Parent GuideWelcome to Level 2 of Busy Kids Do Piano!

I'm so glad you're here -- and whether you're a graduateof my Level 1 Course or coming to my program fromanother method, I think you'll find this course to be holistic,enriching and fun!

The Level 2 course focuses primarily on the keys of C and G and harmonizing one octave scaleswith their corresponding bridges. We'll be doing more hands together playing and also startingsome early level classical repertoire and arrangements of classical standards.

In my lesson videos of Level 2, I do a bit more breaking down of pieces and practice assistancewithin each video. If you have a laptop, phone or tablet that you can keep near the piano whenviewing lessons, this is ideal. If your child has difficulty practicing WITH me as I play and becomesfrustrated -- perhaps because the tempo is too fast and she needs some time independently towork on notes before attempting to play alongside me -- that's okay! You can watch how I breakthe piece down and allow your child to do that independently. What makes this course unique from other piano lesson methods is that I will be teaching youhow to make observations that will be helpful in your role as your child's music companion. Eventhough I have put together all the materials and will be teaching them to your child during ourlesson videos, I rely on you to administer the course at a pace that allows your child to besuccessful, nurture and encourage your child along the way, make corrections and assist inpracticing so that he improves.

Use the PARENT CHECKLIST to help guide you through the pacing of the course, only moving on tothe next level when your child demonstrates competence with each item on the checklist.

Do take time to checkout the bonus modules in this course as well! In addition to ear trainingactivities, I've also included a piano duet and worksheets that will give your child an overview ofthe Baroque period of music.

The pages that follow have specific tips that correspond to each lesson. Even though I may not benext to your child on the bench, please don't hesitate to contact me If you have questions orfeedback. (Carly@busymomsdopiano.com). I love to hear from you! And if you're really proud of apiece your child is working on, I would love for you to share a video on my Facebook page!(facebook.com/busymomsdopiano)

I look forward to sharing this musical journey with your family!

Carly Seifert

Practice TipsPracticing is so important to your child's

progression and success. It is not uncommon foryour child to be excited to practice at first, andthen -- as things become more difficult - to

resist practicing. This is typical, and your childneeds you to help him through this with

encouragement and structure! Here are some ofmy helpful hints for practicing:

1. DO make practicing a regular part of your day. If your child knows toexpect that it is part of your regular schedule, he'll be less likely to attemptto negotiate his way out of it.

2. DON'T set a timer or require a certain amount of minutes per practice.

3. DO set goals. Rather than aiming for a 20 minute practice - aim forlearning a certain line of a song. Practice is over when the line is learned.

4. DON'T require that your child sit at the piano for the entire practice if youhave a child who is younger or has difficulty concentrating. You can practicerhythm by marching or playing on the drums, do theory sheets usingcrayons (fine motor activities build finger strength for budding pianists!), orhave your child move to the music while YOU play the songs. Be creative!

5. DO provide opportunities for your child to perform his pieces! Invite theneighbors over for a living room recital, make a video to send to Grandma,work on a piece for the school talent show -- all these things motivate yourchild to work diligently on his playing!

6. DON'T limit your child to only playing the music in this course. In Module 4,I make suggestions for supplementary music to keep your child challengedand excited.

Lesson 1.1For our first lesson we will be learning the space notes in the Treble Clef. I've also includedsome additional review questions here. Do note that there is a downloadable "answer key" thatcorresponds with the theory sheets! I include these from time to time in this level since someof the theory is a bit more detailed.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If you have a younger student or a student who has difficultymoving between the treble and bass clef, don't be afraid to point to the music to help yourchild focus as she plays. You might also try highlighting the notes in the bass clef and thendraw a star on the LH with a highlighter -- the highlighted hand plays the highlighted notes!

WATCH FOR: even tempo (speed) in "Hot Potato". When there are lots of quarter notes,students have a tendency to become uneven. In "Outer Space Notes", make sure she is lifting atthe end of each phrase.

Lesson 1.2Learning about intervals helps your student understand the spatial relationship among notesand also become a more proficient note reader.

You can be SUPER HELPFUL in your child's recognition of intervals by encouraging her toidentify them in a piece. If your child hits a wrong note, use intervals to help guide her to thecorrect note -- "If this note is a third above C, which note is it?"

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: I'll talk a bit in the video about learning "Danny Boy" phrase byphrase. Rather than having your child attempt the whole piece at once, focus on one or twophrases at each practice, and work on the phrase until it is correct before moving on.

