C-instruments Beginner Method: chime bars, bells, piano, xylophone, tongue drum, boomwhackers

A resource for class or peripatetic teachers in primary education to assist in teaching total beginners.
Intended as a gentle and gradual introduction to music reading.

You will get four PDF booklets with notations:

• C-INSTRUMENT
• Piano accompaniment
• Rhythmic Melody
• Guitar tabs & chords

INSTRUMENTS THAT CAN BE USED
All instruments in the C-major scale: chime bars, bells, xylophone, glockenspiel, steel (Chinese) tongue drum, kalimba (thumb piano), boomwhackers; and also piano, guitar, percussion etc.

WHAT IS IT?
The method consists of 12 lessons which are essentially 8-bar music exercises. Each exercise introduces a new note/rest length or another musical symbol, with lessons named after the topic they cover. All lessons/topics are listed below.
The notations are formatted in landscape orientation for use on electronic devices or printing.

FOR WHOM?
This method is recommended for students in primary school education without any previous music knowledge.

C-INSTRUMENT NOTATION
To assist young learners, the notes are colour-coded by pitch. The C-instrument notation uses a large font, with note names given under the notes.
The 12 lessons cover only 4 note pitches; the rest are introduced in the Intermediate level.

Lesson names / topics covered

1. Music Fractions (1/4 + 1/8 notes, C-D )
2. Half note
3. Quarter Rest
4. Half Rest
5. Three Notes (C-D-E)
6. Repeat
7. Dotted Half Note
8. Dotted Quarter Note
9. Four Notes (C-D-E-F)
10. Waltz
11. Pickup bar
12. Triplet

The following are optional resources to assist with teaching.

PIANO NOTATION
Piano sheet music is provided for teachers or intermediate/advanced students, with the right-hand part following the melody, and the left-hand providing an easy accompaniment. Note names are inscribed in the note heads and the notes are coloured by pitch. The piano notation also includes chord names.

RHYTHMIC MELODY
It contains the rhythms of the melodies in a 2-line percussion stave (low and high sounds), coloured by length.
The notation includes musical elements such as tempo indication, numbered bars and beat
numbers, making it ideal for teaching note lengths to young students.
Can be used as introductions to the lessons or for playing percussion from notation.
Each Rhythmic Melody lesson also contains a 1-2 bar ostinato suggestion, which could be used for drummers wishing to play steady rhythms instead of reading notation.

GUITAR TABS
They contain the melody, chord names and strumming indications. To be used by intermediate/advanced guitar players who already play the guitar to some extend and want to join the class with their instrument.

OTHER BEGINNER-LEVEL RESOURCES
This resource pack is in the C-major scale. Other resources in this series that use the same melodies include Harmonica (in C), Ukulele ©, Recorder (D*), Ocarina (D*) and Guitar (G).

The ‘Beginner level precedes the ‘Intermediate’ and is followed by the ‘Nursery Rhymes 1’ level.