Music Theory Flashcards for Children

Subject: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 06 May 09 - 10:57 AM

I've been working on a set of music theory flashcards for children. These are the first ones:

Question Side

Answer side

The attentive reader will notice that they are in German. The text at the top right of the question side means "The (somewhat entertaining, I hope) Music Theory Game". The cards say, e.g., "The fifth of C major is G", "The fourth of F major is Bb", etc. In German, Bb is called B and B is called H, which is somewhat of a nuisance.

The first reaction from my recorder students has been favorable. I'm eager to find out whether they hold their interest, but I shall have to be patient.

The cards are all hand-drawn using very good drawing ink. Unfortunately, the scanned images don't do justice to the ink.

If they catch on, they could be made efficiently with silkscreen.

I'd quite like to make cards in English, too, but it's a lot of work.

Any comments or feedback would be most welcome.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 06 May 09 - 10:59 AM

Oh, yes: The images can be enlarged by clicking on them. There doesn't seem to be a way of making a link to the enlarged image in the first place.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 May 09 - 11:07 AM

What a neat idea! I would love to have a set in English. Good luck and they look great!

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Jack Campin
Date: 06 May 09 - 05:38 PM

One neat idea I once saw wa a set of dominoes for teaching time values.   You might have a piece with a dotted crotchet on one end - which would match with three quavers - and a minim on the other - which would match with two crotchets or four quavers. Language-independent.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 07 May 09 - 06:07 AM

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: katlaughing - PM
Date: 06 May 09 - 11:07 AM

"What a neat idea! I would love to have a set in English. Good luck and they look great!"

Thank you, katlaughing. They're too much work to just make a set in English without having English-speaking students, but I'll let you know if I ever make one. My nearly-eight-year-old student expressed an interest in making more, which I intend to encourage. I left instructions with her mother that they should do the fourth, fifth and sixth of G major, if she decides to do it. It would be nice to work on them together, but there never seems to be enough time to do everything I'd like with them.

After explaining to her why the fourth, fifth and sixth are especially important, I've changed my mind and decided to do the other intervals right away. Yet another theory shattered upon contact with reality.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Jack Campin - PM
Date: 06 May 09 - 05:38 PM

"One neat idea I once saw wa a set of dominoes for teaching time values.   You might have a piece with a dotted crotchet on one end - which would match with three quavers - and a minim on the other - which would match with two crotchets or four quavers. Language-independent."

That is a neat idea, thanks. I've been mostly leaving teaching reading music to their mother, who is a music teacher and plays the piano quite well. I've been concentrating on doing things with them at the piano and the recorder instead, though we do a bit of reading music. I want them to be able to play by ear and especially to learn to listen. I feel that this was neglected and at times actively discouraged in the lessons I had when I was young.

I picked up a practice pad and two pairs of drumsticks for the two oldest children (the parents paid for them) and they have a few typical percussion instruments for children. We used them a little, but then I felt that we weren't doing enough on the recorder. I want to start doing more with rhythm with them.

The littlest one (three-years-old) demanded recorder lessons and I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to explain to her how to blow correctly to get the right sound. However, she's still interested and on Sunday I'll try to do a little more with singing and the percussion instruments. I think a G penny-whistle might be easier than the sopranino recorder for her, but then I really ought to get them for her sisters and that means the parents have to spend more money. However, it keeps me off the streets and out of the pool halls.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Mr Happy
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:29 AM

..........so the old joke here [UK] about the key of 'H' is really valid in Germany!!

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: GUEST,lox
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:51 AM

Sorry to spoil the party but there is a mistake on the last one.

The fourth degree of F major is not B it is B-flat. Relative to F, B natural would be the the sharp 11 or the diminished/flattened fifth depending on context.

Fortunately all you have to do is add a flat symbol to the B.

Apart from that its not a bad idea, I know somebody else who does the same thing.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Mr Happy
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:53 AM

GUEST,lox,

Piers has already stated in his 1st post, that in Germany, "Bb is called B and B is called H, which is somewhat of a nuisance."

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Lox
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:57 AM

Doh.

Sorry - should have paid more attention.

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 08 May 09 - 08:01 AM

Subject: RE: Music Theory Flashcards for Children
From: Lox - PM
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:57 AM

Don't worry, Lox, I wasn't offended. I know my intervals pretty well, but it would be pretty silly of me to get all sensitive about it if I did make a mistake. I make mistakes when playing in front of the children quite often. I wish I didn't, but there's no point in pretending that I don't. One of the things I try to teach them is to just keep going when they make a mistake. As Stravinsky said, "A wrong note in the right place is only half wrong, but a right note in the wrong place is all wrong" (or words to that effect).