Copy Cat
Lesson Book page 54
- Imitate notes and rhythms
- Imitate notes and rhythms using new LH notes
what's new
- Hearing, seeing, and understanding imitation
- Using dynamic contrasts for different motives
what's important
let's get started
- Are you a good copy cat? Copy what I do (stand, sit, bow, wink). Copy my rhythm. (Tap a rhythm.) Copy my hand position. (C five-finger scale.)
- See if you can copy my music message. (Use patterns from the piece: Mm. 1 and 2, M. 5, Mm. 5 and 6, and so on. You are preparing the student's fingers for the steps and skips in the piece.) (See video)
- Look over this piece. Which hand is the Copy Cat?
- Which parts are forte? Which parts are piano?
See what's the same. Hear what's the same.
explore and create
Copy What I Play
Find the C five-finger scale, either hand. Watch, then copy what I play. (Create short melodies one octave lower for the student to play back.) Then change hands and continue the game.Copy Cat with Eyes Closed
Could you be a copy cat with your eyes closed? (Continue playback patterns.)You Can Be the Leader!
Make up a pattern in the C five-finger scale for me to copy. Choose whichever hand you like.You Copy What You Play
Let your RH make up a pattern for your LH to copy. Try several more. Now switch. Is each hand a good copy cat? (See video)
Imitation is an important musical element.
partner pages
Technique & Artistry
p. 26 Pilot in the Clouds
- This sequenced skipping pattern spans the inside to the outside of the hand and back: 1-3-5-3-1.
- Students should play by memory to observe their hand shape.
- Aim to play at a brisk, allegro tempo.
Theory
p. 42 Playing Steps and Skips in C Position
- Students identify two-note examples as a step or skip in treble and bass clefs.
- Students then name all notes and play them on the keyboard.
Performance
p. 26 Are You Sleeping?
- Do you see any copycatting in this piece? Tell me about this.
- Circle the four skips.
- When well learned, try playing as a round (second part begins at M. 3.)
pedagogy pointers
The student has "copied" before, as in I Hear the Echo, but there it was for the purpose of introducing forte and piano. Here the focus is on imitation of rhythmic and melodic patterns. This develops the student's awareness of how imitation is used as a compositional element.
It's important for the student to see that a pattern is imitated elsewhere—this supports fluent reading—but also very important to make sure that a student hears imitation since imitation almost always invites dynamic change.
accompaniments on disk
- CD Tracks 68-69
- MIDI File 37