Foundation Songs

I’m generally very rigorous about following Neil’s instructions, since time and again I’ve come to understand why he does things the way he does. I’ve recently had a situation where I felt I had a good reason to do something a little differently from what…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• changing chapter order, context, control the events, controlling the events, CP, cross pollination, cross-pollinate, CTE, dosage, dose, doses, down-level, fragmenting, Fragmenting-Layering, fragments, Fur Elise, Fur Elise A Section, Fur Elise complexity, Fur Elise left hand, Fur Elise LH, Fur Elise order, hybrid, Laurie Richards, microdose, Neil Moore, out of context, re-teaching pieces, re-teaching songs, re-working pieces, re-working songs, single thought process, single thought processes, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, STP, technique for Fur Elise, up-level

Question: I have just signed on a Special Needs student. She is 9 years old. Her favorite song is Happy Birthday. Mum said they play that every day! I know we normally teach this at the end of Foundation Level 1 but I would like…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• accompaniment, accompaniment pieces, accompaniment resources, Amazing Grace, Amazing Grace LH position, Amazing Grace position, basics, changes, changing teaching order, claiming territory, finger positions, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Supplement, high functioning, Honey Dew, Honey Dew LH position, Honey Dew position, introducing accompaniment, Jackson Blues, order, parents of special needs, position, position change, positioning, positions, song order, special circumstances, special needs, teaching order, teaching special needs

I’m still having difficulty with the variation of Light Blue. Watching Neil over and over with the rhythm in the hands hasn’t helped me. Either it needs to be slowed down or written out for me so that I can SEE it. Could someone maybe…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• complex rhythm, counting rhythms, differences in materials, different materials, difficult rhythm, FABE chord, Foundation sheet music, isolating rhythm, light blue, light blue rhythm, Light Blue Variation, managing variations, music books, notation, notation changes, processing rhythm, rhythm diagram, rhythm diagrams, score, sheet music, simply music song variations, using music book, using music books, using score, variation, variations, video and book different

What key is Dark Blue in? Look at the music book for FL4. 3 flats. Also, the first and last bass note is C hinting at the tonal center. Ian Yes. And yes. And yet: it doesn’t really ever sound like C is a definitive…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• changing keys, chord inversions, chord voicings, chromatic, chromaticism, Dark Blue, harmony, inversions, jazz, jazz chords, Joe Gilman, key, key change, key of the moment, key signature, minor keys, modal, modes, modulation, Neil Moore, relative key, split chords, tonality, tonic, tonicization, tonicize, tonicizing, voicing, voicing chords, voicing jazz chords

Hello, I’ve got three students whose private music, found and sourced by themselves, is Moonlight Sonata. Two are teenagers in FDN 2 and 3 and one is early in TFMM and in FDN 8.The teenagers use youtube tutorials. All love the piece and I admire…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• advanced music, claiming territory, classical music, Classical Pieces, completing songs, control the events, controlling the events, dosage, dose, doses, encouraging students, event, fragmenting, fragments, going ahead, incomplete piece, incomplete pieces, inheriting, Laurie Richards, learning ahead, learning pace, microdose, microevent, microevents, moonlight sonata, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), outside materials, outside music, outside pieces, outside repertoire, pace, pace of learning, pieces outside the program, portion, portion of a piece, portions, section, section of a piece, sections, short pieces, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, songs outside the repertoire, student mentors, student moving ahead, students moving ahead, students who move ahead, teaching outside music, teaching timeframe, territory, time framing, timeframing

I have been teaching an 8 year old for 4 months. He’s a really bright kid and generally picks things up pretty quickly. We are just finishing up Chester and I’d like to begin Ode to Joy this week. The reason I haven’t moved ahead…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• how fast to move, how to do, how to play, learning pace, learning rate, moving ahead, pace, pace of learning, pace of teaching, pacing, pacing arrangements, progress, rate of learning, rate of progress, slow pace, slow progress, speed of learning, speed of progress, student progress, students speed of progress, timing of arrangements, what to do, what to play, when to introduce arrangements, when to teach arrangements

Transcribing question: in the score for Greensleeves, do the eighth notes in the RH have to be written in groups of 3 because of the 6/8 time signature? Rather than the groups of 4 we have been used to seeing in RR? Yes, because in…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• 6/8, A Traveler's Tale, Amazing Grace, cycles of 3, cycles of 4, eighth notes, Greensleeves, melody for Amazing Grace, reading, reading concerns, reading problems, reading rhythm, RR, teaching reading, time signature, transcribing, transcribing Reading Rhythm - transcribing, transcribing rhythm, transcription, Traveler's Tale, triplet, triplets

Sorry, it’s me again (have a few things floating around in my mind at the moment : ) A parent queried me re the diagrams this week, and I’m looking for a solid answer. The question is: why do some songs have substantial learning clues…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• brains and patterns, diagram, diagrams, Dreams, Dreams Come True, identifying patterns, Laurie Richards, learning clues, Lullaby, Night Storm, patterns, reference clues, remembering patterns, teaching Lullaby, understanding diagrams

I’d like to talk about how I’m finding and using the Ballads, Songs and Vignettes recordings in my studio. There are so many aspects I’ve numbered them. Here are some benefits I see for my students . 1.They counter a mentality I often see that…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• adding expression, Ballads Songs & Vignettes, BSV, expression, expressive playing, getting student to slow down, musical expression, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing with expression, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down

I have one student who is really struggling to get the “swing” feel for Alma Mater Blues and also Rocking Honey. It seems for some it comes so naturally, and for others, it’s a huge effort. We verbalise the “here’s humpty dumpty”, we clap the…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, dosage, dose, doses, Gordon Harvey, Honey Dew, humpty, humpty dumpty, microdose, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, swing rhythm, swing rhythms