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Walden Pond Press

Childrens Music Books

New York

by John Aschenbrenner


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I CAN READ MUSIC

Copyright 2000 by Walden Pond Press.

Unauthorized copying, arranging, adapting, recordingor public performance is an infringement of copyright.

No portion of this work may be copied in any respect

without the express written permission of the copyright

holder. All rights reserved in all media.

The purchaser of this printable download copy is

authoriz4ed to make one copy for their personal use.

You may not distribute, resell, or copy this ebook for

any reason other than your personal use. All rights

reserved.

I CAN READ MUSIC

ISBN # 0-9718936-4-0

Walden Pond Press

PO BOX 566 Crugers, NY 10521

This book is dedicated to my son Jake,who is my inspiration.

Some images 2003 www.clipart.com

Some images by Nova Development Corp. / Art Explosion

The terms PIANO BY NUMBER and MILLER POND PRESS are

trademarks of Miller Pond Press used to identify its publications. Thesetrademarks are to be used only with the prior consent of Miller Pond Press.


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Easy Setup: Step #1

1.1 Look at your piano. There are two colors of keys,

white and black. (Only part of a full keyboard is shown.)

1.2 The black keys are arranged in groups of 2 and 3.

1.3 C is the name of the first white key to the left

of any group of two black keys:

2 3 2 3 2 3

2 2 2

C C C


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Step #2

2.1 There is a special, single white key (one of the white

keys named C) in the center of the piano keyboard, which is

specifically called Middle C. (Only part of a full piano

keyboard is shown.)

2.2 On an acoustic piano, Middle C is located in the

area to the left of the manufacturers name printed above thekeys in the center of the keyboard. On any piano, electronic or

acoustic, Middle C is the C which lies in the center of the

keyboard. (Only part of a full piano keyboard is shown.)

STEINWAY

2.3 Note the location of Middle C on your piano for the

next step.

2 2 2

C MIDDLE C C

MIDDLE C


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Step #3

3.1 There is a template for a set of six colored stickers

on page 51 of this book (five blue, one red.) Take a red stickerand place it on the white key named Middle C. (Only part of a

keyboard is shown.)

3.2 Take a blue sticker and place it on the second white

key directly to the right of Middle C. Finish placing the bluestickers as shown onto the white keys, moving to the right of

the keyboard as you place each colored sticker.

MIDDLE C

MIDDLE C

Red Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue

Red


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Step #4

4.1 You should now have six colored stickers placed on certain

white keys of the piano, as shown below. Make sure. The numbered

stickers are shown as a reference for those who have used Piano IsEasy!

Well come back to the piano keyboard and the stickers in just a

minute. First we have to look at printed music!

YOURE READY TO READ MUSIC!

21 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11

MIDDLE C

10 12



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Hi! Lets learn to read music.

Its easy. Here we go!

Music is written down with five lines. Lets count

the lines, starting from the bottom line.

Top

Bottom

5

4

3

2

1

That was easy! Lets keep going!


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4

5 Top

Now lets meet a note! A note

looks like a circle.

Hi! Im a note!

In the drawing below, which line is the note on?The top or the bottom line?

Top

Bottom

The bottom line! That was

easy. Lets keep going!


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Notes can be found on any

one of the five lines!

Im a note!

In the drawing below, which line is the note on?The top or the bottom line?

Top

Bottom

The top line! That was

easy. Lets keep going!


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Sometimes notes are found on

the line above the bottom line!

I can be found on any


In the drawing below, which one of the fivelines is the note on?

5

4

3

2

1

Top

Second

Bottom

The second line, or the line

above the bottom line! That

was easy. Lets keep going!


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Notes can be found on the spaces

in between the lines, too!

Sometimes Im in

the space between

the lines!

In the drawing below, which space is the note on?

Top

Bottom

This note is on the space above

the bottom line! Lets keep

going!


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In the drawing below, where is Middle C?

Theres one special note called

Middle C. This note has its

own special line, just below the

bottom line.

Hi! Im a special note

called Middle C. I

have my own line!

Top

Bottom

Middle C is on its own littleline, just below the bottom

line! Lets keep going!


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When we see that a note has a line through the center

of the circle, we say that note is on a line.

When we see that a note doesnt have a line throughthe center of the circle, we say that note is on a

space.

Lets play games with lines and spaces!

Game #1: Line or Space?

Line! Space! Space!

Remember, a note is only on

a line if the line goes through

the center of the circle.

Game #2: More Lines and Spaces

Line! Space! Line!


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Some notes have a sort of stick

on their side. Its called a stem!

Stem goes up! Stem goes down! No stem at all!

Some notes are hollow! Some notes are filled in!

That was easy! Lets keep going!


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Now lets look at a group of

notes! Can you tell if each note

is on a line or space?

Tell us if were on

lines or spaces!

Line! Space! Line! Space! Line!

Hey! It looks like a stairway!


