Finger 2 extended or with the thumb bracing Finger 2 under the first knuckle. Generally, students who try to play this piece with the hand in a regular piano position end up with fingers that are tight, sticking up, or curled, what I call pterodactyl hands. Hence it is better for the student to play with the loose fist or braced Finger 2. Free arm movement and control of larger muscles is the focus of this piece. The notation is for teacher and parent reference only. The student learns by imitation through the following steps. Many of the pieces in the Technical Exercises and Rote Pieces Book have Instructional Videos and Performance Videos to aid in teaching these pieces and exercises. Please see pianosafari.com to watch these videos. Step 1: Play and sing the piece for the student, with teacher accompaniment. Step 2: Play m. 1 of Student Part, singing Student imitates. Step 3: Play m. 2, singing Go-ing up. Student imitates. Step 4: Play m. 1-2, singing Go-ing up. Student imitates. Objectives: Learn a patterned piece by rote Gain control over the forearm motion Steady rhythm Relaxed forearm motion Step 5: Repeat with m. 3-4, singing Go-ing down. Step 6: Repeat m. 5-6 (same as m. 1-2). 7

2 Step 7: Now for the special ending! Play m. 7-8 singing , mi mi re re do do do, or the lyrics. Any of these three will work. Step 8: Put all phrases together. Step 9: Once the student can play the piece well, some students that have good fine motor control can be asked to play with a firm end joint, rather than a floppy or collapsed one, on Finger 2. Some children will not have the control to play with a firm end joint at this point. If this is the case, don t worry. The student s technique will progress as he becomes more coordinated over the first weeks of lessons. It is more important at this point that the student has a relaxed and comfortable forearm motion than that the fingertip is firm. Step 10: When the student is confident and can play the piece correctly by himself, add the teacher accompaniment. If the student has trouble,be sure that you are using enough of the Insurance Teaching Strategy and that you are not skipping any steps. See Mini Essay 7: Teaching Strategies under Pedagogical Resources at pianosafari.com. Step 11: Have the student play in different octaves of his choice to create a Chipmunk Family (Low = Grandpa Chipmunk. High = Baby Chipmunk). If you have a stuffed chipmunk, have the student close his eyes, and have the chipmunk play the group of two black keys in the octave he wants the student to start. Children love to see where the chipmunk will have them play next! Step 12: Have the student play the piece with the LH. Place a sticker in the boxes as the student masters the RH and LH variations. Step 13: Have several students or family members play together in different octaves. Step 14: Create a story with the student, playing in different tempos and octaves to match the story. For example, as you vamp on the teacher accompaniment, say: Once upon a time, Brother Chipmunk went out to play. Student plays at moderate tempo in the middle of the piano. As Brother Chipmunk was in the woods, he heard a screech. He got really scared and ran towards home. Student plays the piece fast. When he got home, Mama Chipmunk soothed him and said it was probably just the neighbor practicing his kazoo. Shhh, Sister Chipmunk is taking her nap. Student plays the piece up high and slowly. 8

3 Alphabet Boogie!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr and C. Fisher!!!!!! Rote Piece 2 Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Beginning on the very lowest note of the piano, play and sing, A B C D E F G A B C D E F G in rhythm using RH Finger 2 for all the notes. Student imitates. Step 3: When he is confident, add the teacher accompaniment. Step 4: Have the student to play Alphabet Boogie with LH. Objectives: Review the music alphabet by playing a piece Increase concentration by playing from the very bottom to the top of the piano Free forearm motion Good tone Rhythmic playing Concentration through the whole piece Step 5: Congratulate the student on his good concentration if he is able to play all the way up the piano without making a mistake or stopping. If his concentration is lacking, encourage him to concentrate all the way from the bottom to the top of the piano. 9

