First part. Six lessons

• Introduction

• Lesson 1

• Lesson 2

• Lesson 3

• Lesson 4

• Lesson 5

• Lesson 6

Introduction

The teaching scope

This starting part of the Soft Mozart music curriculum includes six lessons. The full year curriculum is included with the School version of the Soft Way to Mozart software.

The current music curriculum is designed primarily for the first year young beginners, 5-11 year-old children. Nevertheless, it is suited for beginners of any age making their first steps in the piano education. It may be used in the school during group music lessons as well as during private piano lessons or home schooling.

The teacher may use the same curriculum for more advanced students by choosing advanced (3^rd- 6^th) music note representations, and playing and learning more difficult songs.

Objectives

During these 6 lessons, students will learn how to read and play two songs by memory on the piano/keyboard. They build and improve skills for sight reading, coordination of both hands for playing the Treble and Base clefs on the piano/keyboard, controlling their vocal pitch, and memorizing music. Students will learn the names and order of music notes, and distinguish the music notes by pitch and time values.

Teaching environment

This curriculum is designed for individual or group piano lessons in a music studio equipped with electric pianos connected to computers. The number of students in the class may be 20 and more, depending on the number of available working units (the piano connected to the computer). If the number of students is more than the number of those units, some of the students may share one working place.

Tools, accessories and materials

This curriculum is based on the use of the Soft Way to Mozart interactive computer software. 

The Soft Way to Mozart software consists of the following computer games:
Gentle Piano, Guess Key, Note Alphabet, Note Duration, Fruit Lines, Treble Staff Puzzle, and Base Staff Puzzle.

Also, the Soft Way to Mozart package includes the Sofeggio piano key stickers, Solfeggio piano key guide, Alphabetical piano key stickers, and Alphabetical piano key guide. It is essential to place these stickers on the piano keyboard, or use a piano key guide, to help any beginner to identify each key and visually relate them with the lines and spaces of the music staff.

Teaching remarks

The curriculum considers the length of the lessons to be 45 minutes.

For teaching and controlling purposes, all students have to write the results of their exercises in specially assigned notebooks. The result includes the name of exercise, the number of points, and the game time. While learning a song, it is very useful to repeat it twice. If the amount of correctly played notes (the points on the left part of monitor) increases, and the delay in seconds (the points on the right part of monitor) decreases, the teacher may draw a winning star or other symbol of progress.

The Soft Way to Mozart software allows the teacher to individualize teaching approach to every student depending on student's abilities. For every particular student, the teacher may vary the number and length of exercises, use more or less advanced music note representations for reading, and require to play and memorize more or less difficult songs.

The curriculum uses the Solfeggio (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti) music note names. The teacher can use the Alphabetical (C-D-E-F-G-A-B) note names by switching any of the computer games to Alphabetical names (press computer key A), and using the Alphabetical piano key stickers or Alphabetical piano key guide instead of the Sofeggio piano key stickers and Solfeggio piano key guide. In this case, students will be deprived of a very important element of music education - singing of Solfeggio, which helps students to memorize songs, and learn how to control their voice pitch and associate it with the music note names.

Used fingers' numeration

• 1^st finger - thumb
• 2^nd finger - index finger
• 3^rd finger - middle finger
• 4^th finger - ring finger
• 5^th finger - pinkie

Command key description

Any computer key associated with a certain program command is described as a letter or word in brackets, e.g. [F] means the computer key "f" or "F", [Enter] means the computer key "Enter".

Lesson 1

A. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

Learning the note alphabet

1. Learn the names of music notes and the corresponding symbols: Do - Door, Re - Rain, Mi - Mirror, Fa - Farm, Sol - Salt, La - Ladder and Ti - Cup of Tea. Use the Sofeggio piano key stickers or Solfeggio piano key guide.

2. Sing Solfeggio by pressing the piano keys with stickers from Do to Do, and singing corresponding note names (Do-Re-Mi...).

B. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

C. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 15 minutes)

Learn how to read and play the song Hot Cross Buns from the album Introductory Songs with the left, right and both hands.

1. Open the song Hot Cross Buns in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use the Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). Use the correct fingering: Mi - the 3^rd finger, Re - the 2^nd finger, and Do - the 1^st finger. While playing, sing the names of the played music notes (Mi-Re-Do...). Play 2 times and write the number of correctly played notes (the points in the left bottom part of the monitor) and the delay in seconds (the points on the right bottom part of the monitor) in the note book. Compare the results. If the amount of correctly played notes increases, draw the student a winning star.

5. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Use the correct fingering on the notes (Do - the 5^th finger, Fa - the 2^nd finger, Sol - the 1^st finger). Play 2 times, write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]). Play 2 times, write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Learn to recite the order of the notes: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti

2. Play the computer game Note Alphabet. Place the music notes in the correct order: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti. Write the points and time.

