Category: Lessons

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When The Saints Go Marching In

Introduction

This is one of the most famous American songs in history. It is considered to be the unofficial anthem of New Orleans, Louisiana, which is the birthplace of jazz, the only truly American genre of music.

Like our own city, New York, New Orleans is a port city, meaning it is in a place where it is easy for large boats to dock, so it was a place where many people first immigrated to America. New York and New Orleans are similar because people from all over the world with diverse cultures and backgrounds live there. That’s why jazz, which started in New Orleans, is so uniquely American. Jazz incorporates musical styles from all over the world, particularly African drumming and rhythms. When the musicians in New Orleans got together to play, the combination of all of their styles led them to create jazz.

One of the most important parts of jazz is improvisation. That means that you make up your part as you go. Listen to the introduction to jazz below for more detailed information. The person speaking is Wynton Marsalis, the director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Introduction to jazz with Wynton Marsalis

Louis Armstrong

No discussion of New Orleans jazz would be complete without mentioning Louis Armstrong. Louis was born in New Orleans and over the course of his life probably did more to spread jazz all over the world than any other musician. Louis played the trumpet. Even though he was born in New Orleans, after he got famous, he moved to New York because that was where all the important jazz musicians lived. Back then, the place where all the famous musicians lived was Harlem. Even though his friends wanted him to move there, Louis felt more comfortable around regular people, so he moved to a house in Jackson Heights, Queens. His house is now a museum and it is about 8 miles away from Long Island City. The pictures on the left were taken on his front steps with some of the kids that lived in his neighborhood.

Here is a video of Louis Armstrong and his band playing When the Saints Go Marching In.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

This song is played with your hands and C position.The biggest challenge that you will have is adding the chords in the left-hand. One thing you might try would be to sing the words while you play the chords in time.

Watch the videos above to have an idea of how the chords are played. They are played with fingers number 1, 3 and 5 together, all at the same time. Think of it like a shape that you are making with your hand to play the combination of notes that make up the chord.

Take it slow and remember to break it up into phrases.

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

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La Paloma Se Fue

Introduction

This song is sung in Spanish and comes from Puerto Rico.  It is a fun song to sing.  Make sure you sing it through a few times before you try to play it because it is important for you to know what a song is supposed to sound like so you know if you’re playing it correctly.

In the words, a person is looking for a dove that has flown away from home.  Since the words to a song are usually similar to a poem, we can think of them in the same way. When we look at the words in this song in an artistic way, we can understand that this song is really about missing someone, whether it is a dove, person or anything else.

Listen

Rhythm

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

The first thing to notice about this song is the key signature. You should recognize it, it is the same key signature as in Brahms’ Lullaby. Do you remember the key? It’s my favorite one! Whether you remember the name of the key or not the important thing to take out of the key signature is which notes must be played as sharps. In this song that is F. All of the F’s are F#’s.

The song has two parts in the melody, which are repeated.  Make sure that you play the eighth note part smoothly, evenly and rhythmically.  Notice the G major scale starting on the right hand starting in measure 3.

Take it slow and remember to break it up into phrases.

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

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La Ci Darem La Mano

Introduction

Don Giovanni

The songs in an opera are not given names like other songs.  They are called by the words in the first line.  That is how today’s song, La Ci Darem La Mano, got it’s name.  It is a song from an Opera called Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  The words are in Italian.  A lot of operas are written in Italian because of the sound of the vowels.

Don Giovanni is the main character in the opera.  He is the type of person that will say or promise anything to get what he wants, but never keeps his promise.  La Ci Darem La Mano is a duet, which means there are two singers.  In it Don Giovanni is trying to get a woman named Zerlina to go for a walk with him and hold his hand, but she knows that he is not a nice person, so she doesn’t want to go at first.  Eventually, he convinces her to go.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Portrait

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a musical genius.  His music is not only beautiful, but he also had some really creative ideas that he used to make his music extra interesting and artistic.  As you listen to this piece, notice that Mozart is illustrating the conversation using the singer’s vocal melodies.  At first, Don Giovanni sings alone.  Then Zerlina answers him and they sing back and forth to each other.  When she agrees to go for a walk, they sing at together.  It shows that the two characters have come together.

