The fifth graders have been a joy to work with in Music class this year.  They are making great strides in learning to read music on the staff, and gaining some confidence at the keyboards.  This past week, they began learning to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in a minor key. They have the melody down, and have learned the chords to be played with the left hand. Next week: hands together!  In preparation for this activity, we practiced singing the natural minor scale, and they identified which pitches were altered in moving from major to minor. They used that knowledge to determine how to change a major triad to a minor triad.  Soon, they will have memorized several major and minor chords, which will have many potential uses, including on the piano, guitar, and in composition.