Keyboard Magic: Teacher's Book

Introduction Welcome to Keyboard Magic. The electronic keyboard is a fun instrument to learn with all its different ‘voices’ (sounds), rhythm styles and accompaniments.

Using this book, pupils will be playing and sounding like a rock band or club DJ before very long!

They will learn many keyboard-playing skills, including how to play melodies with their right hand and trigger accompaniments with their left hand.

They will also explore different keyboard functions, like Fill, Intro and Sync start, to make their performances even more impressive.

This book is aimed at the complete beginner and you don’t need to be able to read music or have played any instruments before. The specially-designed notation is easy to follow and there are audio and video demos of all the pieces to support you. We have also included fun Body beats, warm-ups, games and Try this activities to help build the skills needed for the pieces, develop pupils’ general musicianship and encourage creativity.

You can use any keyboard with a range of voices and an auto-accompaniment function (single-finger and fingered chords) to play the pieces in Keyboard Magic. Suggestions for voices and styles to use are given for every piece; if your keyboard does not have a particular voice or style, select something similar. Likewise, if the functions of your keyboard work slightly differently to the instructions, have a play around and adapt as needed.

Keyboard Magic is ideal for whole class, whole year group or group instrumental teaching, and also suitable for individual teaching and self-learning. In a classroom setting, it is possible to teach with one pupil to a keyboard (each pupil learning both left-hand and right-hand parts), two pupils to a keyboard (taking a hand each), or even three to a keyboard (taking it in turns or sharing the left-hand part, for example).

All pieces use a fixed five-finger position for the right hand. Part 1 (Units 1–6) uses single-finger chords in the left hand and Part 2 (Units 7–10) introduces fingered chord shapes (using all three notes of a chord) for the left hand accompaniments. Each part concludes with a concert piece. These are longer pieces that showcase the key skills learnt.

The teacher’s edition offers online access to: • video and audio demonstrations of the pieces • teaching tips – offering additional information and ideas for supporting and extending the activities • standard music notation for all pieces (for teachers and pupils who might prefer it) • an e-book version for whiteboard display.

The pupil’s edition comes with audio demonstrations for home practice: ISBN 978-0-00-852522-4.

Take every opportunity to encourage pupils to explore their keyboard and get creative with their choices of voice and style. Good luck and enjoy your music-making!

Use the link below to access the printable scores, teaching tips and whiteboard eBook with audio and video demonstrations: collins.co.uk/keyboardmagicTB/download First published 2022 Published by Collins, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd The News Building 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF HarperCollinsPublishers 1st Floor Watermarque Building Ringsend Road Dublin 4, Ireland www.collins.co.uk

© 2022 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN: 978-0-00-852521-7 Printed by Ashford Colour Press.

Cover design by Ken Vail Graphic Design.

Cover keyboard graphic by lumyai l sweet/ Shutterstock.

Book Design by Fresh Lemon Australia.

Edited by Emily Wilson.

Recorded by Christopher Hussey.

Videos produced by Christopher Hussey.

All rights reserved. No part of this ™ publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – photographic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or information storage and retrieval systems – without FSC™ is athe non-profit organisation established to promote Thisinternational book is produced from independently prior permission in writing of the thepublishers. responsible management of the world’s forests. Products carrying the certified FSC™ paper to ensure responsible FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come forest management. ™

from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological present and future Forneeds moreofinformation visit:generations, and other controlled sources.

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2 KEYBOARD MAGIC

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Keyboard notefinder

01

Electronic keyboards come in different sizes, but the notes are arranged in the same way.

The white notes are given the letter names A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and this pattern is repeated across the whole keyboard.

Notice that the black notes form a pattern – they are grouped in twos and threes.

Middle C is a note near the middle of your keyboard – if you are using a 61-note or 49-note keyboard, this will be the third C from the bottom.

notes get higher in pitch

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C Middle C

49-note 61-note 76-note 88-note (full size piano keyboard)

Explore

Count all the notes (black and white) on your keyboard. How many notes do you have?

Can you find Middle C on your keyboard?

Can you find another C higher than Middle C? Can you find the next C down below Middle C?

Notefinder ga me

Challenge a friend to find and play a particular note, and then play a higher or lower note.

For example: “Can you find an E? Now can you find a B that is higher?”

4 KEYBOARD MAGIC

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PART 1

UNIT 1

SINGLE-FINGER CHORDS

Body beats 1 and 2

Thunderstorm

01

Count aloud • Count and stomp • Stomp and chant • Stomp, chant and clap

1

2

L

Light

-

3

4

1

R

L

ning

flash

2

3

4

R

be

- fore

pulse

1

2

3

L

a

roar

-

ing

L

“Snap”,

3

4

R

go

1 L

the

2

3 R

croc - o - diles,

4

1

2

3

L

“Snap”,

2

3

4

R

thun - der - clap.

