Required Tools:
- Multimedia PC running Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 
- An installed soundcard 
  (Wavetable MIDI Synthesizer recommended but not required)
- Voyetra Jammin' Keys software

Optional Equipment (recommended but not required):
- MIDI keyboard (with MIDI Out connector)
- SoundBlaster compatible MIDI Interface cable
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For Ages 5 to 10
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(Instructions below are written for Windows 95/98)

The idea of this game is to give kids a fun way to learn the names of the
notes on the piano keyboard and to learn the important motor skill of playing
a desired note at a particular time within the rhythmic flow of a piece of
music. 

First, set up a Jam Groove in Jammin' Keys:

1. Start up Jammin' Keys by clicking on Start > Programs > 
   Voyetra Jammin' Keys > Jammin' Keys

   

2. In the Accompaniment section, choose the musical style you want to play
   with. In this example, we'll choose "Latin" (in the lower left corner of 
   the Accompaniment section, as shown below). 

   

3. To audition the background accompaniment pattern, click on 
   the "traffic light" icon (Start/Stop).

   

There are variations on this pattern available by choosing one of 
the Variations buttons. The active Variation will be lit red.  
Try the different Variations and listen for the one you'd like to use. 

You can slow down or speed up the tempo using the Metronome control 
(metronome icon with the number 120 next to it in the illustration above). 

You can also change the key (scale) used in the Accompaniment by clicking
the up and down arrows next to the "key" icon. 


Now that we've chosen an Accompaniment, let's start the game!  

We're assuming here that the child playing the game has learned to identify 
the names of the white keys on the piano keyboard, but isn't necessarily 
able to identify them quickly.  This game provides a "skill drill" for 
building speed and accuracy in naming the notes, while organizing this 
skill in the time domain (in 4/4 time in this example).  

1. Choose the name of a note. Let's try "G" for starters. 

2. Pick a beat (1, 2, 3 or 4).  Let's use "2". 

3. Start up the Latin Accompaniment pattern you chose in Jammin' Keys. 
   Click on the Traffic Light icon to start the pattern. 

4. Have the child clap 1, 2, 3, 4 and say "one, two, three, four" 
   along with the beat. 

5. Once the child has the beat, let her stop clapping but still keep counting
   the beat.  There's no harm in dancing while you count! 

6. Now the fun starts – Have the child count beat 2 LOUDER than the other
   beats, e.g. "One, TWO, three, four; one, TWO, three, four..."

7. Now have the child play a "G" note on the keyboard on every beat 2. 


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There are all sorts of possible variations on this exercise.  Here are 
a couple:


- Try playing each note of the major scale from C to C on beat 2 of 
  each measure, like this:

    C                   D                   E            
1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |


    F                   G                   A
1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |


    B                   C
1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   ||


  



- For a more advanced game, play a note in the scale every three beats 
  while counting 4/4, like this:


A            A               A               A               A           A
1   2    3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |


        A
1   2   3   4   | ...


 

That's a Polyrhythm - 3/4 "over" 4/4 time!  



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