If you’ve taught your kids to read music notes and play the piano, you will know that the notes D4 and G5 are neither line nor space notes. 

While both these notes are important notes to know, since they don’t fall into either category it is hard to know when to introduce kids to these notes. 

In this post I will discuss three methods to introduce kids to the notes. 

You can choose either one of the three methods. 

Yes, I am partial to one of the methods over the other, but that doesn’t mean that my favourite method is better than the other two methods I have explained here. 

So, please read through the post and decide, which method you would like to try when teaching your kids to read music notes and play the piano in your homeschool. 

Don’t forget to download the music theory worksheet I have included to help reinforce the concept of D4 and G5 to your kids. 

So, if you are ready, we can get started right now. 

Method 1 – Stand Alone

Like its name, this method is ‘stand alone’, meaning you should teach both notes ‘Dangerous D’ (D4) and ‘Giggling G’ (G5) after teaching your child the Treble Line and Space notes. 

With this method you will: 

– First show your child the flashcard for D4

– Explain that it is D4 and called ‘Dangerous D’ because it hangs from the Treble Staff.

– Ask your child to show D4 on the keyboard. 

– You will follow the same steps and introduce G5 as well. 

Method 2 – Teach, when introducing Middle C

You can introduce both ‘Dangerous D’ and ‘Giggling G’ to your child, when teaching them Middle C. 

With this method you will: 

– First show Middle C and point to D4 and G5 in relation to Middle C. – Show flashcards and say D4 is called ‘Dangerous D’ because the note hangs from the Treble Staff and G5 is called ‘Giggling G’ because the note sits on the Treble Staff. 

Method 3 – Introduce D4 with Treble Clef Line Notes and G5 with Treble Clef Space Notes

This is by far my favourite method. However, please remember that methods 1 and 2 are equally good. 

With this method you will:

– Teach the Treble Clef line notes and introduce them to D4, by showing them the flashcard, telling them that it is called ‘Dangerous D’ because it hangs from the Treble Staff and then show them the note on the keyboard. 

– Teach the Treble Clef space notes and introduce them to G5, by showing them the flashcard, telling them that it is called ‘Giggling G’ because it sits on the Treble Staff and then showing them the note on the keyboard. 

Would you like to implement Method 2 but still haven’t introduced your kids to Middle C? Then read my post 3 Absolutely Important Facts To Know About Middle C.

Want to use Method 3? In that case, you will have to first read and implement 5 ‘Incredibly Easy’ Steps To Teach Treble Clef Line Notes, and 5 ‘Ridiculously Easy’ Steps To Teach Treble Clef Space Notes. 

Either way don’t forget to download the music theory worksheet I have made available with this post.

What is your favourite method?

Comment below and let me know.  

You can never learn music without hearing the term Middle C. 

It is one of the most important notes in music and one of the very first notes that anyone is introduced to when learning to play the piano. 

So in today’s post, I am going to explain some very important facts about Middle C, that you may not have known. 

These facts are actually game changers and learning them will help your child be less confused when playing the piano and reading music notes. 

Don’t worry. 

Even if you have absolutely no musical knowledge, my explanation of the material will not only help you understand these facts easily, but it will also enable you to teach your children about Middle C and its importance. 

What is more?

As always I have also made music theory worksheets available so you can reinforce the concepts your child will learn here. 

Middle C Is A Separation Point

Yes, on the piano, Middle C is the separation point. 

All the notes to the right of Middle C are usually written in the Treble Clef. 

They are usually played with the right hand. 

I am using the term ‘usually’ here, because there are exceptions to this rule. 

So, all the notes to the right of Middle C are played with the right hand, what about the notes to the left of Middle C?

Yes, you guessed that right. 

The notes to the left of Middle C are usually played with the left hand and usually written in the Bass Clef. 

Wouldn’t you agree that Middle C is the separation point? 

Middle C Is A Ledger Line Note

Yes, Middle C is a ledger line note. 

If this is the first time you are hearing the term ‘ledger’ line, you will be wondering what that means. 

A ledger line is a line that is written in addition to the usual five lines in the staff. 

It can be above or below the staff. 

