Foreword

♪ ♪ Book FOREWORD ♪ ♪ BY DAVID, the piano teacher

- Albany New York, December 2012 (Date when I first started writing this book) v4.00 Revised 9/8/14 2239 dw

Welcome to music school friends, students and fellow musicians, and thank you for taking the time to read this book. If you're interested in learning to play the piano, or any classical instrument for that matter, then the Beginner Piano School could be your new best friend.

The concept behind My Music In Color is the result of years of studying & playing music, researching truth & enlightenment, learning science and logic, as well as optimizing computers & utilizing the modern-day wealth of knowledge from the internet.

I am determined to be an entrepreneur and start my own teaching business. I have the desire and ability to teach... I am a good teacher. I'll teach you to play any song you want. That is the power of learning at the Beginner Piano School!

*****

Ladies & Gentleman, without further ado, I am very proud to introduce to you the 2014 Edition of

My Music In Color BEGINNER PIANO SCHOOL: Music Theory 1st Grade Book.

I also introduce with great pride the innovative style and original learning techniques of “Your Sight-Reading Secret” APP

(app available on website and Coming soon to Android Marketplace on your smartphone and in Part THREE of this book).

This “Sight Reading Secrets will help you learn how to sight-read. My MIC teaches you how to use your own touch of color as a learning tool and sight-reading guide (color pencils included). An ever evolving concept project that I invite you to enter the school’s “YOUR COLOR MUSIC” CONTEST

Plus a great collection of all original sheet music arrangements designed especially for beginners. In the 1^st Edition of Color My Classical Sheet Music Collection the first 20 songs in this book are special for beginners. The rest is classic material for you music library collection. Plus I will get you sheet music for any song you want. And we will learn your song together over the course of ten lessons.

The rest is classic material for you music library collection. Plus I will get you sheet music for any song you want. And we will learn your song together over the course of ten lessons.

I am also proud to present Volume One of Best of Piano Learning Online, featuring tips and advice from the world’s best professional pianists. The Beginner Piano School is now open full time and is always accepting new students for the 10 month 2014 Semester or 10 individual lessons anytime that is convenient for you over the next few months. Enroll today, commit to taking 10 lessons and get started!

*****

The general idea behind “Your” Music in Color is simple. Artistic use of color pencils, crayons, markers or highlighters, you mark-up and personalize your sheet music as a learning tool & sight-reading aid. If you love classical piano music and you've always wanted to learn to play the piano, then this is the right book and school for you.

The Beginner Piano School (BPS) teaches classical piano performance using new technology and innovative learning methods utilizing the best free stuff online. I empower students to use the vast wealth of knowledge from online websites and YouTube videos. Our teaching philosophy is all rooted in good old-fashioned classical music theory.

Utilizing the best of modern information technology and online resources, you get info straight from the pros themselves! Now is the best time to make your dream of playing piano a reality. Music In Color BPS's first grade curriculum is the accumulation of the best piano teaching and learning knowledge in the world!! With my decade plus of experience with classical music (classical guitar for 10 years and piano for the past 4 years) I know music, and I know what works and how to teach new musicians the fundamentals.

I've created lessons that not only work, but are also simple and fun. Learn 50 Learning Objectives (LOs) over 10 lessons, 5 each lessons, and we will be playing any song you want before you know it. How fast we do it is up to you: take 10 lessons anytime you want. With these innovative learning techniques anyone can learn to play piano.

So I hope you enjoy this book and enjoy your piano learning experience as much as I have. Take a piano lesson and find out for yourself, first lesson is always free. Enroll in the School, take 10 lessons, do the homework, earn 100 Practice Study Hours (PSH), and graduate to the next level. Learn to Play the Piano. Become the classical pianist you've always wanted to be, and play any songs you want on the piano. You can do it, just give it time, and don’t give up.

******

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NEW STUDENTS: DO YOU WANT TO LEARN TO PLAY PIANO? And have fun doing it? Take ten lessons and we will be playing any song you want, that is the BPS promise. Earn achievement points for a number of fun activities, including web surfing piano websites and watching Piano YouTube videos. Earn PSH and see how you stack up against other students, the competitiveness of the game shows your will to put the necessary time into piano in order to learn it.