03

02

Count aloud • Count and stomp • Stomp and chant • Stomp, chant and body percussion

2

1 L

R

The crunch 1

4

02

4

R

they munch

Copycat ga me

1 L

2

3

4

R

and crunch!

04

Choose someone to clap the pulse or beat it on a drum throughout. Everyone else stomps lightly on counts 1 and 3.

Choose a caller to say and clap the rhythm of a tasty crocodile meal during two groups of four counts (for example, “U-ni-corn sand-wich-es”); everyone else claps back in the following two groups of four counts. Continue as a call and response game with different callers.

SINGLE-NOTE AND TWO-NOTE MELODIES WITH RHYTHMIC BACKING • RH FINGERS 2 AND 3 • VOICE • START/STOP • TEMPO • STYLE

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UNIT 1

Explore

Switch Power on. Adjust Master volume to suitable level.

Fruit salad

05

Count aloud and clap the pulse • Clap the pulse and chant the lyrics

1

2

Ly

3

-

1

4

chee

and

2

3

pine - ap -

4

ple,

1

2

ki

3

-

wi

two-beat note one-beat note

Play

03

1

4

and

2

3

4

man - go.

three-beat note

01

Choose any note on your keyboard and play the rhythm shown by the grey blocks using one finger of your right hand, chanting the lyrics in time.

Explore

Learn how to select a voice. Can you find a Synth voice on your keyboard?

Press Start to hear a rhythmic backing, then Stop to end. Can you set the tempo to 80 beats per minute (bpm)?

Select a different rhythmic backing from your style bank. Can you find an 8-beat pop style?

Play

Using your Synth voice and 8-beat pop rhythm style, play Fruit salad: • Press Start with your left hand (or left-hand player if sharing a keyboard) • Count two groups of four beats aloud, then play the melody with your right hand (or right-hand player) • Press Stop with your left hand (or left-hand player)

6 KEYBOARD MAGIC

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Try this Create your own tropical fruit lyrics and compose a rhythm to play them with on your keyboard.

06

SINGLE-NOTE AND TWO-NOTE MELODIES WITH RHYTHMIC BACKING • RH FINGERS 2 AND 3 • VOICE • START/STOP • TEMPO • STYLE

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UNIT 1

RH fingers

Explore

Choose any two neighbouring black notes or white notes on your keyboard.

Using fingers 2 and 3, practise alternating between the pair of notes.

Use finger 3 for the higher note and finger 2 for the lower note.

Can you make up a little riff using these two notes?

2

3

4 5

1

Workout Choose any two neighbouring white notes • Play them with your right-hand fingers 2 and 3 Select Synth bass voice • Practise playing the melody, chanting or singing as you play

select style

set tempo select voice practise speaking the rhythm first before playing

1

2

Get

3

4

read - y,

1

2

keep

02

04

SYNTH BASS

FUNK, 90 BPM

3

4

1

2

4

stead- y,

1

2

up squat

start with finger 3

3

07

3

a

-

4

gain.

down and

move to finger 2

back to finger 3

Play

Select Funk style and set tempo to 90 bpm: • Count two groups of four after pressing Start (left hand) • Play the melody twice (right hand) • Press Stop (left hand) to end

SINGLE-NOTE AND TWO-NOTE MELODIES WITH RHYTHMIC BACKING • RH FINGERS 2 AND 3 • VOICE • START/STOP • TEMPO • STYLE

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Try this Explore your voice bank and choose your favourite for this song.

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UNIT 1

Secret agents Choose two neighbouring white notes without a black note in between them.

Select Power brass voice • Practise the melody using RH (right hand) fingers 2 and 3, chanting or singing as you play

1

2

3

1

4

ing Spy

-

start with finger 2

2

3

se so

4

1

2

ly, cret -

03

05

POWER BRASS

8-BEAT ROCK, 100 BPM

3

4

1

08 2

don’t they

3

or munch

finger 3

4

crunch.

don’t play on these beats Do you recognise the rhythm of Secret agents?

Select style and set tempo, then play with rhythmic backing.

Count two groups of four after pressing Start and play twice through before pressing Stop.

Try this

06

04

09

10

Create an ensemble performance of Secret agents in two or three parts.

Copycat ga me

Play the copycat game on page 5 again, but this time play the rhythm of your favourite food on your keyboard, using two neighbouring notes and RH fingers 2 and 3.

Choose a style and try it with a rhythmic backing.

Can you experiment with a faster or slower tempo?

Part 1: play the melody using these notes:

2 3

Part 2: play the rhythm on this note:

Part 2 you could even add Part 3

Try using other instruments for some parts, for example a glockenspiel or ukulele.

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SINGLE-NOTE AND TWO-NOTE MELODIES WITH RHYTHMIC BACKING • RH FINGERS 2 AND 3 • VOICE • START/STOP • TEMPO • STYLE

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