4 Hungry Herbie Hippo!! Repertoire Book 1 Traditional, Arr. Knerr!! Rote Piece 3 I introduce Hungry Herbie Hippo at the very first lesson. Beware that students love this piece so much that they tend to drive their parents crazy by playing it over and over. I would like to thank Carolyn Shaak for my first introduction to the benefits of transposing this piece. The student should also listen to this piece on his Listening CD. The student plays the entire piece with Finger 2 or Fingers 2 3 together. The student should have his hand in a loose fist with Finger 2 extended. This is not a time to concentrate on piano hand shape. Rather, free arm movement and control of larger muscles is the focus of this piece.!i typically teach Steps 1-6 at one lesson and Steps 7-10 at future lessons until all transpositions are learned. Stems up = RH. Stems down = LH Step 1: Start with the G-flat version (on black keys). Play and sing the piece for the student. Step 2: You the RH while playing the LH part using the student s Finger 2. You are holding his finger and controlling it. Play the piece. Step 3: Tell the student, You play your note (LH Finger 2) after I play each of my notes. Teacher plays a note, student plays his LH note, teacher plays the next note, student plays his LH note, etc. Hold up his hand at the end cheeseburger so he does not play the LH there. Objectives: Play hands together Gain control over the forearm motion Experience transposition Develop coordination Rhythmic energy Even rhythm Ability to play fast after practice Ability to play all transpositions without pennies Step 4: Play m. 1 HT (Hands Together). Student imitates. If the student has trouble keeping the LH from moving to play other notes, put some sticky tack or tape on his LH finger and stick his finger to the key. If you make it fun, he will think it is great to have his finger stuck to the key. Step 5: Play m Student imitates. Step 6: Tell the student, We play the first part three times and then keep going down to the cheeseburger. Point to the keys as necessary to help the student remember where to play next. If you have a stuffed hippo, have the student close his eyes, and have the hippo play the octave where he wants the student to play (high, low, middle). 10

5 Step 7: When the student has mastered the piece, add the teacher accompaniment. Play the introduction to the accompaniment and say, Ready go on the last two beats before he starts so he will know when to start playing. After several repetitions, the student will be able to hear on his own when to start playing. Step 8: To teach the transposition to B, put the penny and nickel in the position shown in the picture on the second page of this piece (penny on A#, nickel on B). (You can also use flat marbles, which will be less likely than coins to fall between the keys.) Play the piece for the student, telling him, Skip the penny note and end on the nickel note. Then show him where to put his hands and have him try it. Older students can place the penny, nickel, and fingers themselves according to the picture. Step 9: For the transpositions to C, F, and G, put the pennies in place (for young students) or have the student put the pennies in place according to the picture (for older students). Play it and say, Skip the penny notes. Then let the student play. It is not necessary for the student to know the names of the white keys to play this piece. He can refer to the picture and spatially know where to put the pennies and how to find his starting position based on the groups of two and three black keys. Step 10: When the student is confident, add the teacher accompaniment (available in the Appendix at the end of this book and for download at pianosafari.com under Accompaniment Transpositions). Start the accompaniment introduction at various tempos to see if the student can match your tempo. Play all five transpositions in order. 11

6 Lion Paw!!!!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!! Technical Exercise 4 Arm weight is the perhaps the single most important component of piano technique. It is easiest to learn at the beginning of study. Step 1: The student should listen to this exercise on his Listening CD before learning to play it. Step 2: Have the student stand with his arms by his side. Say, Pretend that you are walking across the plains of Africa and you see a sleeping lion under a tree. You tiptoe up to the lion as he sleeps and lift up his arm. Do you think his arm and paw would be heavy or light? Student answers, Heavy. You say, That s right. That s the kind of arms we want when playing piano; heavy, sleeping lion arms. Let me check your arms. Are they asleep? Gently move the student s arms a bit back and forth to see if they are loose. Have him move your Objectives: Feel the sensation of a relaxed arm Create a loud tone by dropping with arm weight Relaxed arm Loud, round tone that is not hitting the piano Relaxed arm after playing while holding the key arms or his parent s arms to feel loose and stiff arms. Incidentally, almost all children will have loose arms. The parents have a more difficult time finding their own loose arms! Step 3: Put your hand in your lap. Bring it up over the keys and drop your whole hand onto the piano with a loose arm. Student imitates, making a loud sound with a loose arm. If the piano hits the piano with a stiff arm, ask him to make his arm looser and demonstrate again. Step 4: Take the student s hand and hold his LH Finger 2 by the nail knuckle joint. Bring it from his side up to the piano and use his hand to play Lion Paw, dropping on D loudly. You should be doing all the work while the student is relaxed. Don t worry about hand position at this point. The goal is a loose arm, but the fingers should all be in a piano hand shape, not in a fist. The wrist should be low as the student holds the note so that the arm is completely relaxed after playing the note. Repeat with RH Finger 2.!!!In summary, the sequence for the Lion Paw Technique is: Arm comes up from lap above the keyboard about 4 inches Arm and hand drop with Finger 2 on D Wrist and arm relax downward, lower than normal playing position, to be sure the arm is completely relaxed. Check for loose arm by moving it slightly to make sure it is flexible, not stiff Arm comes up out of the keys, with a loose wrist and the hand following Arm rests in the lap 12