And it takes time. A lot of time... Professionals put hundreds of thousands of hours into practice. You won't learn without practice time, so start keeping track in your journal the time you put in. As you earn PSH credits you level up in skill and reputation points. It makes the learning fun and effective. There is no easy shortcut way to play piano, you have to put the practice time in. Total Cumulative Practice Study Hours (TCPSH) is our method of keeping track of how much time you put into studying and practicing, and the time adds up fast. You can easily earn 100 PSH credits in six months to a year. Try to reach this milestone achievement and graduate first grade by the end of 2014.

What do I love about classical music? I love the beautiful sound; that and the amazingly coherent mathematical beauty that is the core of music theory; that and of course the satisfaction, excitement and challenge of actually playing piano by sight-reading classical sheet music that was written by the likes of Beethoven and Mozart. And now with the internet, now is the best time in history to learn!

I love how eloquent and articulate classical sheet music “describes” the intricacies of the sound of that piece of music. That and the beauty of the simplicity of the black and white music notes on paper spanning the ten lines and spaces of the Piano Grand Staff. All music can be accurately translated into sheet music, which with understanding of music theory, it is easy to learn to sight-read and play on the piano. All sheet music is composed of simple notation of whole, half, quarter and sixteenth notes, with some rests, accidentals, dynamics and articulation notation thrown in here and there (don't worry, this book teaches what all these fancy music terminology means). Piano sheet music also features key & times signatures, chords & arpeggios, finger numbers, slurs, ties, sharps, flats, crescendos, diminuendos and staccatos, the treble & bass clefs on the piano grand staff, measures and ledger lines, rhythms & harmonies, dotted notes, Major and minor Scales, repeats, octaves and pedal cue marks.

Not to mention that without this 'written sheet music', we would not have any of the great sonatas and symphonies of the Classical Era that were written more than 200 years ago. These simple notations on paper immortalized the classical music of the late great icons like Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang A Mozart... And the best part of learning to music theory and to read sheet music is that there is an unlimited amount of sheet music waiting for you online and at your local music stores. There is more music than you could ever play in a lifetime! Your favorite songs are waiting for you. It all starts in first grade music school. (oh and the best part is the more you learn, the better it gets!)

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THE ART OF SIGHT-READING CLASSICAL SHEET MUSIC IN COLOR - When I first started playing piano about 4 years ago, I could not play a single C Major Chord. But I fondly dreamed of the day I could wow audiences during spontaneous quick live performances whenever I happened to come across a little Baby Grand Piano or electric keyboard. I am well on my way to that point. I have come so far in only a couple of years. I will be playing piano almost every day for the rest of my life, I love studying and practicing piano and I am getting better and better each day. If you're committed to learning to play the piano, you will get there too. This book and my lessons will help you.

The BSP will guide all newcomers in an excellent, welcoming lesson program and help you establish your own practice routine that will have you playing your favorite songs in a matter of no time. Earn PSH credits (practice study hour) in a fun points based system. This also helps you start and keep a practice routine that you need to start advancing in levels. First Grade instills new students with a basic understanding of music theory and how to play piano by sight-reading. All the experts agree that music theory is the fundamental foundation in ALL more advanced types of music. Understanding music theory will help you play any songs you want.

ADDING YOUR OWN ARTISTIC COLOR TOUCH AS A GUIDE TO HELP YOU LEARN AND SIGHT-READ. Good old fashioned black and white, ink and paper sheet music is great just as is. I don't want to change anything about the unadulterated classic form of sheet music. I am not trying to reinvent classical sheet music, I think of adding a personal touch of color as evolving and improving upon the old.

This “My Music in Color” Book (that you want in your hands and on your piano) is currently black and white. You add the touch of color yourself as a learning tool and sight-reading guide. Use color to accentuate and emphasize the music. Make your own personalized color code system, something that makes sense and works for you. I like to color in the note tails of some pieces various colors, or color all the lines blue and spaces red, making “skips” and “steps” easier to read at a glance. Or some pieces I like to color all C notes red, and all G sharps green or B flats orange.

