Level 2A Certificate Materials
The Practice Materials below will help you learn everything you need for your certificate. The Badge Exams show you what we'll use to evaluate your skills and knowledge when you're ready to earn a badge. When you've earned all your badges for this level, you'll receive your certificate!
Practice Materials
Note Reading Badge
Use the practice flashcards below to learn your notes. The first set is self-paced. You turn the card when you're ready. The next is timed - it turns automatically at a slow speed. The next turns at a medium speed. The next turns at a fast speed.
Rhythm Badge
To earn your rhythm badge, you will need to:
correctly answer all of the flashcards below.
tap and count rhythmic examples like the ones below. These are just practice examples. You will be asked to tap new examples.
New Rhythm
Review Rhythm
Vocabulary Badge
You'll need to know all the vocabulary from this level and previous levels to earn your badge.
New Vocabulary
Review Vocabulary
Performance Badge
To complete your Performance Badge of your certificate, you must...
Choose two pieces from this list.
Aardvark Boogie
(Lesson p. 44)Whirling Leaves
(Lesson p. 46)Snake Charmer
(Lesson p. 60)Mr. McGill's Boop Sha-Bop
(Performance p. 12)Italian Children's Game
(Performance p. 22)Dance of the Irish
(Performance p. 30)Any song from the 2A Gold Star Performance Book or ShowTime Piano Series
Practice them until they are memorized and performance-ready. Your teacher may ask you to prepare them as a duet.
Perform these pieces from memory in the lobby at the end of your lesson. Whoever is in the lobby is your audience!
(You do not have to perform both on the same day.)
Badge Exams
That's right - you get to see the test before you take it! When you're ready to earn a badge, we'll use these Badge Exams to evaluate your skills and your knowledge. A few things to notice:
You will not see the answer cards during the exam. You'll complete the whole set without answer cards and then find out how you did.
The exams include all the information from this level and the previous levels.
The note reading exam is timed - you'll need to identify each note before the card turns. The other exams are untimed, but you should be able to provide the answers quickly and confidently.
You get to see the exams in advance just so there are no surprises. But our flashcards may be in a different order, or we may ask for slightly different information than what you see here. Be prepared and flexible!
You need to get everything 100% correct. If you don't, you can always try again next week. The standard is high, but you have unlimited chances to meet it.
Note Reading Badge Exam
This badge exam is timed at a fast speed and does not have answer cards. You have to be able to play the correct note, in the correct octave, and name it. Your teacher may also ask you about finger numbers and key names from Level 1A.
Rhythm Badge Exam
This badge exam has two parts. First, flashcards from this level and the previous levels.
Second, you'll need to tap and count rhythm examples like the ones in the practice materials above. These will be new rhythms that you have not seen before. You will be given some time to look them over before you tap them.
Vocabulary Badge Exam
This Badge Exam has all the vocabulary from this level and all previous levels. The set below has answer cards so you can review, but you will not see the answer cards during your exam.
Performance Badge Exam
To earn your Performance Badge, you select music from the list above and perform it in the Peaslee lobby after your lesson.
In order for it to count as a performance badge, your teacher will ask the following questions:
Were all the notes, rhythms, dynamics, and articulations correct and audible?
Was the tempo appropriate and steady?
Was the playing smooth, with no stops, re-dos, or hesitations?
If the answer to all those questions is yes, you earn your badge. If not, try again next week!
Book Badge
No exam for your Book Badge! You'll get it when you finish your Level 2A Piano Adventures Lesson Book. Teachers may suggest review or supplementary materials before, during, or after your time in that book.