- Level: Mid Elementary
- Pages: 4 pages, 2 pages of music, cover included!
- Style: Energetic
- Series: Outback Adventure, Rote and Reading®
- Bonuses: Mp3 performance track (music includes an opportunity to improvise!)
- Format: PDF instant download
Have you ever heard a kookaburra laugh? It sounds something like a cross between a growling dog and a chattering monkey – and I imagine it would be somewhat unsettling to hear in real life! This piece perfectly captures the cackling quality of a kookaburra laugh thanks to repeated staccato notes and fun lyrics.
Try having your students listen to a kookaburra laughing before learning this piece, and they’ll understand exactly how the notes should sound – it’s a wonderful way for them to internalize the staccato! There’s also a fun improvisational section towards the end of the piece that allows students to make the piano sound like the laughing of a kookaburra. Students will enjoy getting to pull sounds out of the piano that aren’t just musical – but also animalistic!
What Level is Laughing Kookaburra?
Laughing Kookaburra is one of four pieces in our Outback Adventure Rote and Reading® series, and is elementary level. The shortest note value is an eighth note, but can be taught by rote and is easy for students to “hear” internally and play. This piece is written in a minor, and there are no accidentals throughout. Like other Rote and Reading® pieces, this one uses repeated patterns and themes that keep students from getting stuck in one hand position, but in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming.
There is no pedaling in Laughing Kookaburra. There are sections where the right hand plays bass clef, but only with repeating patterns that will make sense to students. The entire keyboard is explored with those repeating patterns, making it a wonderful way to practice familiarity with the topography of the piano.
The improvisational section at the end allows students to improvise laughing in any way, for any length of time – you’ll be surprised at how creative students can be when given the opportunity!
Bonus Mp3 Included
Your purchase of Laughing Kookaburra includes a bonus mp3 performance track that you can send to students to introduce or help them learn the piece.
Part of the Outback Adventure Series
Laughing Kookaburra is one of four pieces in the Outback Adventure Series featuring piano solos about Australia. This is a fantastic value as the bundle is discounted and these things are included in the bundle:
- Hoppy Thoughts
- Thorny Dragon
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Koala Cuddles
- Mp3s for each piece
- Outback Adventure Bundle Bonus Cover
You can purchase the Outback Adventure Series at a discount here.
The Power of Rote and Reading® Teaching
Piano students are much more excited about their progress when you combine rote teaching with reading. And when you do this, students stay motivated longer. This is because kids know that they can play music that is much more difficult than they can read.
Think of the way kids learn to read. They first learn to “do” the language (i.e. speak it) before they ever learn to read it. In the same way, students best learn when we show them how to “do” the piano before they learn to read the notes. For more thoughts on the value of rote teaching and how long it really takes a child to learn to read music, read: How Long Does It Take to Learn to Read Music?
Anne –
My student adores these pieces from the “Outback Adventure” series and has learnt them in a very short time. The pieces are so descriptive and inspiring and enable the student to play much harder- sounding pieces than their level. My student is delighted with himself! Thank you for making my job so much easier!