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		Adventures of the Black Cat Reprinted from April 2006 Issue -by REBECCA PACKARD Learning music notation and theory requires time and work, but the work can be a bit more fun with Adventures of the Black Dot: The Island of Music by Judy McGuire. In this book, a black dot from a sleeping girl’s eye goes on an adventure to the Island of Music where she meets other dots that turn out to be musical notes. The notes let her be a “visiting note” for the evening and teach her how to make music, and in the course of the story we’re introduced to the basic concept of how notes represent pitch and rhythm. There is also a CD version of the story with engaging music composed by Janika Vendervelde. The story doesn’t stand on its own as a source for theory, but it can serve as a fun introduction and framework for learning more about basic notation. I suggest reading/listening to the story and asking children questions that ask them to predict, summarize, and otherwise engage in the story. There are times that the story naturally brings musical concepts to the forefront for discussion, but some concepts would be easier to cover after teaching children some theory basics. A good source for basic musical notation and theory is www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/lessons.html. At the bottom of the page there are 26 free lessons and quizzes for teaching music theory. During the first 9 lessons, you can return periodically to Adventures of the Black Dot. Pages 9, 11, 13, 23 and 24 all have pictures for identifying staves, sharps, flats, clefs and different notes. On page 17, the notes talk about ways they would like to change the black dot; you can ask children what kind of note the dot would become if changed in the various ways. Pages 20 and 21 offer a chance to talk about notes beyond the basic terminology and you can talk to children about what phrases like “off-pitch” and “out of time mean (referenced on p.23).