7 Step 5: Let the student try the Lion Paw alone, dropping Finger 2 on D. If the child hits the piano with a stiff arm, draw attention to the difference in sound between a relaxed arm drop (round, rich, forte sound) and hitting the piano (harsh, unpleasant sound). Step 6: For young students, buy a stuffed lion and pretend he is sleeping. When the child plays a good Lion Paw, the lion wakes up startled because the child played so loudly with such a relaxed arm. Young students are more motivated to startle the lion than to play correctly for the sake of their piano technique. Also, have the lion choose which finger the student plays by touching the finger with the lion s paw. The lion stays asleep if the sound is not loud or if the child is banging on the piano with a stiff arm rather than dropping with a relaxed arm. Only a proper Lion Paw will wake the sleeping lion. Step 7: When the student has found his arm weight and can successfully play a good Lion Paw on D, it is time to play the exercise in rhythm as notated. To help the student know which D in which octave to put fuzzies on the three D s. Play the teacher accompaniment with one hand while your other hand plays the student part an octave displaced from where the student plays. This allows the student to see and absorb the correct motions through peripheral vision. (I call this the Teaching Strategy of Technical Osmosis.) As you and the student play, you can prompt him to play (in the picture below, for LH), pinky fuzzy...green fuzzy...yellow fuzzy...yellow again...green fuzzy...pink fuzzy. 13

8 King of the African Drum! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!!! Rote Piece 5 I usually teach Steps 1-5 at one lesson and Steps 6-10 at subsequent lessons. Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD before introducing it. Step 2: Play and sing the piece for the student. Then have the student improvise on a drum, if available, while you play the piece. Step 3: The student should sit or stand in front of the lower half of the keyboard so he can reach all the notes. Objective: Play a piece that uses the Lion Paw Technique Heavy Lion Paw drops on the whole notes Relaxed arms throughout Steady rhythm Step 4: Play m. 1-4 for the student saying Ta Ta for the whole notes. Use good Lion Paw Technique. The hand can either be in a loose fist, with Finger 2 extended, or in a regular piano hand shape. Arm weight, rather than refining hand position, is the focus of this piece. For the tremolo in m. 3 (divided between hands), the speed of tremolo repetitions is not important. The goal is to make an exciting noise. Count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for the student to know how long the tremolo lasts. ( 5 is the downbeat of the next measure, where the student lands on the D.) Student imitates. If the student cannot reach the pedal, use a pedal extender, or the teacher or another student can depress the pedal. Step 5: Play m RH for the student, counting Ta-2, Ta-2, Ta-2, Ta-2, Student imitates while you point to the keys from above. Step 6: Student plays m RH while you play LH. Step 7: Play RH of m and Lion drumming parts (m. 8, 12) in the LH (you are omitting the LH parts in m. 5-7, 9-11). Student imitates. Step 8: Then have the student add the missing LH parts, m. 5-7, 9-11, to play m HT. Step 9: Student plays the entire piece, noting that the end is the same as the beginning. If the student has trouble moving from the position in m. 1-4 to the position for m. 5, place two Fuzzies on the D s the student will begin on in m. 5. This will provide a visual reference for the new position, allowing the student to move to the new position in rhythm. Once the student is confident, remove the Fuzzies. I call this the Mark the Leaps Teaching Strategy. Step 10: Have the student play the piano while you or another student plays the drum. 14