WATCH FOR: Your child will be tempted to watch his hands in "Bass Clef 4ths" because of thehand position change. Make sure eyes stay on the music! Watch for rests and ties in "DannyBoy" -- even highlighting them to help your child spot them, if necessary.

We'll be learning a new note and symbol in this lesson. Help your child remember the notename by identifying it whenever you encounter it in this week's homework.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: I'll break down these pieces in our lesson videos quite a bit, soyour child can practice individual hands and sections alongside me during the video. If your childneeds additional work on these pieces of the songs outside the video, that's okay, too!

WATCH FOR: Be careful your child doesn't tighten shoulders up when playing accent marks.Keep everything relaxed and heavy and use wrist and arm weight to strike the key quickly andloudly. Be sure to make the staccatos light in "Ireland" and be careful that your child doesn'tget too out of control with tempo (to the point where it gets sloppy!) in "Peter, Peter PumpkinEater."

Lesson 1.4This lesson focuses on the one octave C major scale in the Treble Clef. I'll spend time with yourchild working on the fingering of the scale both when we play it as an exercise and encounterit in our music. Be sure she is competent in the scale before moving on to the next lesson aswe will be building on this scale in the lessons to come!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If your child masters the C scale without too much trouble, tryhaving him play it without the music! If hands together in "Folk Song" becomes frustrating,practice it away from the piano -- using drums or tapping on the lid of the keyboard, as Idemonstrate in the video.

WATCH FOR: Elbows and arms lifting during the C Major scale -- the movement should be asmall one and only in the fingers and wrists. In "FOLK SONG", be sure that your child is holdingthe whole notes their full 4 beats and not lifting before the end of the measure.

Lesson 1.3

We'll be learning the C Major scale in the bass clef and also identifying intervals of a 5th. Helpyour child find all the 5ths in this lessons' music!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: Slow practice, tapping and drumming are all useful tools forboth of this lesson's music numbers if your child is having difficulty with hands togetherplaying.

WATCH FOR: Just as in the previous lesson, be careful elbows and arms aren't lifting duringthe crossing or tucking in the C scale. "ANTS MARCHING" requires light, crisp staccatos. Be surethat in "FOREST DRUMS", the phrase stays connected between measures 1 and 2 -- manystudents have a tendency to lift between the E and the C.

Lesson 2.1We'll be learning about our first "bridge" in this lesson. I teach bridges before 3-note chords sothat students become comfortable with transitions and chord shapes and have a solidfoundation -- then 3-note chords are easy!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If your child is struggling to master the C scale with thebridges, take turns practicing the RH and LH with her by having her play the RH while you playthe LH and then switching. Gradually move up to hands together -- and remember that it'sokay if your child is playing this VERY slowly!

WATCH FOR: Fluid cross overs in "GENTLE BRIDGE" by keeping the LH in motion while the RH isplaying. Rhythm in "LI'L LIZA JANE" - make sure LH ties are held their full value and don'tforget about the sneaky quarter rests in measure 4.

Lesson 1.5

We're learning a new note and bridge in today's lesson. Have a RED and BLUE marker, crayonor colored pencil ready for our listening activity that accompanies the C scale.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: I'll be breaking down our music into sections quite a bit in thevideos, so do watch it with your child so you have practicing strategies going forward! Usingthe markers to color code bridges will help your child's brain connect the dots with our moretechnique-based exercises & our songs.

WATCH FOR: In "THE CLOCK" - make sure both quarter notes at the end of each measure inmeasures 1, 2, 5 and 6 are staccato (students have a tendency to connect the quarter note intothe next phrase rather than keeping it staccato.

Lesson 2.3In today's lesson, we're learning the final bridge of our C Major Scale. It can definitely bechallenging to transition between three bridges when playing the C scale, and it's okay if yourchild needs to play it at a much slower tempo than what I am demonstrating in my videos.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If your child is struggling with transitions in the bridges, haveher just practice with the LH and a the C major scale after a few days of practice. Isolate thephrases in "ROLLING ALONG" and don't have your child move onto the next phrase until shecan play with a legato RH and a smooth bridge transition in the LH.

WATCH FOR: Legato RH in "ROLLING ALONG" -- attention to dynamics and the ritardando atthe end. The B-G bridge in measure 7 snddeaks up on students and they like to play it as aC-G bridge -- notice if your child does the same!

