This piece is used to
· introduce the stave
· the notes on the lines and spaces
· enable the student to recognise a rhythmic phrase
· Show the student that to go down, we must go up
If you haven’t already done so, explain the repeat sign and the simile marks.
Ask the student to tell you which notes are on lines and which are in spaces. To us this is obvious but some very young children they might not know what you are talking about. Tell the student that a note is written either on a line or in a space and that if it is written on a line, the line goes through the middle. If it is in a space, the line will be on either side of the note head. Download and print the portable stave; the lines and spaces, ta, ti-tis and the E,G,B,D,F and F.A.C.E prompts from the website. Using the ta, move it across the stave and ask the children to identify whether a note is on a line or space. At this point it might be a good idea to mention how we remember the note names, that is, by remembering the saying, Every, Good, Boy, Deserves, Fruit and the spelling of FACE
Ask the student to identify the rhythms in terms of the French time names. Ask them if they have played that rhythm before. Can they show you where it is?
This piece introduces a new note, G. Show the student the position of G on the stave and ask them to tell you if it is written higher or lower on the stave than the other two notes. Ask them if they would expect the new note to sound higher or lower than the other two notes, and finally, show them where the new note, G is located on the guitar. Ask the students to show you, where on the guitar they would therefore expect to find the lower sounding strings. As they motion the direction on the guitar, upward from the floor, you can mention how strange it is that the high sounding notes are physically down toward the floor and the low sounding notes are up!