9 I Love Coffee!!!!! Repertoire Book 1 Traditional, arr. Shaak!!!!! Rote Piece 6 We requested permission to use this piece from Carolyn Shaak and are grateful that she allowed us to include it. I originally learned about this piece when I observed Mrs. Shaak for my dissertation research. This piece can be found in Book 1 of the Shaak method, Piano Partners, which is available at shaakpianomusic.com. These six traditional tunes are designed to be taught one part at a time and combined into one long piece. The student plays the piece with Finger 2 throughout. This piece helps the student lengthen his concentration skills and provides a sense of accomplishment from learning such a long piece. I usually teach one or two parts per lesson. Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Play and sing Part 1 for the student. Step 3: Play m Student imitates. Sing the lyrics. Step 4: Play m Student imitates. Step 5: Play m Student imitates. Step 6: Play m Put a penny on the E to show the student that E is skipped. Student imitates. Objectives: Play a piece by rote Gain control over the forearm motion Lengthen concentration through playing a long piece Free forearm motion Good tone Rhythmic playing Ability to play all parts without stopping Step 7: Play each phrase again and have the student imitate. Sing the lyrics. Step 8: Student plays Part 1 alone. Use the Point to the Keys strategy to remind him of the beginning key for each phrase if he needs help. Add the teacher accompaniment when the student is secure. Have him color the coffee cup for Part 1. He colors each cup as each part of the piece is mastered. 15

10 Step 9: Teach the other parts of this piece in a similar manner, with you playing a phrase and the student imitating. For Part 2, the student rolls a closed fist upward along the grace notes in m. 1 and downward for the grace notes in m. 3. If this is too difficult, the student can just play the three notes with the fist simultaneously. The C# s in m. 1 should be played with the right side of the fist. Similarly, in m. 3, the D# s are played with the left side of the first. Step 10: For Part 3, I like to sing, I love coffee, I love coffee, I love coffee, I love coffee, I love coffee, I love tea to make the rhythm more understandable. Step 11: For Part 4, you can make up lyrics to help the student with the syncopated rhythm. I use, I really love my tea... Step 12: For Part 5, sing, I love coffee. I love tea. Step 13: For Part 6, sing, I love coffee. I love tea, or, When you add the teacher accompaniment for this section, be sure to sing to keep the student from rushing. Step 14: Teach the Ending part by imitation. Step 15: Put all the parts together in one long piece, and add the teacher accompaniment. Step 16: This piece is effective as an ensemble in recitals. Assign each of six children a part of the piece. They stand in a line and play their assigned parts in order. I add an extra two measures of accompaniment (m. 7-8) to give the students time to move up in line and find their position at the piano. This ensemble is always a crowd pleaser! 16

11 Cleaver the Beaver!!! Repertoire Book 1 Stevens!!!!!!!!! Rote Piece 7 I usually teach Steps 1-7 at one lesson and Steps 8-11 at the next lesson. Stems up = RH. Stems down = LH Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Play the piece for the student and sing the words while playing the teacher accompaniment. This allows the student to hear the waltz. Step 3: Play m. 1-2 and sing C D E C D E. Student imitates. Make sure the student plays non legato with an arm bounce on each note and with firm fingertips. Objectives: Play a rote piece that moves over the entire piano Practice moving between hand positions that begin on C and G. Non legato articulation Coordinated movements between C and G. Continuous rhythm Step 4: Play m. 3-4 and sing G A B Together. Student imitates. Step 5: Student plays m. 1-4 until secure. Count and use Playing Insurance if the student has a tendency to stop on the bar lines. Step 6: Move the student s hands to the next position. Student plays m. 5-8 (repeat of m. 1-4 an octave higher). Step 7: Student plays m Step 8: Play m. 9-12, and alert the student, This part is different. C D E together. G A B together. Student imitates. Step 9: For m , say, Now for the special ending. Ask the student to tell you which note you do not play. Play m Student says, F. Student imitates. End with low C. Step 10: Put the entire piece together. Step 11: When the student can play the piece well alone, add the teacher accompaniment. 17

12 Zechariah Zebra!!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!! Technical Exercise 8 In my dissertation research with excellent pre-college teachers, three of the four teachers in my original study used this exercise under different guises: Marvin Blickenstaff called it Ebenezer Sneezer. Carolyn Shaak called it Colorado Mountain. Mary Craig Powell called it Mississippi Hop Frog. Mary Craig Powell explained to me the benefits of this exercise in developing the following: Firm fingertips, which are easier to develop when playing repeated fingers rather than consecutive fingers Loose arm, because if students can play this exercise at a fast tempo, they have to be loose. It is not possible to play this exercise well with a stiff arm Confidence in playing fast repeated notes. This exercise may take a month or more to master. At first, the piano hand shape may not look very good, especially with Fingers 4 and 5. Keep working to shape the hand until the student develops control to play this exercise with firm fingertips and a good piano hand shape. Fingers should absolutely not be glued to the keys. The whole forearm bounces on the eighth notes, with a higher bounce for the quarter notes. The arm aligns behind the playing finger. Finger 1 plays on its corner, not flat on its side. It is slightly curved (rather than turned out with collapsed joints): 18

