Welcome to Hoffman Academy Unit 1! If you're an absolute beginner at music and piano, then this is the place to start. Join Mr. Hoffman as he explores the piano, uses fun stories to help you find your way around the keyboard, and introduces the basics of music theory. You'll be making music starting in the very first lesson! Here's what you can expect to learn:
Repertoire (the songs you'll learn to play):
Hot Cross Buns
D Journey
C Boogie
Five Woodpeckers
Frog in the Middle
Chocolate
Listen for Bells
Skills:
Piano posture
C & D major pentascales
Transposing
Rhythmic dictation
Composing rhythms
Improvisation basics
Adding chords while playing the melody
Knowledge:
Solfege: do, re, mi, fa, so
Musical alphabet
Names of all white keys on the piano
Rhythms: quarter note, quarter rest, eighth note, half note
Finger numbers
Terms: stepping, skipping, repeating, high, low, improvisation, composition, sharp, rhythmic dictation, solfege, transpose
Here's a tip: you’ll get the most out of our Hoffman Academy video lessons if you watch while sitting at your piano or keyboard. If you plan to watch the lessons using a tablet or smartphone, just set it up on your piano’s music stand. If you’re using a notebook or desktop computer, try to put it near your piano so you can see the screen while sitting at the bench. Good luck and happy playing!