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We read notes from left to right,

ust like a book! Lets see if these

groups of notes are going up ordown the stairs!

Were going up the stairs!

Were going down the stairs!


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Were almost ready to start

reading music like grownups do!

First, remember these twoimportant things weve already

learned:

1

Notes are on lines or spaces! A note is on a

line if the line goes through the middle of the

notes circle. A note is on a space if the

circle does not have a line through the middle:

Line! Line! Space! Space!

2There is one special note, called middle C,

which is on its own, special line, just below

the bottom of the five lines:

Middle C


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Now were ready to read music

like grownups do! Make sure

youve already put the sixcolored stickers on your piano.

(See page 3 if you forgot!)

Your piano should look like this:

Middle C: (red) Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue

Okay! Here we go! Lets read

music!


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First, lets match up the blue

stickers on the piano with the

lines on the page. Its easy!Each blue sticker on a piano key matches one of the five lines!

When you see a certain note in the book, it means to play the

piano key that matches one of the five lines in the book. Lets

try it:

Middle C: (red)

Play the piano key that matches the note on the

bottom of the five lines. The piano key is the one

with the blue sticker farthest to the left.


Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue


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Lets find another note on the

piano! Its easy!

Each blue sticker on a piano key matches one of the five lines!


piano key that matches one of the five lines in the book.


Middle C: (red)

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue


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Lets find all five notes: every

blue sticker on the piano matches






Middle C: (red)

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue


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Lets play our first song! A

famous song called Brahms

Lullaby uses the first two ofthe five lines:





Middle C: (red)

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue


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Remember Middle C, the special

note that was on its own special

little line? Lets play it!

The red sticker matches the special white key called Middle C.


Middle C: (red)

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Red


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Now lets play all three notes

that we have learned so far!


The red sticker matches the special note called Middle C.


Middle C: (red)

Start here!

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Red


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Now lets play notes that arent on

the lines. Lets play notes that are

in the spaces between the lines!In between the red and blue stickers are white piano keys that

dont have a sticker on it. These are the spaces in between the

lines.


Middle C: (red)

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Blue

Space Space Space Space Space


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Now heres the answer: see below. If

you didnt play the right three notes,

well try again!

Find the notes that come after Middle C!


Middle C: (red)

Start here on

Middle C:Line Space Line


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Lets try another fun test! See if

you can find these notes without

too many hints. The answer is onthe next page! No peeking!

This song does not start on Middle C! It starts on the

bottom line. Remember, Middle C is not on the bottom

line, it is on a special, extra line just for Middle C.

Start here!

If you cant find the first note, ask yourself, Is the

note on a line or a s ace? Its on a line!

Play these notes on the piano:

Heres another hint: the stairs are going up!


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Now heres the answer: see below.

If you didnt play the right three

notes, well tr a ain!

Find the notes that start on the bottom of the five lines.


Middle C: (red)

Start here on the

bottom line!

Line Space Line


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Now were going to play songs in our

songbook, and, after the first song,

were going to do it without hints orclues! If you get confused on the

following pages, you should go back

and read pages 20-31, and then try the

songbook again.


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JINGLE BELLS

For the first four parts of this song,

well give you hints!

PART 1

When you see the same note three times, play that

note three times!Start here on the bottom line!

PART 2


Part 2 is the same as Part 1!



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Part 3


Start here on the

bottom line!

Part 4


Start here on

Middle C!


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Jingle BellsSection 1

With a lot less hints!

Start here on the

bottom line!

If you get confused playing the song

above, you should go back and read

pages 33-34, and then try Jingle Bells on

this page again. Keep trying! Its easy!


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Jingle BellsSection 2

With one hint! Well give you the starting note!


Middle C (red)

Start here on the space above

the bottom line!

If you get confused playing the song

above, you should go back and read pages

33-34, and then try Jingle Bells again.

Keep trying! Its easy!

On the next pages youll findmore songs you can play!


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Mary Had A Little

Lamb

When the Saints

Go Marching In


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Mary Had a Little

Lamb

A note to teachers and parents:

Having completed this section of the book, a student is ready foralmost any beginning piano method, or songbooks that contain

simple melodies on the first five white keys above Middle C.

In actual practice, the concepts presented in this book are offered to

young students many, many times, not just once. Sometimes these

attempts end in failure, sometimes ending in a return to the comfort

of piano by number.

If you try gently, again and again, to introduce these ideas in a fun

way, children will start to understand sheet music. The most

important accomplishment is that the child understands these ideason their own timetable, when they are good and ready.


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MY FIRST SONGBOOK

A note to Teachers and Parents:

There are no symbols such as clef signs, rests, finger numbers, etc,quite on purpose. Children dont really see such symbols at first,

and concentrate on finding the location of the notes (the circles.)

Until a child can easily match the notes on the page to the keys, even

with one finger, it is pointless to continue to more complex matters.

Give them time to become comfortable matching the notes to the

piano keys. Some children may require as much as a year.