13 Fingers 2 and 3 are the easiest fingers. They should play with firm fingertips and a raised (not collapsed) hand knuckle bridge: Finger nail joints should not collapse like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finger 4 will need to stand taller than fingers 2 and 3 in order to play with a firm fingertip and good piano hand shape, as it tends to want to play flat and pull the hand down. Finger 5 plays on its outer corner tip, not straight on its tip, as this would make it stand too tall and cause a hand position in which the fingers are too curved. However, Finger 5 should not play flat either. 19

14 Step 1: Have the student listen to this exercise on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Play m. 1 for the student. Then hold his hand and thumb and play the measure using his thumb. You are doing all the work while he has a relaxed arm. Be sure the thumb plays up on its corner, not flat on its side. Proper thumb position will prevent many technical problems in the future. The arm bounces as a unit from the elbow. Tempo should be about = 120. Objectives: Develop the ability to play repeated notes fast with a loose arm Develop firm fingertips Firm fingertips Good piano hand shape after gradually working on this exercise Bouncy arm, with bigger bounce on eighth notes Step 3: Let him play m. 1 by himself. Check for relaxed shoulders. If the shoulders are not relaxed, touch them to relax them. Step 4: Check for good piano hand shape in preparation for Finger 2 on D (m. 3). Play using his hand. Then let him play it himself. Step 5: Check for a good piano hand shape in preparation for Finger 3 on E (m. 5). Play it with his finger before letting him play it himself. Be sure the arm is aligned behind Finger 3. Step 6: Check for a good piano hand shape in preparation for Finger 4 on F (m. 7). Say, Tall Finger 4. Play it with his finger before letting him play it himself. Be sure the arm is aligned behind Finger 4. Step 7: Check for a good piano hand shape in preparation for Finger 5 on G (m. 9), saying, Tall Finger 5. Play it with his finger before letting him play it himself. Be sure the arm is aligned behind Finger 5. Step 8: Keep setting the student s hand for each finger as you repeat the exercise with the LH. Step 9: As the student progresses and is able to maintain a good piano hand shape for each finger on his own, add the teacher accompaniment in one hand and play the student part displaced by an octave with the student. Stop to fix a poor hand shape during the whole rest before allowing him to play the next note. Also, address any problems while the student is playing a specific finger. For example, if non-playing fingers are flying up very high, ask the student to relax those fingers. As the student gains strength and control, this will become easier. You can also make your hand look bad (fingers sticking up in the air, flat thumb, etc.) and ask him what is wrong with your hand and have him fix it. Step 10: After the student demonstrates the ability to have a good piano hand shape throughout the whole exercise, play the teacher accompaniment and coach him verbally for each finger during the whole rest before he plays that finger: In summary, the progression of working on the Zechariah Zebra Technique is: You play a finger using the student s hand. Student plays that finger himself. Student plays each finger. Stop before each finger to check hand shape. Student plays while you play teacher accompaniment and verbally coach him for each finger. Stop as needed between fingers to fix hand shape. Student plays alone with teacher accompaniment. 20

15 Zebra on a Pogo Stick!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!!!!!! Rote Piece 9 I usually teach student Steps 1-5 at one lesson, Steps 6-9 at the next lesson, and Steps at the following lesson. This piece is a definite challenge for students in terms of coordination. Keep working on it, and be sure the student plays at a moderate tempo that he can maintain throughout the piece. Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Play and sing the piece for the student. Step 3: Have the student play the RH of m. 1-6 while the teacher plays LH. Coach him about which finger to play next. He can refer to the score to see the finger numbers. Objective: Play a piece by rote that uses the Zechariah Zebra Technique Good piano hand shape in RH Zechariah Zebra parts Steady tempo Free bouncy motions in LH m. 6 Step 4: For m. 7-8, tell him that Finger 4 does not play. Play RH while singing, Zechariah Zebra Student imitates. Step 5: Student plays RH and teacher plays LH for the entire piece. Step 6: Play LH m. 2 with two different fingerings, , or Have the student try both and decide which he likes better. I have students who have chosen each fingering as more comfortable. Write in the fingering he chooses. This passage can be difficult for students. For older students who you know can technically play it well, this is a time to let the student work hard until he masters this. After teaching this piece to many students, I have discovered that some students can play the LH part easily, while other students struggle technically. For those students who need a version with a simplified LH, you can use: This is also a great practice step for eventually playing the original version: 21

