Built off the first lesson with Ted. Read music, build a chord vocabulary, learn songs you actually like. ~15 minutes a day. Sunday lessons stay on the calendar.
Module 02 · Sundays @ 3PM · Practice resets Monday
The 4-week arc
01
READ THE LINES
Treble clef fluency. Right-hand Thunder.
02
ADD THE BASS
Bass clef + left hand. Two hands together.
03
PUT IT TOGETHER
Sight-read both clefs. Add Oasis.
04
BLACK KEYS & POLISH
Sharps & flats. Record a song.
Practice rules — read these once and don't break them
Eyes first. Read the note off the page before your hand moves. Don't guess by ear.
Slow is fast. Play it 3× slowly and clean instead of 10× fast and sloppy.
15 minutes counts. A real focused 15 beats a distracted 45.
Hard parts get isolated. If a measure is breaking, drill that one measure 5× before moving on.
Sunday is showtime. Whatever you practiced this week, you play it for Ted.
01
Week One
READ THE LINES
Goal: name any treble-clef note in under 3 seconds. Play Thunder right hand from sheet music — not from memory.
Featured song
ThunderImagine Dragons — right hand only
New theory
Treble clefEGBDF (lines), FACE (spaces), middle C
Chord work
C · F · G · AmThe Don't Look Back In Anger family
Mon
Run the treble clef training module. Lines + Spaces quizzes only.
15 MIN
Tue
Sheet-music sight-read: 5 random line notes, 5 random space notes. Then Thunder RH measures 1–2 from the page.
15 MIN
Wed
Run the 20-question test bank in the training module. Aim for 16+ correct.
15 MIN
Thu
Thunder RH measures 3–4. Add measures 1–2 back in afterward — slow.
15 MIN
Fri
Chord drill: C, F, G, Am — play each cleanly with all three notes ringing. Then run the C-F-G-Am loop 4 times.
15 MIN
Sat
Full Thunder RH from the page, start to finish. Then retest yourself on the 20-question bank.
15 MIN
Sun · Lesson
Show Ted: Thunder RH from sheet music + chord progression + test scores.
30 MIN @ 3PM
End-of-week checkpoint
Can you play any of the 9 treble-clef notes within 3 seconds of being shown it? Can you play Thunder RH while looking at the music, not the keys? If yes → you're ready for Week 2. If no → repeat Week 1.
Note for Megan: watch for ear-shortcuts. If he plays Thunder fluently with eyes closed but stumbles when you cover the keys with a piece of paper, he's still memorizing — not reading.
02
Week Two
ADD THE BASS
Goal: introduce the bass clef. Play Thunder with both hands — slow and ugly is fine, just both hands.
Featured song
Stressed OutTwenty One Pilots — chord-based
New theory
Bass clefGBDFA (lines), ACEG (spaces)
Chord work
Em · C · G · DStressed Out chord set
Mon
Bass clef intro. Lines: Good Boys Do Fine Always = G, B, D, F, A. Drill with flashcards Ted sends.
15 MIN
Tue
Bass clef spaces: All Cows Eat Grass = A, C, E, G. Mixed bass-clef quiz — 10 questions.
15 MIN
Wed
Thunder LH alone — slow. Just the chord changes from the page.
15 MIN
Thu
Thunder both hands, half-tempo. If it falls apart, isolate the measure that broke and drill it 5×.
20 MIN
Fri
Stressed Out chord progression: Em, C, G, D. Play each chord 4 beats. Loop the progression 4 times.
15 MIN
Sat
Full run-through: Thunder both hands + Stressed Out chords. Don't restart from mistakes — keep going.
20 MIN
Sun · Lesson
Show Ted: Thunder hands together (slow is fine) + Stressed Out chord loop + bass clef quiz score.
30 MIN @ 3PM
End-of-week checkpoint
Can you name a bass-clef note in under 5 seconds? Can you get through Thunder hands-together at half-speed without stopping? Half-speed is the win — speed comes later.
Note for Megan: hands-together is the hardest jump in piano. He may regress on songs he could already play with one hand. That's normal. Don't let him quit a song mid-week because it suddenly feels harder.
03
Week Three
PUT IT TOGETHER
Goal: read both clefs at once. Add a third song. Three songs in rotation by Sunday.
Featured song
WonderwallOasis — chord arpeggios
New theory
Time signatures4/4 vs 3/4 — counting beats
Chord work
Em7 · G · D · A7sus4Wonderwall set
Mon
Sight-read 4 short bass-clef-only exercises Ted sends. No prep — straight off the page.
15 MIN
Tue
Wonderwall RH only from the page. Then LH only.
15 MIN
Wed
Wonderwall hands together — slow. Count out loud: "1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and."
20 MIN
Thu
Quick run of Thunder + Stressed Out + Wonderwall back-to-back. Whichever is roughest, drill the worst measure 5×.
20 MIN
Fri
Sight-read challenge: a brand-new piece Ted sends, never seen before. Two attempts only.
15 MIN
Sat
All three songs, full run, no stops. Note which one needs the most work next week.
20 MIN
Sun · Lesson
Play all three songs for Ted. Worst-of-the-three gets the focus next session.
30 MIN @ 3PM
End-of-week checkpoint
Can you read a brand-new short piece in both clefs without stopping more than twice? Can you play three different songs back-to-back? You're now an actual piano player, not a YouTube copier.
Note for Megan: sight-reading is the skill that separates kids who keep playing piano from kids who quit at 14. The goal isn't perfection on Friday — it's getting comfortable being imperfect on a new piece.
04
Week Four · Final
BLACK KEYS & POLISH
Goal: introduce sharps and flats (the black keys he asked about). Polish all three songs. Record one. Send it to Ted.
Featured song
Don't Look Back In AngerOasis — adds black keys
New theory
Sharps & flats# raises by half-step, ♭ lowers
Chord work
F · Fm · C/E · G7Don't Look Back set
Mon
Find every black key on the keyboard. Black keys come in groups of 2 and 3. The black key just to the right of any white note = that note + sharp.
15 MIN
Tue
Identify sharps & flats in the new sheet music Ted sends. Don't play yet — just point at every # and ♭ on the page and name the key.
15 MIN
Wed
Don't Look Back In Anger chord progression. Start RH only.
15 MIN
Thu
Polish Thunder + Stressed Out + Wonderwall. Pick the strongest one to record on Friday.
20 MIN
Fri
Record video of your strongest song. Don't redo it more than 3 times. Send the third take to Ted no matter what.
20 MIN
Sat
Free play. Pick something you want to learn next month — start poking at it.
20 MIN
Sun · Lesson
"Mini-recital" with Ted. Play all 4 songs. Then plan Month 2.
30 MIN @ 3PM
End-of-month checkpoint
You should be able to: read any natural note in either clef · play Thunder, Stressed Out, Wonderwall, and (in progress) Don't Look Back In Anger · find any sharp or flat on the keyboard · sight-read a short new piece. Month 2 will introduce key signatures, dynamics, and a longer piece.
Note for Megan: the recording on Friday is non-negotiable. The point is not perfection — it's getting comfortable being heard. Every kid who plays piano has to cross this bridge eventually. Earlier is easier.
If you fall behind
Don't compress two weeks into one to catch up. Repeat the week you fell behind on. The plan stays the plan, just shifted. Tell Ted on Sunday so he can adjust.
Most important rule: if any of this kills the fun, tell Ted. He said it himself — he had a teacher as a kid who wouldn't let him play what he liked, and it nearly made him quit. The plan bends. Quitting doesn't.