Written and Designed by

Eva Šašinková, Ph.D., M.M., M.B.A. 

Illustrated by Katerina Kovarova, M.A.

​Adapted and Translated by Roman Placzek, D.M.A.

Dr. Eva’s New Music Education School is a warm, unified approach that wakes up a child’s musical mind by following how we learn language: listen first, then sing, play, and finally write. Built on years on stage, decades of teaching children, and deep study of music theory, this method turns abstract rules into living sounds and playful discoveries.

At its heart is the piano: a friendly map where tones, intervals, and melody become visible under little fingers. Lessons begin with listening and story, move into singing and hands‑on playing, and finish with writing and creative making—so children don’t just memorize symbols, they feel what those symbols mean. Clefi, a music-loving little guide, leads the way through songs, puzzles, and short tales that make learning feel like play.

The first book, Clefi’s Little Notebook, introduces musical notation, the middle octave, the clef (and Clefi’s name), and the birth of a song through bright exercises and singable tunes. The four full‑color Clefi’s Music Notebooks extend that adventure: each volume stands on its own, yet together they form a seamless journey from first sounds to confident musicianship. Beautiful illustrations and smart design keep children engaged while making lessons easy for teachers to use and reliably effective.

This method trains ears and hands at once: aural skills, pitch and rhythm perception, melodic thinking, and practical harmony are woven into every activity. More than technique, it cultivates curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of music—because when a child learns to listen deeply and then shape sound, something magical happens. Open this door, and you invite children to discover not just notes on a page, but a way to express, explore, and belong in music.

Everyone knows that music cannot exist without voice or musical instruments. Clefi is back with a mission to introduce young future musicians to the captivating world of musical instruments. He is coming to share the history and unique qualities of various musical families and their intriguing members. From the earliest bone flutes to the majestic organ, Clefi takes us on an engaging journey, and, once again, he uses fun exercises, games, and new songs about musical instruments to achieve his goal. Same as Clefi's Lile Notebook, the book is beautifully illustrated by Czech illustrator Katerina Kovarova.

"What would the knowledge of music theory be for if we did not listen to music and didn't use the ingenious system of music theory in practice? However, the same applies both ways. How can we expect to evolve in our music-making if we refuse to learn and explore the mysteries of music, its tonal relations, harmony, and rhythm?" With these words, Dr. Eva explains why she created her little guide, Clefi, who is introduced to you in this engaging introductory music theory companion designed specifically for the youngest aspiring musicians. Clefi is here to make learning about music fun and exciting! This beautifully illustrated book is filled with fascinating facts about music, interactive exercises, and songs, inviting kids to explore the wonderful world of sounds and rhythms.

Clefi knows that repetition is the mother of wisdom, and even the fastest learners need time to let their newly acquired knowledge set in. Therefore, he offers his three exercise music workbooks to help our new musicians practice and get familiar with musical notation. In his first Music Workbook, he presents new interactive exercises, fun tests, engaging coloring tasks, and other helpful activities to sharpen young musicians' knowledge of the treble clef, the musical staff, notes and rests, the measure, the time signatures, and the notes and rests on the musical staff.

As we opened the door to a secret garden of musical symbols and notations, we discovered that there is always more to uncover and learn. In his second Musical Workbook, Clefi presents a new perspective on note duration, pitch, and staff and keyboard placement. He takes another look at measures, the notes of the fourth octave with C5, and the alternative staff - the hand staff. Always wanting to know more and share his knowledge, he also explores the notes of the fifth octave, the notes of the third octave in the treble clef, ascending and descending melodies, and the major fifth chord. These topics will be covered in more detail in his later Music Notebooks.

In the last of the three exercise workbooks, Clefi helps future instrumentalists whose primary clef is the bass clef become more familiar with it and reinforce their understanding. The workbook revisits familiar terms and symbols introduced in the previous two workbooks, such as the C major scale, the notes and clefs on the musical staff, note and rest durations, and time signatures, all within the context of the bass clef. Clefi’s Music Workbook 3 serves as a bridge between the two introductory primary workbooks, Clefi’s Little Notebook and Clefi’s Musical Instruments, and prepares students for the four volumes of Clefi’s Music Notebook, which form the core of the New Music Education School series.

You’re already making great progress on your musical journey. To help you even more, Clefi has asked his friend Notelina to join in. Notelina knows lots of songs and always has fun ideas. Both Clefi and Notelina love the sea, so their first Music Notebook together is full of sea creatures and their friends, the musical symbols. At the start of the book, Clefi and Notelina will help you review the basics of music. Going over what you know is a great way to get even better. With a strong foundation, you’ll soon be able to play, sing, and write songs or melodies in any key. You’ll get a fresh look at the musical alphabet, notes, and rests. You’ll learn more about notes in the third and fourth octaves, get better at reading the bass clef, and find out more about accidentals. You’ll also explore intervals in the major scale, learn how to make scales with sharps, and discover the major fifth chord, which helps you play along with songs. You’ll also learn about different time signatures, try out dotted notes, practice rhythms, and add more musical symbols to what you know. Clefi and Notelina will explain what a “lowered” tone is and show you how to make major scales with flats. At the end, they’ll tell you an interesting story about the mysterious note “H.” With Clefi’s Music Notebook 1 and the books that come after, learning the basics of music becomes fun and exciting. Knowing these ideas will help you grow your musical talent and skills.

