Practical Childcare Theory 2: Music, Art and Language

German H is B natural (Japanese ro). B-flat is written "B" in German, which is easy to confuse with English B. C is C, G is G, and F-sharp is Fis, none of which is H.

A dotted half note is 1.5 times a half note (2 beats), so 3 beats. In 3/4 a measure has 3 beats, so it fills exactly one measure. Two beats is an undotted half note, and one and a half beats is a dotted quarter. Four beats is a whole note and does not fit. Two measures would be 6 beats, two dotted half notes.

rit. means gradually slower. accel. is the opposite (gradually faster), and a tempo means return to the original speed. cresc. is a dynamics term (gradually louder), not tempo. dolce is an expression term meaning sweetly and softly.

D.S. (dal segno) means go back to the segno sign. Going back to the beginning is D.C. (da capo). The ending point is shown by Fine. Jumping to the coda is shown by "to Coda" and is not the meaning of D.S. itself. The second ending is played after a repeat, skipping the first ending.

In 6/8 the 8 means eighth note and the 6 means six of them per measure. Usually three eighth notes (one dotted quarter) form a group and the measure is felt in two (compound duple). A quarter-note beat applies to meters with 4 on the bottom. Counting in three applies to 3/4 and similar. One dotted quarter is three eighths, only half a measure.

On the treble staff the second line is G (to). The notes are: second line G, first line E (ho), third space high C (ha), second space A (i). "B, G, E, C" reads the same positions as a bass staff. "A, F, D, B" and "F, D, B, G" shift every note one step up or down. "G, E, B, A" mistakes the third space for the third line (B).

There are two sharps (F and C). For sharp keys, the tonic is a semitone above the last sharp (C-sharp), so D major. G major has one sharp and A major three. F major and B-flat major are flat keys with one and two flats.

The relative minor shares the key signature and its tonic is a minor third below the major tonic. A minor third below B-flat is G, so G minor (two flats). B-flat minor is the parallel minor (same tonic). D minor has one flat (relative of F major) and C minor three flats (relative of E-flat major). F minor has four flats.

Counting E, F, G inclusive gives a third. E to F is a semitone, so the total is 1 + 2 = 3 semitones: a minor third. A major third is 4 semitones (e.g. C to E). E to A is a perfect fourth and E to F-sharp a major second. An augmented second also spans 3 semitones, but it is a second (two letter names, e.g. E to F-double-sharp), so it does not fit.

The major scale is whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half, so the semitones are between degrees 3-4 and 7-8 (E-F and B-C in C major). A semitone between degrees 2-3 and between 5-6 belongs to the natural minor scale. Degrees 6-7 are a whole step in the major scale.

C major to F major is up a perfect fourth (or down a perfect fifth): C becomes F, D becomes G, E becomes A, G becomes C. The solfege stays do-re-mi-sol. "G, A, B, D" is G major, "D, E, F-sharp, A" is D major, and "B-flat, C, D, F" is B-flat major. "F, G, A-flat, C" makes the third minor, which breaks the major shape.

A major second (2 semitones) above G is A, so A major, whose signature has three sharps (F, C, G). "A major, two sharps" has the wrong number. D major results from moving up a perfect fifth (or down a fourth). F major results from moving down a major second. Transposing a major-key piece never makes it minor, so A minor is wrong.

From the bottom: D, F-sharp, A. D to F-sharp is 4 semitones (major third) and F-sharp to A is 3 semitones (minor third), so it is the major triad D. Dm is D, F, A (no sharp). D7 adds C (minor seventh) to make four notes. F#m is F-sharp, A, C-sharp, with a different root. Ddim is D, F, A-flat.

The fifth degree of C major is G, so V is G-B-D and V7 adds F, a minor seventh above the root: G7. G-B-D-F-sharp is GM7 (major seventh). G-B-flat-D-F is Gm7. F-A-C-E-flat is F7 (V7 of B-flat major) and C-E-G-B-flat is C7 (V7 of F major); neither is V7 of C major.

The F major scale is F, G, A, B-flat, C, D, E. I is F, IV (fourth degree B-flat) is B-flat, and V (fifth degree C) is C. Bm is built on B natural, a note outside the scale. G is built on the second degree but contains B natural, so it is outside the key. Dm is built on the sixth degree and is not a primary triad.

Count semitones from the root to the third. D to F is 3 semitones (minor third) and F to A is 4, so D-F-A is a minor triad (Dm). C-E-G, F-A-C and G-B-D have 4 semitones to the third and are major triads. B-D-F stacks two minor thirds, a diminished triad (Bdim).

A capo raises the pitch a semitone per fret. At the 3rd fret it rises 3 semitones: C, C-sharp, D, E-flat, so E-flat sounds. C would sound without a capo. D is the result at the 2nd fret and E at the 4th fret. A results from lowering by 3 semitones instead of raising.

Value is how light or dark a color is. Vividness is saturation (彩度) and the kind of color is hue (色相). White, gray and black (achromatic colors) have no hue or saturation, but they do have value. Mixing complementary paints moves toward gray and loses vividness, so it does not "raise value".

The light primaries get brighter as they overlap and approach white (additive mixing). Complementary colors sit opposite on the color wheel and make each other stand out. The paint primaries (cyan, magenta, yellow) get darker as they mix (subtractive mixing). White, gray and black are achromatic and have no saturation. Neighboring colors on the wheel are analogous; complementary colors are opposite.

Folding and transferring to make a symmetrical shape is decalcomania. Frottage is rubbing over a textured surface. Spattering sprays paint with a wire mesh and brush. Batik (crayon resist) paints watercolor over crayon so it is repelled. Marbling transfers a pattern of paint floating on water.

Baselines, X-ray drawing, fold-over drawing and showing different times in one picture are features of the schematic stage. In the scribbling stage children enjoy the marks their arm movements make. In the naming stage they give meanings to shapes after drawing. The pre-schematic stage lines up whatever comes to mind and often shows tadpole figures. In the dawning realism stage children try to draw what they see, and X-ray drawing decreases.

The Guidelines list, as content for infants, having vocalizations and babbling gently accepted and enjoying exchanges with caregivers, and say that understanding of words and the wish to speak grow through caregivers' talking, singing and responses to babbling. Not responding removes chances for exchange. Making the child repeat words or teaching letters differs from the responsive care described. Development varies between children, so comparing the amount of babbling alone is not appropriate.

"Become familiar with picture books and stories, listen with interest and enjoy imagining" is content item 9, and "enjoy communicating through letters in daily life" is item 10. On letters, the Guidelines aim for children to enjoy communicating and to become interested in letters, not to master reading and writing accurately. Item 4 is to listen carefully to others and speak so they understand, which values exchanges with friends too. The handling notes say language is gradually acquired as others respond and the child hears their words.

Paper figures on sticks, showing a different face or direction on each side, are paper puppet theater. Panel theater sticks and removes non-woven fabric figures on a flannel-covered board. Apron theater uses an apron as the stage and takes figures out of its pockets. Kamishibai advances scenes by sliding out picture cards one by one. Storytelling without props uses only the voice and expressions.

Language goes from babbling (strings of meaningless sounds) to the first word, then one-word sentences that express a whole idea, two-word sentences, and multi-word sentences. Babbling comes before words, so it cannot follow one-word or two-word sentences. Two-word sentences do not come before one-word sentences either. Timing varies between children, but the order is shared.