16 This is the most simplified version: Step 7: For the original version in m. 4, use the same fingering as m. 2 in reverse. Student imitates. Step 8: Play LH m. 6. Student imitates. Make sure he has an extra bouncy arm, like a zebra bouncing on his pogo stick. Step 9: Teacher plays RH while student plays LH. Step 10: Student plays HT. Step 11: When the student can play the piece well alone, add the teacher accompaniment. 22

17 Outer Space!!!! Repertoire Book 1 Knerr!!!!!!!!! Rote Piece 10 I usually teach the whole piece in one lesson. Stems up = RH. Stems down = LH Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Step 2: Play m. 1-8 for the student, the Space Music. Step 3: Play m. 1-2 for the student. Student imitates, playing non legato with an arm bounce on each note. The pedal will make it sound legato, while playing non legato will preserve the piano hand shape. Objectives: Learn a piece by rote Improvise space music Bouncy arm Firm fingertips Correct rhythm Step 4: Have the student repeat the same pattern up an octave (m. 3-4). Step 5: Demonstrate m. 5-8, singing, right right left Student imitates. Step 6: Have the student start piano and gradually crescendo to shape the dynamics. Step 7: Ask the student to think of two objects in outer space and draw pictures of those objects in the space below the first and second endings. My students have answered, UFO s, moon, stars, earth, planets, space ships, black holes, supernovas Step 8: For each space object, ask the student to think of music to match. If he is timid, give him an idea and demonstrate, such as playing random high black keys for stars, playing black and white hand clusters for earth, or playing fast and loud black keys for UFO s. Create short musical sounds for each of the space things he drew. It works best if there are some black keys involved rather than anything diatonic on the white keys, but I do not censor the children if they start playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on white keys for their star music. Anything is acceptable. Use pedal throughout to make it sound more space like. Step 9: Write the form of the piece (shown below), drawing pictures as necessary. Then have the student play the whole piece, coaching him through the form of the piece: 23

18 Space Music (m. 1-8) Space Object 1 Space Music (m. 1-8) Space Object 2 Space Music (m. 1-8) Shooting Star With one of my students who likes Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story, we drew: Three pictures of Buzz (for the three Space Music Sections, m. 1-8) A Picture of Space Thing 1 (Zurg) A Picture of Space Thing 2 (Woody Flies to Earth) A Picture of a Rocket Ship (He preferred a rocket to the Shooting Star for the end.)!!!we cut out the pictures out strung them on string in order to make a visible representation of the form of the piece. He loved this! The improvisation section music will change slightly each time, which is fine. However, I have found that the children usually do not change their sounds drastically. Once they find a sound they like that goes with their object, they remember it and keep using it. 24

19 Crocodile in the Nile!!! Repertoire Book 1 Stevens!!!!!!!!! Rote Piece 11 I usually teach the entire piece in one lesson. Stems up = RH. Stems down = LH Step 1: Have the student listen to this piece on his Listening CD several times before introducing it. Objectives: Play a rhythmic piece Play a patterned piece that moves over the entire piano Step 2: Play the piece and sing the words for the student. Step 3: Play m. 1 and sing, White black white. Play with a sharp staccato articulation to encourage the student to play short notes (like sharp crocodile teeth). Young students Rhythmic playing Short notes may not have the coordination for staccato, so non legato is fine also. Step 4: Play m. 2. Student imitates. Step 5: Play m. 3-4 and ask the student to count how many you play Student imitates while singing Step 6: Continue to play m. 5-8 and count, Student imitates. Step 7: Student plays m. 1-8 while you use Pointing and Singing Insurance as necessary. Step 8: Demonstrate m and sing C D E and end on C. Student imitates, playing non legato. You can hold down the pedal, or the student can if he can reach it or if you have a pedal extender. It will sound legato with the pedal down. However, playing non legato will help the student keep a good piano hand shape and produce good tone. Step 9: Point out that the pattern is played four times in m End with an arm drop on the lower register for the ending Roar. Step 10: Student plays the entire piece. 25