Day 22: The Piano Keyboard
Tuesday, April 21st, 2026
Warmup
Preview today’s slide deck on the piano keyboard. The slides cover how the keyboard is laid out, how the note names connect to specific keys, and include practice exercises — take a look before Mr. Willingham presents.
If you have trouble opening the slides, you can also view them as a PDF:
Key ideas to watch for in the slides:
- The keyboard repeats the same seven letter names (A–G) in groups called octaves.
- Middle C is the reference point shared by treble and bass clef — it sits right in the middle of the keyboard.
- Black keys follow a pattern of groups of two and three, which helps you find any white key by landmark.
- The slides include scale practice examples — look for those as you preview.
- I can find middle C on a keyboard diagram.
- I can name the white keys in at least one octave.
Closing
Think about these questions — you may be called on to share:
- What is middle C, and why does it matter? What clef (or clefs) can it appear in?
- How do the black keys help you find white keys? Describe the pattern.
- What is still tricky for you? Name one note or clef you want more practice with.
Tomorrow we’ll use these skills to enter a real piece of music — Ode to Joy — into Musescore.
Standards
- MSMTC8.RE.2 — Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the response (using knowledge of the staff and keyboard to understand how pitch is notated and performed).
- MSMTC8.PR.1 — Select varied musical works to present based on interest, knowledge, technical skill, and context (developing music reading skills needed for transcription work later in the week).
- MSMTC8.CN.2 — Relate musical ideas to varied contexts and daily life to deepen understanding (connecting staff notation to the physical layout of a keyboard instrument).
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