Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about the building blocks of music: Scales and Triads. Scales are the foundation upon which all music is built. Understanding scales and being able to play them quickly and skillfully helps in being able to sightread and tackle a new piece with greater ease.
Ask your student what is the significance of the sentence "We Were Happy When We Were Here." They should be able to explain how that sentence relates to the building of a Major Scale. They should have the ability to make a Major Scale starting on any key of the piano.
They also learned about the Primary Chords (I, IV, and V) and how they fit into songs built on a Major Scale. We will continue to explore this concept and introduce the students to harmonization, different accompaniment styles, and arrangements.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to explore scales and learn to identify key signatures.
Triads are three-note chords that accompany and harmonize with the main melody of a piece. The students learned to invert the triads, creating the 1st and 2nd inversions of several different triads. They learned the concept of "Root", both the root identification and root position.
Learning the Scales and Primary Chords is the beginning of understanding the construction of music. I hope to give the students opportunities over the next few months to try their hand at composing their own pieces, and possibly finding their own musical voice.
