lesson plan

Lesson Plan Overview: Little Fingers - Lesson 1

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Students will develop musical and physical coordination skills through engaging in rhythmic activities, body percussion exercises, rhythm play-along, hand signal demonstrations, and a fun freeze dance activity.


Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lessons, students will be able to:
  1. Engage in rhythmic activities, body percussion, rhythm play-along, and core exercises to enhance musical and physical coordination skills.
  2. Demonstrate understanding of hand signals representing different colors using the Tameda Method.
Materials Needed
  • Music playlist for rhythm play-along and freeze dance
  • Percussion instruments or objects for body percussion (e.g., clapping hands, stomping feet)
  • Core lesson exercises handouts or visual aids
  • Classroom space with enough room for movement
Resources

Prodigies Login Information
To log in to the Prodigies website and access lesson videos, use the following steps:

Login Credentials:
  • Emails: littlefingers1@kpiano.org, littlefingers3@kpiano.org, littlefingers4@kpiano.org
  • Password:  @@LetsGo2024!!
Login Procedure:
  1. Click on "Login."
  2. Choose "App Login" from the options provided.
  3. Enter one of the emails listed above. If you encounter an issue indicating the account is in use, try using one of the other email logins provided.
  4. Select "Sign in with Password."
These steps should help you successfully access the Prodigies website and its lesson videos.
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Lesson Plan Outline

If some classes do not complete this lesson in one day, do your best to cover as much as you can. When necessary, resume from where you stopped at the start of the next lesson.

Introduction (5 minutes)
  • Greet the students and introduce the K-Piano equipment and learning system.
  • Provide an overview of the lesson objectives and what students can expect to learn.
Movement Activity (5 minutes)
  • Begin with a movement activity to allow students to practice listening, maintain a steady beat, and release excess energy before class. Click on one of the videos to choose a movement activity, or ask the students which one they would like to do.
Rhythm Echos (5 minutes)
  1. Begin by improvising rhythms using a neutral syllable, such as "bah," or using 1 and 2-syllable words, such as "pear" and "apple," for students to repeat.
  2. Have students repeat the rhythms (echo).
  3. Proceed to improvise 8-10 rhythms in this manner.
  4. Next, improvise rhythms using the syllables "ta" and "ta-ti" for the students to imitate.
  5. Have students repeat the rhythms (echo).
  6. Finally, continue by improvising another set of 8-10 rhythms following the same pattern.
Steady Beat Practice (10 minutes)
  1. Start by introducing the concept of a steady beat.
  2. Have students place their hands on their hearts to feel their heartbeat and describe what it feels like.
  3. Engage students by asking whether the heartbeat remains steady (demonstrate with claps at a consistent pace) or varies in speed (show with fast and slow claps randomly). Encourage students to identify the steady beat.
  4. Explain to students that beats are akin to the heartbeat of music. Practice maintaining a steady beat without using any visual aids.
  5. To reinforce the concept, practice steady beat with the video, Prodigies - Steady Beet—Playtime (see resources for link)
Rhythm Exploration (5 minutes)
  1. Recite the rhyme for the students to listen to attentively.
  2. After reciting the rhyme again, prompt the students to identify the body part mentioned in the rhyme.
  3. Repeat the rhyme once more, and encourage the students to recognize the body part, such as "feet."
  4. Invite the students to embody the beat with their feet.
  5. Have the students stand and walk to the beat as the teacher recites the rhyme.
  6. Inform the students that a change will occur, and they should follow the teacher's hands with their feet.
  7. While reciting the rhyme, clap a steady beat as the students march along.
  8. Once more, recite the rhyme and clap eighth notes as the students continue marching.
  9. Engage the students by asking them to identify what the teacher did differently, drawing attention to the different rhythms.
  10. Repeat the activity using various body parts, and optionally, allow the students to suggest body parts to keep a steady beat with, such as head, arms, elbows, etc.
Movement Activity (5 minutes)
  • Select another movement activity to practice active listening, steady beat, and to provide a brain break.
Tonal Practice (5 minutes)
  1. Instruct students to echo the teacher's actions.
  2. Demonstrate and improvise 4-beat patterns using "do," "re," and "mi" on a body piano, using the neutral syllable "bum."
  3. Have the students echo the demonstrated patterns.
  4. Proceed to improvise 8-10 tonal patterns following the same process.
  5. Improvise 4-beat patterns using "do," "re," and "mi" on a body piano while singing the solfege.
  6. Prompt the students to echo and replicate the patterns they have just observed.
  7. Conclude by improvising an additional 8-10 patterns using the same method.
Hand Sign Introduction (5 minutes)
  1. Introduce and explain the hand signs for "do," "re," and "mi."
  2. Engage students in practicing the hand signs for "do," "re," and "mi."
  3. Reinforce the learning by practicing the hand signs while watching a video demonstration, Prodigies - Campfire Song—Playtime 9 (see resources for link)
Review and Movement Activity
  1. Review hand signs and practice maintaining a steady beat.
  2. Conclude the session with a movement activity.

If some classes do not complete this lesson in one day, do as much as you can and resume from where you left off at the start of the next lesson.