It is completely up to you. Just highlight segments or the rhythms phrases or just make it the music look pretty, whatever makes you happy, and assists you in sight-reading faster and more effectively than ever before. Be sure to enter “your” colored music into the school contest for best Colored Sheet Music. Check out the BPS Color Music Contest for ideas.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due- All Sheet Music in this book, in addition to the My Music In Color concept, all lesson plans, pictures and homework assignments are all one hundred percent original My Music In Color Piano School arrangements, published under the Creative Commons copyright. Please feel free to use, copy and share my music.

The sheet music in this book has been composed in the great free open source music editor program MuseScore. This book was also written in the open source program Open Office, the competitor to MS Office. All other material shared from other musicians and website sources are fully credited to original authors on page and in the reference page.

Message to New Students from your Music Teacher: - “Hello and welcome friends and fellow musicians to My Music in Color BEGINNER PIANO SCHOOL. I teach beginner classical piano lessons at extremely affordable costs and or for free. I do it out of love for the music. And because I love teaching. I am a natural patient teacher. I will take the time to teach each student whatever they want. I will be your music teacher and guide throughout your whole music journey, for now and for the foreseeable future. I know how hard it is to find a great piano teacher, as I have had many teachers myself over the years.

So if you have the desire & will, and you can make the half an hour a week commitment, then together we will make it happen.

Be the Pianist you are meant to be! Thank you for being my Beginner Piano Student.

Always remember the Three Core Values of Your Music In Color Beginner Piano School

We truly have the great pleasure and honor to learn from all of history's greatest musicians and composers.

Take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and wealth of knowledge and learn to play piano. The experience and satisfaction is so worth it!

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Disclaimer and Promise about Music Theory, it is all worth it in the future... I admit, learning “Music Theory” is the hardest and definitely most boring part of learning to play classical music. Music Theory is abstract and complicated at first, but I promise it is all worth it in the long run. Understanding the fundamentals will enable you to take your music playing to whole new levels. And the more you learn about the theory, the more it all starts to come together and the better it gets and the more sense it all makes. You will be so very thankful that you've taken the time to understand the fundamentals in the very beginning.

BSP teaches new students an easy, manageable amount of theory per grade level. Practicing and studying the lessons in this book, students will advance quickly and be playing their favorite songs in no time. Understanding how all the key fundamentals fit together, one 30 minute weekly lesson at a time. This school will help you establish a weekly routine of regular “focused” 15 minute practice sessions and keep you on track to learning a little something new each week. You should by keeping a music journal to record progress. All the while supplementing learning by watching YouTube piano tutorials, (and the understanding the theory behind it all).

You'll be amazed and pleased with your progress in less than a few months if you stick with it, attend class and complete homework assignments. Your skill level will greatly improve as a result, and before you know it, you'll be graduating to Second Grade (earn 100 PSH credits to level up). Just remember that the more you learn the better it gets ;) And don't forget your reasons for wanting to play piano in the first place. Good luck!

This is only the beginning of a lifetime of enjoyment that learning and playing classical music will bring you. The enjoyment of success is the reason people take piano lessons.

Signed _________________________________

Sincerely with love, your piano teacher,

David davidwcoon@hotmail.com

♪ Thank You. Peace, Love & Music ♪

Three 1st Grade Primary Learning Goals to Accomplish:

• To gain a general understand of sheet music notation and sight-reading

• Demonstrate your Understand of 1st Grade Music Theory by playing your favorite songs on the piano.

• Final Exam: Play Piano Live at school recital by Sight-reading * Or audio record your five best songs.

*By sight-reading or by ear, but Piano Performance and actually playing good music is the ultimate goal.

The enjoyment of that success is the reason people take piano lessons.

♪ ♪ Meet Your 1st Grade Music Teacher ♪ ♪

Page LOG

v4.05 Revised 9/8/14 2302 dw

v4.00 Revised 9/8/14 2239 dw

Book Foreword v3.03 7/29/14 0113 dw

v3.01 7/29/14 0113 - complete revision and update, now best version dw

v2.04, v1.60 11/15/13, v1.50 11/14/13, v1.16o6 5/8/13 dw

v1.9oo 2/5/2013 - book foreword imported from v7.03 (still need updated and touch ups) dw