How Do You Teach Children Simple Music Theory?
If your child is struggling with her music lessons, here’s a great way to teach her a little music theory that will heighten her interest in playing an instrument. Choose a simple children’s song in a simple key; for example “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in the key of C. Change the words to numbers based on the notes of the song. C equals 1, D equals 2, E equals 3 and so on up to the next C which equals 8. Notice that “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” follows a very easy pattern. Here’s the first line: 1-1-5-5-6-6-5 (“Twinkle, twinkle, little star:). The second line would be: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1 (“How I wonder what you are”). Third and forth lines: 5-5-4-4-3-3-2 (“Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky”). Repeat lines one and two. Play the C scale and have the child sing the numbers of the scale, so that he sees the relationship between the numbers of the scale and the numbers of the song. Play that same song in the key of C, starting on C as 1. Ask the child to sing the numbers