Lesson 2.2

We're taking on a new hand position in this lesson! We'll also beginning some early levelclassical pieces with a song by Cornelius Gurlitt to really help your child become comfortablereading notes in our new position.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: As always when learning new notes, practice naming them atevery opportunity! Have your student name them before trying the piece at the piano. Haveyour child say the note names out loud while playing. All of this helps connect the dots in herbrain with what she is reading on the staff and playing on the keys. In "C SCALE WALTZ" it isreally difficult to keep the RH legato and the LH staccato. Slow down the piece as much asnecessary and alternate with your child -- she plays treble clef and you play bass clef (and viceversa) -- to help her focus on her articulation while still being able to hear the hands together.

WATCH FOR: Rhythm accuracy in measure 15 of "C SCALE WALTZ". Make sure the handposition is correct in "MELODIC ETUDE" and that the half notes receive their full 2 beats.

Lesson 2.5We've learned so many new notes, scales and bridges thus far -- and this lesson will be atime to review, allow your child to feel successful, and perhaps take a bit of a breather!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: Since this week's music might be more accessible for yourchild, you can also consider reviewing exercises or songs in previous lessons that wereparticularly challenging (such as the C scale with bridges, for example).

WATCH FOR: In "TRUMPET VOLUNTARY", watch for the half rest in measure 14 bass clef. Makesure the RH stays legato for the final line of the piece!

Lesson 2.4

You're halfway through Level 2 -- hooray! Today I'll be teaching your child about sharp signsand a new note on the staff. You can help her become confident in finding sharps on thekeyboard by quizzing her a bit, "Where is F#? Can you find D#?"

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: In my videos, you'll notice I often ask a student to play alongwith me at a slow pace. I do this during my in studio lessons because students usuallystruggle a bit, but then as they repeat a short passage, it becomes smoother and smoother.HOWEVER, if playing along with me is frustrating, you can just have your student observehow I break the passage down and do it independently. Help your child discover the intervals in"A LITTLE MELODY" to increase note reading proficiency. "We move from C to G in the firstmeasure. That is an interval of a ___?"

WATCH FOR: Swift hand position changes in "THE DRUMMER". Make sure bass clef dotted halfnotes are being held through the entire measure in "A LITTLE MELODY". In "GREENSLEEVES", besure that the second G in measure 14 is played as a G# (the sharp rule!).

Lesson 3.2A new hand position today! Also, did you know that one of the reasons I ask students tooccasionally draw a picture in their theory homework is because coloring is an excellent way todevelop finger strength and fine motor abilities -- which is necessary for piano playing! I alsolike for students not just to think about the technicalities of music -- but about the creativityand self-expression as well.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: This lesson has lots of music -- and some of the pieces mightbe challenging. Don't feel as though you have to watch the entire video at once. You can workthrough one portion of the video, practice that song, and then come back to the next portionwhenever you are ready.

WATCH FOR: "MUSETTE" is tricky -- keeping the left hand light and the right hand legato isdefinitely challenging, but an important skill to master beforemoving on.

Lesson 3.1

We're learning a new dynamic symbol along with focusing on reading intervals in G position.Remember that discovering intervals helps your student understand the spatial relationshipbetween notes on the staff and the keyboard, and also helps music become more accessiblewhen she can recognize intervals in a piece.

Last lesson and this lesson we are learning some pieces form the Baroque Period, so it's agreat time to read through the overview notes from the Bonus Module about the Baroqueperiod.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: I'll break down "CANARIO" quite a bit in my video, but yourchild may require additional hands alone practicing - that's okay! Finding intervals in the bassclef and treble clef (which has lots of steps/2nds) can make this piece easier.

WATCH FOR: Make sure the lifts after each phrase in "CANARIO" are happening -- touch is keyin Baroque period music! Watch for ties and quarter rests in the bass clef of "MOZART'STHEME".

Lesson 3.4We're learning about transposing music in today's lesson. This word and the idea of it can besuper intimidating, but I think that it will make sense once we discuss it in our video. Do notethat there is an answer key for this lesson's theory homework!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: There isn't as much music in this lesson because I would lovefor your child to experiment with transposing her music into different hand positions. IF she'sup for the challenge, she can try transposing an entire piece at once, or she can try justplaying a few measures at a time in the new hand position.

WATCH FOR: All the dynamics and the POCO RIT at the end of "ECHOES". Be sure to alsoobserve the many rests in this piece!

Lesson 3.3

Ledger lines today! Finding the nearest staff line and then counting up (or down) from it willhelp your child find the note name.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: "DANCE OF THE LEPRECHAUNS" contains a bit of movingaround on the piano. I'll go over these hand position changes with your child in the video, butshe may need some additional practicing moving among the various positions. Do break itdown, rather than trying to tackle the entire piece in one sitting! This type of practicing ismuch more successful, effective and less frustrating.

