This Week at Keylab March

Upcoming Events & Important Dates (details below)

Spring Break Open Labs Camp April 22-26 Registration closes April 1st!
After School Program - end of year performance parties June 17-21
Private Lesson Recital - Sunday June 9th 12-4pm 92 Luquer St (right next door!). Recital will be held in 2-3 segments. Click here to reserve your segment!

In This Post

Upcoming Event Details
Keylab's After School Program: Week 25 - Songwriting: Binary Form (LINKS TO SHEET MUSIC DOWNLOADS INCLUDED)
Student Interview: Aoife from the I Heart Jungle Band
Student Interview: Roya from The Beat
Featured Band - The Golden Argentina Rock Star Band
Meet Our Teachers - Music production & guitar lessons, and lead teacher for our after school program Matthew Ryals
Inspiring Site of the Week - Brainpickings.Org articles

END OF YEAR PRIVATE LESSON RECITAL SUNDAY JUNE 9TH 12-4PM

Click here to reserve your recital segment We will be holding our official recital for private students right next door at 92 Luquer St!. The recital is open to ALL private students (including in-home students) who want to participate, but is not mandatory. The day will be planned in 2-3 phases and we will be sending out details and an invitation to fill out a time request form soon so we can do our best to fit you into the most convenient part of the day for you and your family. The recital will be filmed and individual performances will be available by request at no charge. We also be posting performances to our website and youtube channel. There will be a modest registration fee of $15 per student to participate in the recital.

Inside Keylab's After School Program:

Week 25 - Songwriting: Binary Form

Binary form is a two part form with an 'A' section and a 'B' section. We have been using binary form to teach the basics of song structure and composition, and the kids have been exploring this idea from several different angles: Composing, producing, reading music notation, and performing.

Matt works with the Golden Apple Animals on their iPad band song which uses binary form

In the Tech Lab

Students have been playing an untitled piece from our curriculum in an iPad band using virtual instruments on the iPads such as synthesizers, drums, guitars, and orchestral/world instruments found in GarageBand. This song features several new ideas such as 8th notes, repeat signs and playing together using virtual instruments. It also reinforces other core concepts we have covered since September like rhythmic notation, keeping steady tempo, and listening skills. Each band has added their own details to make the song their own. Check out a few examples of the kids works in progress below!

'The Beat'

'The Best Butterfly Band' (ages 5-6!)

'The Golden Apple Animals'

In the Key Lab

Students are learning piano pieces that we have composed for them to help reinforce core rhythm, reading, coordination, and listening skills. Click the links to download the songs ‘Morning Thinking’ and ‘Walking Home’', and ‘Sleepy Trees of Winter’ for practice at home!

'I Heart Jungle Band' plays 'Morning Thinking'

'The Silly Crew' plays 'Morning Thinking'

In the Band Room

Our 18 bands have been composing original pieces over the past couple of months, and most have also been working on learning Keylab’s band curriculum song ‘8th Note Rock’ (download the beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions of '8th Note Rock' here) which is all about playing 8th note rhythms, reading pitches on the staff, understanding musical dynamics (indications to play at specific volume ranges), and navigating through a musical form (A, B, C sections; repeat signs, ). These band exercises really teach kids how to listen to one another and work as a team, which is great not only for musicianship, but also for life skills!

'The Electric Zing Vents' plays an original work in progress

'The Electric Band' plays working version of '8th Note Rock'

Student Interview: Aoife - I Heart Jungle Band

Nickname

Awaf

Favorite food

Pizza

Favorite instrument

Electric guitar cause I like the noise and I can do particular things on it that I can't do on our other instruments.

What is something that you would LOVE to do when you grow up?

Be a chemist, because you discover new things in chemistry and you teach other people new things. I would like to find how to make formulas to treat dangerous things.

What are some of your favorite things to do?

I like to play with my sister and watch TV.

What is your favorite part of Keylab?

I like band and I like Keylab because in Keylab you can use technology and do whatever you want to do - for example it tells you the exact notes with electronics and you can't break anything.

What is one of the coolest things you've learned at Keylab?

I've learned how to play the electric guitar. I never played it before and it's fun to learn new things.

Why does the world need music?

Because music is like... peace. And it's inspiration. Sometimes you can see colors or numbers or letters- it's incredible! The notes can FEEL like colors, like you're "feeling blue".

Student Interview: Roya - The Beat

Nickname Beanie. I liked beans when I was very young, so my babysitter gave me the nickname Favorite food? Probably sushi. Favorite instrument? The drums. They're cool!

What is something that you would LOVE to do when you grow up? I want to be an assistant teacher, specifically. Favorite Pastime Hang out with my dog. She's a labradoodle named Lucy

What is your favorite part of keylab? I like the Band Room, because I like the drums. What is the most important thing you've learned at Keylab? I learned how to play a lot of instruments! I never knew how to play the piano or the drums or the guitar, and now I can play them all! Why does the world need music? Because what would you be doing in the car? Sitting there in silence?! That's really boring! If you're traveling to like...DC, what would you do the whole way?

Featured Band:

THE GOLDEN ARGENTINA ROCK STAR BAND

The former darlings of the CG club scene reinvent themselves as an electro-pop duo

Known for their solid live show and the energetic vocals of Mika and Nola, GARSB blew up with their eponymous sleeper hit 'The Golden Argentina Rock Star Band' from 2018's EP 'Juice Box In Your Face'. While GARSB in its original incarnation was one of the best live acts of 2018, Oli and Vali have moved on to other projects, with Nola & Mika working on a new duo sound and a new batch of songs. Catch them with the Golden Apple Animals and the Rock Mixers on Tuesday June 18th 2pm at Keylab (94 Luquer St, Carroll Gardens. All ages, no cover).

The Golden Argentina Rock Star Band - Oli, Mika, Nora, Vali

'The Golden Argentina Rock Star band' playes their original 'GARSB'

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Keylab teacher, Lucy Clifford, posing against a brick wall with her bass guitar. — Production, guitar, and lead after school program teacher Matt Ryals working with student Arya on a song

Matthew Ryals

Lead Program Teacher, Guitar, Music Production

Matt is our resident electronic music guru, and also leads the team each week in implementing our curriculum. Although Matthew has a masters degree in classical guitar, his main instrument these days is a Eurorack modular synthesizer, and his most recent work is focused primarily on using electronic instruments and devices. (Click here to listen to him live and check out his latest work 'Machine Memory' on Oxtail Recordings).

As a collaborator, he has recorded, composed, and participated as a performer for theatre, dance, and film. Recent collaborations include The Movement Project, The Fixers, Cleveland Public Theatre, Natalie Lanese (Painter), Cleveland State University Dance Department, and Stephan Haluska (Harpist).

As an instructor, he teaches guitar, songwriting, and music technology at Keylab in Carroll Gardens and privately throughout Brooklyn.

INSPIRATIONAL SITE OF THE WEEK

WWW.BRAINPICKINGS.ORG

Writer and literary curator extraordinaire Maria Popova (Broklyn's own!) has a fantastic blog www.brainpickings.org that is an endless source of inspiration on all subjects. She does particular justice to the subjects of art and music, and here is a great article summing up how music is 'the equivalent of a full body workout for the brain'. https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/01/29/music-brain-ted-ed/