A New Year - A New Beginning
For parents, grandparents, and music teachers, it is a natural desire to want the very best in life for the youngsters in our lives. At the beginning of each year we make resolutions to better our lives or make a good habit of doing something positive for others. Why not combine these two drives. Scientific investigations have presented a strong case that music plays an important, positive role in the mental and educational development of children. The Noteimals method of teaching note reading and timing using Animal Notes is a successful and fun way to introduce music to the youngsters in your life, and it can be taught by any parent or grandparent who will make a resolution to give fifteen to thirty minutes a week of their time to make a big difference to the children they love.
This method of beginning music education turns the basic note shape into a head or body of animals that are familiar to us all. The notes grouped in the middle of the Grand Staff are the Mother notes;
the lower notes are the Father notes; and the high notes the children of the Animal Note family. This makes note reading easy to understand and playing a piece simple and fun. At this time, the Note Reading books are written for the piano and guitar. Books for other instruments are in the planning or creation stage.
Each note has a story that relates the animal to their staff home. Using the Animal Note/standard note Flash Card set, these stories can be easily learned, and when the card is turned over and the standard note appears, the story can be the “guiding” light” to identifying the Standard Note. Regular practice with these cards will make moving to standard music much easier.
The Timing book has music arranged in the Animal Notes using Whole, Quarter, Half, Dotted Half, and Eighth Notes. A child can concentrate on their counting and listen to the length of each note as they play the piece, because they can easily read each note.
Two books of fun and familiar songs are arranged in the Animal Notes to give the children songs they are proud to play for others. More of these are planned.
Another book, soon to be published, is designed to smooth transition to standard music notation and will introduce some of the important basic elements of music theory.
We are aiming to produce an early music education series that will allow children to enjoy music while learning to read notes and timing, yet has a comfortable way to make a smooth transition to standard music and an enjoyable music future. Try it; I think you will enjoy teaching the young ones in your life, and it will give them a gift that keeps on giving.
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