WATCH FOR: The staccatos in "DANCE OF THE LEPRECHAUNS". There is so much going on, theytend to be overlooked!

Lesson 4.1Our final module focuses on the G Major scale. In this lesson, we'll be learning to play the scalewith both RH and LH

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If your child is struggling, going through RH and LH scales ateach practice might be overwhelming. Just pick one hand to focus on, and at the next practice,try the other.

Because of the parallel motion in "SONATINA", it's more effective in the long run to try learningthis piece hands together right away. Phrase by phrase is a perfectly wonderful way toapproach it!

WATCH FOR: Transitioning between the quarter note and eighth note rhythms in "SONATINA",measures 6 and 10. If you're not sure whether or not your child is playing the rhythmaccurately, be sure to listen to me play the entire piece at the end of the video.

Lesson 3.5

I'll be teaching your child about key signatures today and we'll be taking a close up look insideof the piano to see what pedals do.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: If your child's foot can't comfortably reach the pedals, andyou're not interested in investing in a pedal extender (wonderful to have but definitely not amust), plan on operating the pedal for her until her legs grow a bit!

WATCH FOR: Correct fingering in ALL OF THE MUSIC. Sometimes students bypass what'swritten and just use what they think feels better. This is okay in later levels, but for now, Iwould like them to master the art of crossing over and finger substitutions. If they practicethe same fingering consistently, they'll not only develop those skills, but they'll also develop amuscle memory when it comes to those passages of the piece, and their fingers willconfidently move where they need to go.

Lesson 4.3We're adding bridges to our G scale beginning with the G-D bridge. Have a read marker handyfor our listening activity as we harmonize the scale with this bridge!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: Review note names any discover the intervals in "MELODY" -this is a fantastic opportunity to reiterate so many concepts learned in this level!

Because of the parallel motion in "SONATINA", it's more effective in the long run to try learningthis piece hands together right away. Phrase by phrase is a perfectly wonderful way toapproach it!

WATCH FOR: Eyes on the music during G SCALE WITH G-D BRIDGE - it can be tempting towatch the fingers with so many things to think through. Double check that the hand positionis correct for "MELODY" (LH has an ottava above it, so will be one octave higher, asdemonstrated in the video.

Lesson 4.2

We're adding on to our bridges in this lesson and taking a closer look at tempo. Have a REDand BLUE markers or crayons ready to go so your child can color code the bridges in hermusic.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: As your child takes on transitioning between two bridges inthe scale, it's okay to play it VERY SLOWLY. There's lots of symbols and dynamics in "NOBODYKNOWS THE TROUBLE I"VE SEEN". I'll talk through them in the videos, but be sure to review asneeded while you practice.

WATCH FOR: Pedaling in "NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN", smooth hand positionchanges and attention to all the beautiful dynamics.

Lesson 4.5YOU MADE IT! This lesson has some challenging pieces that may require a bit longer to workthrough for your child -- this will tie him over until you're ready to purchase Level 3!

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICING: "SWINGIN' ON A BRIDGE" is definitely a tough one for moststudents. The syncopation and swing rhythm can be challenging. The more your child listens tothe rhythm, the easier it will likely be for her to play it, so do watch the recording of meplaying it at the end as much as needed. Color coding the many bridges in this piece can alsobe a help!

WATCH FOR: The hands to be in motion in "BRIDGE ETUDE" -- preparing the LH by moving itduring the half rest for the crossovers. "SWINGIN" ON A BRIDGE" -- watch for the first eighthnote in measures 1, 3, etc. to come in between the LH bridges (I'll demo in the video). Keep theRH light in measures 5-8 and observe the rests.

Lesson 4.4

Congratulations!YOU DID IT! I hope that both YOU and YOUR CHILD are feeling a greatsense of accomplishment in completing this Level 2 Course. We have

worked through SO many theory concepts, technical exercises and tonsof repertoire.

My Level 3 course will be available in the 2017. We'll continue to workour way through major keys, learn about a few minor keys and the

primary chords associated with them.

I'd love to hear about your experience and even "see" your child playingthrough the materials! Feel free to e-mail me a video, or share one onmy Facebook page our on our private Facebook group so that you can

inspire other students!

Thanks for joining me on this musical journey! I hope to see you soon!

www.busykidsdopiano.com