So Proud

Warren surprised me today by playing this on the piano. It is the bridge section of "Do, a Deer" from the Sound of Music. He takes "Let's Play Music" lessons from a local teacher, and it was a song they learned to sing last year. Then he figured out how to play it by ear on the tonebells. Apparently he transferred that knowledge to the piano. I don't know who is more proud--me or him!
My spiel: This is why I am such a believer in sol-feg singing and ear training! I used to teach piano while I was getting my degree in music education, and before I had kids. I was often frustrated because I didn't think that my students used their ears/listening ability enough to their advantage. They got lost in note names and the many other complexities of music that I think develop long after their ear has. After taking a class at ASU about elementary general music methods and being exposed to the methods of Orff and Kodaly, I really wanted to incorporate these into my teaching. The problem was I didn't have a systematic way to do it, and most of my students were too old to appreciate these methods--they would've felt like they were doing "baby stuff" or regressing. I vowed that when I had children, I would find a way to incorporate these methods. A friend of a friend told me about "Let's Play Music," a three year theory/piano prep course and after checking it out, I found a teacher and signed Warren up. I've been so pleased with the program. If I had the room in my house for the keyboards (up to 8!) that the kids need their second year of study, I would get certified to teach it.