In the case of Middle C, it is not written on any of the staff lines, rather it is written on its own line. 

In the Treble Clef, Middle C is written on its own line and is below the Treble Staff. 

In the Bass Clef, Middle C is written on its own line and is placed above the Bass Staff. 

How To Find Middle C

On a normal sized keyboard (a standard piano keyboard), which has 88 white and black keys (in total), Middle C is the 4th C when counted from the left. 

How about in cases where the keyboard is a lot smaller like the many electronic keyboards in the market?

Well in those cases, it is harder to determine the Middle C. 

The rule of thumb is to use the C closest to the middle of the keyboard as Middle C. 

Now that you’ve learned these facts and can teach them to your kids, let me know if you have any questions. 

Don’t forget to download the music theory worksheet I have made available so your kids can practice writing Middle C. 

Did you know that clef signs create landmark notes?

The Bass Clef creates two landmark notes.

And in this post I will show you how you can introduce both landmark notes to your kids. 

Remember to download the music theory worksheet I have made available especially for this post, so you can reinforce the concept of the Bass Clef landmark notes, which you will be teaching your kids. 

What Is A ‘Landmark’?

A ‘landmark’ in music, is a ‘clue’ to help you identify a specific note name and placement. 

Furthermore, a ‘landmark’ is created by a clef sign when the clef is written with technical precision. 

Therefore it is very important for kids to learn to write the clefs correctly.

Not sure if your kids have learned to write the Bass Clef with technical precision? 

No worries. Check out my post 5 ‘Easy Peasy’ Ways To introduce Kids To The Bass Clef.

Ready to get started?

So what are the two landmark notes created by the Treble Clef?

Fourth Line F

The first landmark note created by the Bass Clef is fourth line F or F3. 

Why is this F considered as a landmark note?

It is because the dot that starts off the Bass Clef is written on the fourth line of the Bass Staff and that fourth line is the placement of F3 on the piano keyboard. 

So there’s your first landmark note in the Bass Clef. 

What’s the next one?

First Space A

A2 or the first space A in the Bass Staff is the second landmark note created by the Bass Clef. 

Why is that?

It is because the Bass Clef ends by lightly touching the first space. 

So the next time your kids are reading music notes and are trying to find their way, tell them to look for the dot on the Bass Clef and know that the note there is F3 (on the piano) and to look for the end of the clef and know that the note there is A2 (on the piano). 

They can now count down or up and find the rest of the notes on the piano easily. 

Bonus – F2 or Fearless F

Since we are learning landmark notes, I think it is best for you to teach your kids one additional note and that is F2.

This note is not a landmark note (in the real sense, because it is not created by the Bass Clef), yet, it is a note that your kids should learn at this point.  

F2 or as it is lovingly known ‘Fearless F’ because it hangs from the Bass Staff, is the note.

So what do you think? 

Easy enough?

Can you teach your kids these landmark notes in the Bass Clef?

Great. 

Don’t forget to download and use the music theory worksheets I have included with this post. 

Reading music notes can be very easy if taught correctly from the very beginning. 

The number one reason kids struggle with learning to read music notes is because the fundamentals are not taught correctly and in the right order. 

With the correct tools and guidelines even mom’s who have no musical background can teach their kids how to read music notes and play the piano effortlessly. 

In this post I am going to show you how you can teach your child to read Bass Clef space notes. 

Yes, even if you’ve never had any musical training in your life, you can still do this, because my method is ‘super easy’. 

However, in order for you to do this, you should have already introduced your kids to the Musical Alphabet, They should be able to find their way around the keyboard, effortlessly and they should be able distinguish between line and space notes, and have learned about line numbers and space numbers, and have been introduced to Middle C.

If you haven’t introduced them to even one of the above, please click on the appropriate link, complete the steps and then proceed with the instructions in this post. 

If you haven’t completed ANY of the above steps, then start with the Musical Alphabet and go in the order I have suggested. 

On the other hand, if you’ve completed all of the above steps, you are ready to proceed. 

But, don’t forget to download the music theory worksheets and flashcards I have made available below. 

Got it?

Let’s get started. 

Review Middle C

Ask your child to show you Middle C on the keyboard. 

