Your child learned to identify major and minor sounds during the 1st Year of Let's Play Music; this skill will help her play, transpose, and compose music in both keys next year. Her musicianship is growing!
I've Been to Harlem
This fun folk song allows students to hear the same tune in both major and minor keys for comparison. Did you know your 8-Note Tone bell Set can help you explore major and minor at home?
As a reminder from our solfege posts, DO can be any note. With the tone bells, you can only form a complete major scale with DO on C, but feel free to experiment with assigning other notes as DO.
Since your child is learning to skip, have her start with the C bell, skip one, then another, to create the Red chord in C Major (CEG or Do-Mi-Sol). Play this chord and hear how it sounds Major. Then try starting with the F bell to create the Red chord in F Major (FAC), which also sounds Major.
Try starting with D (DFA) or E (EGB) to form Red chords in D minor and E minor. See if your child can hear the difference – the minor triad is Do-Me-Sol (Doh-MAY-Soh).
The key to determining major or minor is the middle note of the chord. Without it, you can't define the chord as major or minor.
Here's a video of a 4-year-old student creating triads and playing "I've Been to Harlem" in C Major and E minor. (Note: we don't recommend using feet to hold mallets or drinking pickle juice!)
How Did That Sound?
Major scales sound bright and cheerful, while minor scales often feel sad, sleepy, spooky, or somber. The best way to recognize the difference is through experience and exposure.
One teacher once shared a story about two young students making hot cocoa together. One asked, “Did you put in enough powder?” The other replied, “Yeah.” But the first student wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure? Does it taste Major or Minor?” she asked. When her friend looked confused, she explained, “Major is happy, Minor is sad. Does it taste Major?”This playful moment shows how a multi-sensory approach helps bring music concepts to life in fun, everyday ways!
The Cup Game
The song "I've Been to Harlem" is great for cup rhythm games, which add a fun twist by using a different rhythm than the song lyrics. To make it easier, start by teaching your child the chant, "Beetle, Butterfly, Clap, Pick, Pass," with a cup. Once they remember the routine, help them match the rhythm to the song.
Here’s a video of a class with Let's Play Music teacher Robin Flores, showing how the cup passing game works.
All ages love this game, laughing at mistakes and celebrating when they get it right. It’s a fun way to practice rhythms while enjoying "I've Been to Harlem" and exploring major and minor sounds!
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