PRESTO! IT’S PIANO MAGIC - SCOPE AND SEQUENCE - BOOK 2
Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 2: Part 1
Rhythm - Counting and Subdividing, Dynamics and Articulation, Intervals, The Sounds of Major and Minor Modes, First Five (Natural) Minor Scales (A, E, D, G, C), Technique - Holding Isolated Notes, Review.
Rhythm - Counting and Subdividing. Broadening knowledge, music vocabulary, and skill of counting divisions of the beat (subdividing). The system of counting using numbers is used in conjunction with emphasis of downbeats. (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, or 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +…).
This Old Man
By ‘m By
Dynamics and Articulation. Developing understanding, music vocabulary, and playing technique related to dynamics and articulation. Described both in English and Italian, vocabulary includes the range pianissimo to fortissimo, crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, legato, staccato, slur, accent, and rolled chords.
On Top of Old Smokey
Lil’ Liza Jane
Chiapanecas
She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Bebi Notsa (Baby, Sleep)
The Lonesome Road
Intervals. Broadening understanding, skill in identifying, and music vocabulary related to intervals, including major and minor qualities, perfect intervals, and augmented and diminished intervals. Practice identifying intervals by letter name, by solfege, by notation on the staff, and aurally by ear.
Aiken Drum
The Sounds of Major and Minor Modes. Training the ear to hear Major versus Minor modes, scales, and intervals.
First Five (Natural) Minor Scales (A, E, D, G, C). Teaching scale patterns (natural minor scale as a pattern of half steps and whole steps = WS HS WS WS HS WS WS). Musical structures are logical and based on patterns, they are not random. Students learn that as flats are added to scales, the previous flats are retained in order (Bb, Eb, Ab). Each of these five natural minor scales use the same fingering, which is the same fingering as the first five major scales learned thus far. Students should learn and play them each one octave, hands separately and very slowly, with the correct fingering, from memory, and singing on solfege (Do-based minor solfege and La-based minor solfege) while playing.
Technique - Holding Isolated Notes. Continuing to develop facility to hold one note down while playing other notes, with increasing complexity.
C, G, D, A, E (Natural) Minor Scales, One Octave
Vo Pole Tuman Zatumanelsya (Over Fields and
Over Meadows)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Review. Rhythmic counting and subdivisions of the beat, intervals and interval identification (visually, aurally, note names and solfege), dynamics and articulations, continuing note identification on the staff, and major and minor scale patterns. Encourage student to perform a solo recital for a friendly audience.
Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 2: Part 2
Rhythm - Rests, More Major and Minor Scales (F Major, B Major, F Minor, B Minor), Chords, Keys, and Transpositions, Rhythm - Triplets, Using the Sustain Pedal, Technique - Drop, Roll, and Lift, More about Accidentals, Review.
Rhythm - Rests. Introducing rests, including notation of rests, how to count them, and relevant and useful music vocabulary. Whole Rest, Half Rest, Quarter Rest, Eighth Rest.
Pop! Goes the Weasel
Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here
The Yellow Rose of Texas
More Major and Minor Scales (F Major, B Major, F Minor, B Minor). Each of these major and (natural) minor scales use slightly different fingering in one of the hands, the first deviation from fingering students have learned thus far with the first 5 major and first 5 minor scales. Students should learn and play them each one octave, hands separately and very slowly, with the correct fingering, from memory, and singing on solfege while playing.
F and B, Major and (Natural) Minor Scales, One Octave
The Riddle Song
Chords, Keys, and Transpositions. Broadening understanding of harmony in music, including scales, keys, and modes, chords, consonance and dissonance, and transposing music in different keys. The next three songs are written in each in two or more different keys, and the third song encourages students to improvise their own harmony (chords/accompaniment).
Hickory Dickory Dock
Kumbaya
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Rhythm - Triplets. Exploring the difference between subdividing the beat in two versus three. Music vocabulary, notation, and counting.
Amazing Grace
Using the Sustain Pedal. Understanding relevant and useful music vocabulary, notation, composer intention, performer interpretation, and technique/skill related to using the sustain pedal while playing the piano.
Down in the Valley
Frere Jacques
Oh, Freedom
How Can I Keep from Singing?
Technique - Drop, Roll, and Lift. Playing technique including using arm weight and gravity, dropping or falling on the keys, using wrists and fingers to roll upward from the keys, and lifting hands completely off the keys. Developing appropriate technique for natural, tension-free, and graceful playing.
Three Jolly Rogues (In Good Old Colony Times)
More about Accidentals. Broadening understanding of accidental (sharp, flat, and natural) usage, vocabulary, and notation. Introduction to key signatures.
La piñata
Review. Note identification practice, interval identification practice (visual and aural, letter names, staff notation, and solfege), accidentals, rhythm, counting and subdividing, rests, triplets, dynamics and articulations, major and minor scale patterns, the sustain pedal. Encourage student to perform a solo recital for a friendly audience.
Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 2: Part 3
Rhythm - Sixteenth Notes, Interval and Ledger Line Practice, Bass Lines, Review.
Rhythm - Sixteenth Notes. Learning how to subdivide beats using sixteenth notes, with a focus on sixteenth note patterns. Counting including using sixteenth notes.
Arkansas Traveler
Listen to the Mockingbird
Crawdad Song
Clementine
S/He’s Got the Whole World in His/Her Hands
Interval and Ledger Line Practice.
Pretty Birdie
Bass Lines. Broadening understanding of harmony, plus relevant and useful music vocabulary including chords, bass lines, walking bass, stride bass, Alberti bass, Murky bass, pedal bass, and “Boogie Woogie” bass.
Bass Line Studies
Skip to My Lou
Canon in D (Simplified Reduction)
Review. Note identification practice, interval identification practice (visual and aural, letter names, staff notation, and solfege), accidentals, rhythm, counting and subdividing, rests, triplets, dynamics and articulations, major and minor scale patterns, the sustain pedal, sixteenth note patterns, bass lines. Encourage student to perform a solo recital for a friendly audience.
Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 2: Part 4
Music Notation: Key Signatures, More about Key Signatures, Tempo and Expression, Chords and Triads, Navigation and Form, Chord Progressions and Cadences, More about Clefs, Articulation, and Technique, Review, Completion of Book 2: Prize and Certificate.
Music Notation: Key Signatures. Furthering understanding of key signatures, how they relate to scales keys, and modes, and how they are notated on the grand staff. Begin to memorize placement and ordering of sharps and flats in key signatures. Play games, drill, use paper-and-pencil worksheets, flash cards, online apps, and practice at the piano keyboard. Help students memorize positions and relationships between key signatures, including patterns on the keyboard and in the music notation. Do not use mnemonics or other artificial devices. Memorize a few key signatures at a time well.
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lamond
More about Key Signatures. Furthering understanding of key signatures, relevant and useful music vocabulary, and relationships to harmony and music theory. Introduction to tonic and scale degrees, and broadening of key relationships and patterns, including relationships to major and minor modes and keys (e.g., parallel and relative keys and modes).
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prarie
El chocolate
Scales, Two Octaves (Major = C, G, D, A, E, B, F; Minor = A, E, D, G, C, B, F)
Chorale, Shaff’s Mit Mur, from “The Notebook for Anna Magdalena”
Lerikos (Eba sto caro)
Peixe Vivo
Yibane hamikdash
Tempo and Expression. Broadening of concepts, skills, and relevant and useful music vocabulary related to tempo and expression, including English and Italian terms, descriptions, and modifiers such as largo, adagio, allegro, andante, moderato, vivace, presto, accelerando, ritardando, rallentando, a tempo or tempo primo, agitato, brillante, cantabile, con brio, dolce, espressivo, leggiero, misterioso, rubato, agogic accent, meno, poco, piu, molto, and subito.
Arabesque
Chords and Triads. Furthering understanding of chords, and introducing concepts of harmonic progression and chord progression. Students learn how to build triads and identify the tonic triad of a given key or scale. Students learn how to build triads from all other scale degrees, and label them using numbers and Roman numerals. Students learn relevant and useful vocabulary such as the names of the scale chords, such as tonic, dominant, subdominant, and leading or leading tone. Students are introduced to chord inversions, and score analysis.
Cielito Lindo
Pirulito
Aloha Oe
In the Good Old Summertime
Navigation and Form. Introducing variations in music notation that provide shortcuts and reduce duplication (save paper, ink, and handwriting). Expanding relevant and useful music vocabulary relative to navigation and form, including verse, refrain, chorus, repeat, repeat sign, theme and variations, sections, AB forms and section naming, and first and second endings.
Menuet from “The Notebook for Anna Magdalena”
Chord Progressions and Cadences. Enhancing understanding of chord progressions and introducing the concept and function of cadences in music, especially the I, IV, V, I progression or cadence.
Stars of the Summer Night
Love’s Old Sweet Song
More about Clefs, Articulation, and Technique. Broadening knowledge, skill, and vocabulary relative to clef placement and usage (e.g., treble or bass clef on both staves, and clef changes mid-score, and marcato.
Distant Bells
Ta Ra Ra Boom-de-ay!
Review. Note identification practice, interval identification practice (visual and aural, letter names, staff notation, and solfege), accidentals, rhythm, counting and subdividing, rests, triplets, dynamics and articulations, tempo and expression, navigation and form, major and minor scale patterns, key signatures, the sustain pedal, sixteenth note patterns, bass lines, harmony and chord progressions, transpositions and key changes, relative keys and modes, cadences, triads and chords built off scale degrees, and chord relationships. Encourage student to perform a solo recital for a friendly audience.
Completion of Book 2: Prize and Certificate. Congratulations are in order! Use the Prize and Certificate Order Form to select prize and provide mailing address.