Watch below and look for the things I described.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Slower

Full Speed

Sheet Music

There are a few challenges in playing this piece, but they are challenges that you have faced before, so don’t worry.

One challenge is the notes with no finger numbers, so make sure you don’t skip any.  Use your ears and your brain to make sure it sounds right.

Another challenge is how you have to switch back and forth between hands a lot, so don’t let it break up the phrases.  Focus on making it smooth.

Take it slow and remember to break it up into phrases.

Don’t try the challenge version until you’ve mastered the standard version.

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Listening

What do musicians do during coronavirus lockdown in Italy?  They sing duets in their apartments!
This is a special little treat.  Frank Sinatra was a famous popular singer and he sang La Ci Darem La Mano in a movie with an actress named Kathryn Grayson.

Even the Muppets did their own version!
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Lullaby

Introduction

Today’s song is a lullaby.  No, it’s THE lullaby.  Wiegenlied, (“Lullaby” or “Cradle Song”) Written by Johannes Brahms in 1868, this is a piece that most of you have heard many, many times.

Brahms wrote this “cradle song” for his friend to celebrate her second son being born.

It is one of Johannes Brahms’ most popular pieces of music.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

There is a new idea presented in this song.  It’s called “key signature” and it is represented by the one sharp you see on both the G clef and the F clef before the time signature.  In this case, the sharps are sitting on the F lines, which means that every F in the song is actually F#, even if it isn’t on the same F line.  I highlighted some of them, but there might be one I missed, so make sure you listen and use your ears and your brain to tell you if there’s a note that isn’t right.

Another thing I highlighted was the ‘p’ in between the key signature and the time signature.  That is short for an Italian word, “piano,” which means that means “softly”.  Amazingly, that means that you should play this lullaby softly.  Who would have thought?

Many students have found the switching between hands in this song tricky, mainly because you switch from left hand, finger 2 to right hand finger 2.  Don’t forget to play all the notes, even the ones with no finger numbers!

Take it slow and remember to break it up into phrases.

If you get good at it, maybe you can play it for your little brother or sister at nap time, or maybe for your parents to help them relax after a long day.

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Experience Wiegenlied

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Wooden Shoe Dance from Hansel and Gretel

Introduction

Hansel and Gretel is an old fairy tale written by the Brothers Grimm.  A composer named Engelbert Humperdinck wrote an opera using the story and today’s song is from that opera.

Originally, the words were in German, but in the performance you’ll see below, the words are translated to English.

This scene is part of Act 1, which is at the beginning of the opera.  Hansel and Gretel are at home, and Gretel is teaching her brother Hansel how to dance.

Video

The Lesson

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

There are a few challenges in playing this piece, but they are challenges that you have faced before, so don’t worry.

First, you have to figure out the hand position.  The first note in the song is played by the right hand and it sits on the line that gives the G clef it’s name.  Do you know what it is?  That’s right.  It’s my favorite note, G.  Which finger is playing that note?  We know it’s a different finger than usual because the finger number is circled.

Second, take a look at the first note the left hand plays.  It’s circled, too.  This note is a D.  How do you need to move your hand so that your 1st finger plays that?

Hint:  You can check yourself by watching the videos above.

Notice the staccato marks in measures 10 and 12.

Notice the C major scale played by the right hand at the end, starting in measure 14.

Take it slow and remember to break it up into phrases.

Sheet Music

Piano
Piano Challenge Version
Ukulele
Guitar
Recorder
Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!

Enrichment

Opera Arias

This is a video in which Maciek O’Shea, who is an opera singer tells you about and sings a whole bunch of operatic arias.  Aria is what a song in an opera that is sung by one person is called.  It’s a fun video and I hope you enjoy it.  Opera is one of my favorite types of music.