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Supplies
- connecting blocks* (8)
- blank garage sale stickers*
- marker
Already have some alphabet blocks handy? Try them out, using this post from my old blog, Practice Your Lasagnos.
How To
This is a superrrrrrrr easy DIY!
Write:
- A-flat through G-flat on one color blank garage sale stickers
- A-natural through G-natural on another color blank garage sale stickers
- A-sharp through G-sharp on a third color blank garage sale stickers
Stick
Stack the blocks. Adhere the flat stickers, then the natural stickers, then the sharp stickers. The IGTV video (find the channel here) should help make this more clear. One block will be blank; use this one to show the bigger space between an interval in an inversion (if you want).
Use
Use these blocks to help teach & reinforce theory concepts, such as:
- key signatures – student arranges the blocks so that the tonic/scale degree 1 is on the bottom, then rotates the blocks to show any accidentals
- chord building – student builds a chord using the corresponding blocks
- inversions – student builds inversions, using the blank block as a visual reminder of the larger interval when applicable
Do you have any tips for teaching theory? Drop ’em in the comments or share them on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook!
-Barbara
*affiliate link
Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here. And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.
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