Lesson 2

A. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

Learning the note alphabet

1. Review the names of music notes and corresponding symbols: Do - Door, Re - Rain, Mi - Mirror, Fa - Farm, Sol - Salt, La - Ladder and Ti - Cup of Tea. Use the Sofeggio piano key stickers or Solfeggio piano key guide.

2. Sing Solfeggio by pressing the piano keys from Do to Do, and singing corresponding note names. Complete this exercise with ascending order (Do, Re, Mi ...) and descending order (Do, Ti, La...).

B. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

C. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 15 minutes)

Learn how to read and play the song Hot Cross Buns from the album Introductory Songs with the left, right and both hands.

1. Open the song Hot Cross Buns in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). Use the correct fingering (see Lesson 1). While playing the song with the right hand, sing the names of the played music notes (Mi-Re-Do...). Play 2-4 times, trying to make no mistakes to get a perfect score. Write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

5. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Play 2-4 times trying to make no mistakes to get a perfect score. Write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]). Play 2-4 times trying to make no mistakes to get a perfect score. Write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Learn to pronounce the music notes in the ascending order: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti, and in the descending order: Ti-La-Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do

2 Play the computer game Note Alphabet. Place music notes in the correct order: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti. Write the points and time.

Lesson 3

A. Piano exercises (duration 5 minutes)

Five fingers exercise

1. With the right hand, play from the middle Do (C) (the red note on 0, half-brown and half-green line) to Sol (G) using the correct fingering: Do - the 1^st finger, Re - the 2^nd, Mi - the 3^rd, Fa - the 4^th, and Sol - the 5^th finger. Play in the ascending order Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol, and in the descending order Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do. While playing, sing the name of the played note.

2. With the left hand, play from the small octave Do (C) (blue note between 3rd and 4th brown lines) to Sol (G) using the correct fingering: Do - the 5^th finger, Re - the 4^th, Mi - the 3^rd, Fa - the 2^nd, and Sol - the 1^st finger. Play in the ascending order Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol, and in the descending order Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do. While playing, sing the names of the notes.

B. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 20 minutes)

Learn how to play the song Hot Cross Buns from the album Introductory Songs by memory.

1. Open the song Hot Cross Buns in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Play 2 times, trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

5. Play the song with the right hand by memory, hiding the notes (press [R], then [H]). While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]), singing the notes. Again, hide the notes and play the right hand by memory (press [R], then [H]). Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Play 2 times trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

7. Play the song with the left hand by memory, hiding the notes (press [L], then [H]). Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Again, hide the notes and play the right hand by memory (press [L], then [H]). Compare the results.

8. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]). Play 2 times, singing the notes for the right hand, and trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

9. Play the song with both hands by memory, hiding the notes (press [P], then [H]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), singing the notes for the right hand. Again, hide the notes and play both hands by memory (press [P], then [H]). Compare the results.

C. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Learn to recite the ascending order of the notes: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti, and the descending order: Ti-La-Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do

2 Play the computer game Note Alphabet. Place the music notes in the correct order: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti. Write the points and time.

Lesson 4

A. Piano exercises (duration 5 minutes)

1. Practice the Five fingers exercise (see Lesson 3)

B. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 20 minutes)

Learn how to read and play the song French Song from the album Introductory Songs with the left, right and both hands.

1. Open the song French Song in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Use the correct fingering on the notes (Do - the 5^th finger, Fa - the 2^nd finger, Sol - the 1^st finger). Play 2 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

5. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). Use the correct fingering on the notes, Do - the 1^st finger, Re - the 2^nd, Mi - the 3^rd, Fa - the 4^th, and Sol - the 5^th finger. While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand (Do-Re-Mi ...). Play 2 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]). Play 2 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

Repeat the song Hot Cross Buns from the album Introductory Songs, reading and playing by memory.

1. Open the song Hot Cross Buns in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). Sing the names of music notes while playing the song with the right hand, trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

5. Play the song with the right hand by memory by hiding the notes (press [R], then [H]). Sing the names of the music notes while playing the song with the right hand. Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]), singing the notes. Again, hide the music notes and play the right hand by memory (press [R], then [H]). Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]), trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

7. Play the song with the left hand by memory by hiding the music notes (press [L], then [H]). Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Again, hide the music notes and play the right hand by memory (press [L], then [H]). Compare the results.

8. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

9. Play the song with both hands by memory by hiding the music notes (press [P], then [H]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), singing the notes for the right hand. Again, hide the notes and play both hands by memory (press [P], then [H]). Compare the results.

C. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Learn the meaning of the time symbols of music notes - whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. Learn the meaning of the "tie" symbol between two or more notes.

2. Play the computer game Note Duration. Press and release the Space bar to place the music notes in the baskets with the corresponding note symbols. Write down the result - the points and the game time

Lesson 5

A. Piano exercises (duration 5 minutes)

1. Practice the Five fingers exercise (see Lesson 3)

B. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 20 minutes)

Learn how to read and play the song French Song from the album Introductory Songs in the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd note representations.

1. Open the song French Song in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Read and play the song with the left hand in the 1^st representation (press [L], then [1]). Use the correct fingering on the notes (Do - the 5^th finger, Fa - the 2^nd finger, Sol - the 1^st finger). Play 4 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

4. Read and play the song with the left hand in the 2^nd representation (press [L], then [2]). Write the result.

5. Read and play the song with the left hand in the 3^rd representation (press [L], then [3]). Write the result.

6. Compare the results for the left hand.

7. Read and play the song with the right hand in the 1^st representation (press [R], then [1]). Use the correct fingering on the notes, Do - the 1^st finger, Re - the 2^nd, Mi - the 3^rd, Fa - the 4^th, and Sol - the 5^th finger. While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand (Do-Re-Mi...). Play 2 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

8. Read and play the song with the right hand in the 2^nd representation (press [R], then [2]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Write the result.

9. Read and play the song with the right hand in the 3^rd representation (press [R], then [3]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Write the result.

10. Compare the results for the right hand.

11. Read and play the song with both hands in the 1^st representation (press [P], then [1]). Use the correct fingering on the notes, Do - the 1^st finger, Re - the 2^nd, Mi - the 3^rd, Fa - the 4^th, and Sol - the 5^th finger. While playing the song, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Play 2 times and write the results in the note book. Compare the results.

12. Read and play the song with both hands in the 2^nd representation (press [P], then [2]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Write the result.

13. Read and play the song with both hands in the 3^rd representation (press [P], then [3]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Write the result.

14. Compare the results for both hands.

C. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Review the meaning of the time symbols of music notes - whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. Review the meaning of the "tie" symbol between two or more notes.

2. Play the computer game Note Duration. Press and release the Space bar to place the music notes in the baskets with the corresponding note symbols. Write down the result - the points and the game time

Lesson 6

A. Piano exercises (duration 5 minutes)

1. Practice the Five fingers exercise (see Lesson 3)

B. Piano performance with the Gentle Piano computer game (duration 20 minutes)

Learn how to read and play the song French Song from the album Introductory Songs by memory.

1. Open the song French Song in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Play 2 times trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

5. Play the song with the left hand by memory by hiding the notes (press [L], then [H]). Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the left hand (press [L]). Again, hide the notes and play the left hand by memory (press [L], then [H]). Compare the results.

6. Read and play the song with the right hand (press [R]). While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Play 2 times, trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

7. Play the song with the right hand by memory by hiding the notes (press [R], then [H]). While playing, sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. Do not play faster than the computer program. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with the right hand (press [R][1]), singing the notes. Again, hide the notes and play the right hand by memory (press [R], then [H]). Compare the results.

8. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]). Play 2 times, singing the notes for the right hand, and trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

9. Play the song with both hands by memory by hiding the notes (press [P], then [H]). Sing the names of music notes for the right hand. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), singing the notes for the right hand. Again, hide the notes and play both hands by memory (press [P], then [H]). Compare the results.

Repeat the song Hot Cross Buns from the album Introductory Songs, reading and playing by memory.

1. Open the song Hot Cross Buns in the album Introductory Songs (press [F], use Up and Down arrows, and [Enter]).

2. Listen to the song (press [S]).

3. Choose the 1^st music note representation (press [1]).

4. Read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), trying to make no mistakes and memorize the song.

5. Play the song with both hands by memory by hiding the notes (press [P], then [H]). Sing the names of the music notes for the right hand. If the result is not perfect, read and play the song with both hands (press [P]), singing the notes for the right hand. Again, hide the notes and play both hands by memory (press [P][1][H]). Compare the results.

C. Piano exercise (duration 10 minutes)

1.Play the computer game Guess Key by pressing a corresponding piano key with every music note appearing on the screen. Use any octave. Play with one hand - the left hand or right hand. You may change the playing hand during the point counting. Write down the result - points and the game time.

D. Music Theory (duration 10 minutes)

1. Review the meaning of the time symbols of music notes - whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. Review the meaning of the "tie" symbol between two or more notes.

2. Play the computer game Note Duration. Press and release the Space bar to place the music notes in the baskets with the corresponding note symbols. Write down the result - the points and the game time.

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