Please remember that, in the long term, children easily comprehend

sheet music if it is taught in the following order:

1. Match the location of the notes on the page to the white keysof the piano. (This may take a year until the child is certain of the

first 12 white keys above Middle C.)

2. Assign fingering that makes it easy to navigate from note to

note. (Wait for quite a while, until the child reads notes fluently,

perhaps with one finger. Fingering can always wait. Better to

suggest that they use as many fingers as possible, rather than

assign specific fingers too early.)

3. Try to play the notes as close to the rhythm as possible.

(Rhythm is the very last thing to ask of a child, in terms of sheet

music. Its better to defer the issue while playing rhythm games.Believe it or not, children readily grasp rhythm when they are

comfortable with finding the notes.)


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#1: UP AND DOWN

#2: DOWN AND UP


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#3: SKIPPING UP

#4: SKIPPING DOWN

Sometimes a note has

a little dot after it!

Well learn moreabout this later!


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#5: SKIPS AND STEPS

#6: MIDDLE C OR THE FIRST LINE?


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#7: FOUR IN A GROUP!

#8: FIRST OR SECOND LINE?


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#9: ALOUETTE


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#10: SPACE ABOVE

THE SECOND LINE

Lets learn a new note! Heres a note that is just above the second line!

#11: ALL SPACES


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#12: TWINKLE, TWINKLE,

LITTLE STAR

Theres that new note!


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#13: London Bridge

Theres that new note again!

Theres that note with the littledot after it!


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#14: CAMPTOWN RACES(first half)


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Notes to Parents and Teachers:

This book is set up so that you can teach piano in the three phases discussed on page 39:

1. Allow the child to find the location of the notes with any finger, either hand,

without regard to rhythm (timing.) Any correct performance of a set of notes is

to be praised.

2. When a child is absolutely sure of the first six white keys (the notes taught in this

book, which are known in piano by number as the numbers 1-6) they are

ready for a standard piano book. At this point you can introduce the idea of

fingering, that is, using only a certain finger for a specific note.

3. Rhythm, or timing, is the most difficult concept of all for children, but is easily

taught if they are adequately prepared with the first two phases. A child who is

absolutely certain of all the notes, and has an idea of fingering and can

implement some of it, is ready to think about when to play each note. To ask

rhythm of a child who is struggling with the location of the notes is a mistake on

the part of the teacher. Its better to take a year to prepare the child for fingering

and rhythm than to make them fail by introducing it too soon.

The Rules

Here are rules that make piano study more enjoyable for children.

1. Always show the child the first note of the piece: play the key for them. Later,

they will want to do it themselves, but you need to get each exercise or try

going right away, successfully.

2. Follow each note on the page with your finger, or a pencil. Children are looking

from the page to their hands and get lost when they look back to the page. Later,

they will find their way alone across the page.

3. Do not insist on fingering, that is, assigning certain fingers to play certain notes.

Finding the notes is hard enough for children.

4. Do not insist on rhythm. Pretend that it doesnt exist.

5. Watch very carefully for fatigue. Reading sheet music is exhausting for children,and you need to stop well short of their saturation point and immediately

commence a fun activity, such as piano by numbers or a simple keyboard game

such as fours. See the next page.

6. Never express disapproval. Ignore mistakes that a child cannot correct on theirown. Almost all children know when theyve made a mistake. Make a joke of it,

make a game of it, but never make a child feel like a failure. Just trying to play

piano is a victory. It takes tremendous patience to teach this way, but it always

seems to work. Wait long enough, and any child can figure out the rudiments of

piano.


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Teaching Games

FOURS

Here is a fun keyboard game that you can play at any point to dissolve the fatigueand tension that children feel from trying to read sheet music. I usually play a

funny kind of Chico Marx oom-pah accompaniment, and follow the child, who

starts on Middle C (Middle C is known as the number 1 in piano by

number.)

Perhaps the first few times, make the child speak and count the numbers 1 2 3 4

while they play each key. Its important to connect what their hands are

struggling with to what they are thinking. Its very easy for almost any child.

Very young children need to be given wide latitude.

Children like to start on Middle C and go all the way to the top note of the piano,but once they are comfortable, I stop if they make a mistake (usually the mistake

is playing a key three times instead of four) and we go back to the beginning.

The child plays the numbers, and the parent/teacher plays the letters, or

chords.

FOURS

Child: 1111 2222 3333 4444 5555 6666 7777 8888 etc.

Parent: C G C F C F G C etc.


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Above youll find a template to print stickers for I CAN READ MUSIC. Please refer tothe sticker application directions on page 3-6. Office Supply stores have full sheet

removable label stock which can be used.

You can also use stickers from an Office Supply Store, which will have removable inch wide stickers in many forms. Using such stickers, you can easily use a colored

marker to make your own stickers. Alternatively, you can use masking tape.

10 11 12 C5

CD E F6

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

G A B

D

E

F13

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