Remind him that all the notes to the left of Middle C are usually written in the Bass Clef and played with the left hand. 

Review Treble Clef Line And Space Notes And Bass Clef Line Notes

If you haven’t already introduced the kids to Treble Clef line and space notes, this would be a good time to do it. 

Even though you can proceed with teaching Bass Clef space notes without first teaching the line notes, it just makes things easier. 

I strongly suggest that you first teach your child the Treble Clef line notes, for that you can read my post 5 ‘Incredibly Easy’ Steps To Teach Treble Clef Line Notes, 5 ‘Ridiculously Easy’ Steps To Teach Treble Clef Space Notes, and 5 ‘Shockingly Easy’ Steps To Teach Bass Clef Line Notes.

Introduce A

Show the flashcard.

Show A (on the flashcard) and say that it is first space A also known as A2

Since your child already knows C4 (Middle C) ask him to show you A2.

Introduce C

Now show the flashcard again and ask your child to show you C. 

Say that it is called second space C also known as C3. 

Introduce E & G In The Same Way

Use the same steps as above to show each note one at a time. 

The Pneumonic

Tell your child that the easy way to memorize the note names is  All Cows Eat Grass.

Introduce/Review B3

If you haven’t already done so (depending on the method you chose), this would be a good time to introduce the note B3 or ‘Bouncing B’.

Show your child the flashcard for B3. 

Say that it is called ‘Bouncing B’ because it sits on the Bass Staff. 

Ask your child to show B3 on the keyboard (he should point to the B immediately before C4). 

If you have already introduced your child to B3, then use this opportunity to review the concept. 

Play A Few Games And Complete The Music Theory Worksheet

Yes, play a few games to reinforce the concepts learned here. 

You can call out a note name and ask your child to play the note. 

Eg. You call out first space A and your child will play A2. 

Next, you can play G3 or even draw the note on a Bass Staff and ask your child play the note. 

Another good idea is, once your child has completed the attached music theory worksheet, you have ask him to play the notes on the keyboard. 

What do you think?

Can you introduce your kids to the Bass Clef Space Notes? 

Of course, you can. 

You have all the material, all you need now is to just do it. 

Once you complete this step, give yourself a huge pat on the back. 

You actually taught your child to read music notes. 

Did you know that one of the best ways to ensure that your kids are extremely proficient at reading music notes, is to consistently reinforce the concepts they’ve learned?

So, how do you do that? 

Here’s how. You do it with games.

What games?

Read on and I will show you some really cool games you can play with your kids. 

I have even included the necessary material with this post, so don’t forget to download it and go so far as laminating it if necessary. 

Ready to get started? 

Things You Need:

– Dry Erase Marker

– Pebbles/ Coloured Beads/Mini Action Figures/Tokens/Coins/Anything Similar

– Keyboard (doesn’t have to be a piano, can be an electric keyboard with at least 44 keys, black and white notes included). 

Games

1. Play a note on the keyboard, ask your child to find it amongst the planet notes and also connect it to the keyboard on the game card. You can play this game in reverse with your child playing the note and you finding it and your child correcting you. 

2. Ask your child to pick one type of planet and name all the notes that have been denoted by that planet. Once he’s done that, ask your child to take the game card to the keyboard and play each of those notes denoted by the chosen planet. 

3. Team/Racing Demons Variation: Assign a specific planet to each child and ask them to name as many planets in their group in 30 seconds (give them a paper to write it on) and then play it on the keyboard. 

4. Play a note on the keyboard. Ask your child to find the note on the stave, connect it to the matching concept and then call out the name. 

5. Ask your child to play a note on the keyboard. you find the corresponding note amongst the planets, match it and ask your child to check if you got it right or wrong (Tip: It’s always good to get a few wrong, it’s a confidence booster for kids that mom or dad don’t know as much as they do). 

6. Leave a pebble on a note on the stave, ask your child to find it on the keyboard. 

Bonus – Team Game/Racing Demons Variation: Call out a name of a note. Have the children compete to be the fastest to put their bead/pebble or action heroes on the correct planet note and match it to the keyboard (give each child two beads/buttons that are the same colour or similar so you which is which).