Let’s do the ear-training game again. I think I need that today.
-Julien, age 11

Sometimes a child comes in with a clear idea of what she wants to do that day. I will hear her singing a tune as she comes up the stairs or she’ll come in and make a beeline for the piano or whatever she has in mind. Another child might come in, sit down, look around and wait. In this case, I might ask a question that leads us in some direction. Once we begin, it’s in the child’s hands and usually takes on a life of its own.

Questions to wake the “Music Muse”

• How can you dress a song in a different “costume?”
• A song is hiding in 3 notes – Can you find it?
• Can you read “Face Notation?”

Possibilities with the piano:

• Ear training
• Experiment with chords
• Learn about “Note menus” (scales and modes) and “invent” key signatures
• Play duets
• Accompany
• Improvise
• Learn a song by ear, rote or note

Possibilities with the autoharp:

• Experiment with harmony
• Discover chord families
• Learn the difference between major and minor
• Accompany a song

Of course, there’s also …

• Singing
• Dancing
• Composing
• Conducting
• Jamming
• Studying music of other cultures
• Learning about composers

And that’s the short list!