In this notebook, we invite you on a journey through music and space. Why space? Because music is otherworldly and timeless. Czech and American music share a special connection. In 1969, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, Armstrong played the New World Symphony—a piece from his university orchestra days—by Antonín Dvořák, a Bohemian composer who led the New York Conservatory from 1892 to 1895. To play pieces like the famous New World Symphony, we need to be skilled musicians and also understand musical notation. That’s why we’ll look more closely at music and discover some of its mysteries together. Building on this foundation, in this Notebook, we’ll explain the pitch-class system and explore scales. We’ll look at the differences between major and minor scales and learn how to use the circle of fifths to build all the major scales with sharps and flats. We’ll also learn about intervals, create fifth chords and their inversions, and talk about chord symbols, which will help us later when making harmonies. We’ll cover tempo markings, repetitions, upbeats, octave changes, syncopation, and triplets too. At the end of the book, we’ll look back in time to see how the minor scale began and changed over the years. We’ll find out why we use three types of minor scales today: natural, harmonic, and melodic. We’ll also learn about the Greek scholar Pythagoras, who studied tones and discovered the rules that affect their pitch. His work helped create the theory of tuning and intervals. As we go through this journey, we’ll see that everything in music has its own meaning, rules, and unique beauty, just as the universe does. We’re excited to spend this time with you as we discover more musical secrets together.

In the first Music Notebook, you started learning music theory basics as you explored the underwater world. In Clefi’s Music Notebook 2, you completed the circle of major scales, learned more about intervals and chords, and traveled through space together. Now, in this part of the series, it’s time for you to reach a new level and find even more joy in music. In this third part, you’ll visit a music-filled amusement park. Here, you’ll explore minor scales, which are built much like major scales. As you put the pieces of your new knowledge together, you’ll start noticing many new things on your own. At the center of the park, you’ll spin on a Ferris wheel of scales to see how they connect. When all the pieces fit, they turn into balls you can juggle with ease and fun. Get ready for an exciting adventure. Colorful balloons will guide your way! You’ll explore the world of derived, upper, and lower intervals. You’ll also learn how to use them to make music. The special change of tones, called “enharmonic exchange,” will be a highlight. A fun and unique learning experience awaits you. You won’t want to miss it! Let’s enjoy the beauty of harmony and spark our creativity as we explore how major and minor keys work. On your journey, you’ll have fun with simple and combined measures. You’ll discover the richness of compound meter and try rhythmic exercises that make music even more exciting. So, musical friends, come join us at the amusement park! Clefi and Notelina can’t wait to see you there!

As we reach the final stage of our journey, we invite you to celebrate how far you’ve come and embark on one last, inspiring adventure in music together. Together, we have learned the key skills to keep improving our music. With a solid base in music theory, we can now create music in new and creative ways. In this last Clefi's Music Notebook, we’ll review and practice what we’ve learned and take a look at the lives of great musicians and music professionals. We’ll begin with the basics of conducting. The Leaning Tower of Pisa will help us remember how to change tones and use enharmonic exchanges. Next, the Statue of Liberty will show us how to understand musical intervals. As we explore different places around the world, we’ll examine scales from many cultures and historical periods. For the first time, we’ll study the old church scales that led to today’s major and minor scales. We’ll also learn about scales made up entirely of whole or half steps and see how some Asian countries use the Pentatonic scale. At the pyramids, we’ll learn about chord structures and symbols. After we understand how to make seventh and ninth chords, we’ll climb the Eiffel Tower. From there, we’ll see that the basics we learned are simple but important for building more complex music. After this, we’ll know how to work with chord symbols. Next, we’ll take a cruise to the Harmony Archipelago, where a musical path is waiting for us. But our journey doesn’t end there. After our visit, we’ll find our way home by following signs with musical terms, articulation, and dynamic markings. These will lead us to the station, where an express train is ready. The train is driven by someone who keeps the tempo steady. Do you know who it is? If not, you’ll have to wait and see! Will you stay with us until the final plane takes off, marking your continued growth and the limitless musical possibilities ahead? If you do, congratulations on your dedication and success in music.

May music always inspire you and bring endless joy as you continue your journey beyond this notebook!

Our voice is our first musical instrument. Some of us start by hitting something with our hands or another object, creating a primitive rhythm, before we try to sing. However, most of us sing before we dance. It might not be the most pleasing singing or even songs, but we respond when someone sings to us, especially when it is our mother.

When we are fortunate to have our mothers sing to us often, we begin to mimic what we hear. Our singing grows into a desire for more music-making, leading us to explore new ways to express ourselves through music. This journey, whether it leads to a career or simply brings joy, enriches our lives, making them brighter and more resonant. Singing is the first step in our musical expression and should be a fundamental part of music education.

Dr. Eva's New Music Education School book series is based on introducing and teaching through songs. These songs come from the people of her and our chief publisher’s nation, expressing the simple joy of living, being, observing, and feeling. Adapting her notebooks and workbooks into English so a wider audience can experience her method was a joyful task. However, we realized that without the songs, our final product would be just words and illustrations on colorful pages.

At BumbleBee Notes, our goal is to make music learning magical. To achieve this, we are translating and adapting all the songs from the nine volumes into a single songbook, unlocking the full potential of our music education series.

This songbook is not just a companion to the nine volumes of Clefi's magical music world. It is a standalone resource that can inspire and guide families, teachers, and students in private studios, music schools, and classrooms. Each song in this book carries joy and wisdom that can be sung or acted out. Even though most have only the first verse translated, they clearly convey their intended content and direction. We invite anyone who loves a song with one verse to create as many verses as they wish. Play with the melody's rhythm and let your imagination soar!