Hi everyone,

Sorry for being so late getting out the homework posts this week. I want to let you know that this week I have an engagement that I must attend in the evening so I will only be at the school until 4:30. If your lesson is after 4:30, you will have David Zada will be covering those lessons for me. He has taught at ABC many times before and I will be filling him in on what each of you has been working on.

Also, due to a new school policy, the homework posts will now have a slightly different format.

Paula

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: “Time is Running Out” by Muse

How to practice it most effectively: Begin by reviewing each of the different beats in the song. Then review the form so that you know how many repetitions of each beat to play and in what order. Then try playing through sections of the song and focus on the fills and transitions from one section to another. Counting out loud can help to make sure each you’re playing each transition correctly.

Sabrina

Recommended minutes to practice: 1-2 hours per day

What to practice: Sight-reading, scales/arpeggios, rudiments, and your audition pieces.

How to practice it most effectively: Do one sight-reading exercises every day at the beginning of your practice session. Begin by playing the scale and arpeggio of the key that you’re in. Then review your other scales. Practice these with a metronome. For your xylophone piece, work on increasing the speed in the middle sections. Keep your mallets low to the keyboard and use mostly your wrists to play. For your snare piece, keep practicing it with a metronome in order to avoid slowing down. Try to make your dynamic shifts as precise and contrasting as possible.

Will

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: “Paradise City” by Guns ’n’ Roses

How to practice it most effectively: Review the tricky parts of the song first – the bridge section, the long fills near the end, and the double-time chorus. Then practice playing through these sections with the recording. Be sure to listen carefully to the song the whole time to make sure you don’t get off time.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.

Oscar

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: ‘Bossa Nova’ drum beat and the Super Mario Bros. xylophone solo.

How to practice it most effectively: Begin practicing the Bossa Nova with just your feet, then count the left hand part out loud while keeping the feet going. Once this feels comfortable then try to play the left hand part together with the feet. After that, take the left hand out and add in the right hand. Do this for a while before adding back in the left hand.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.

Isaac

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: the new rhythms that we worked on in your lesson.

How to practice it most effectively: Always be sure to have a sense of pulse and speed before you start to play. Count the beats to yourself “1, 2, 3, 4” and then start the rhythm. This will help you to better understand the relationship of beat to rhythm. Then, once you begin to play, be sure to maintain the speed and the sense of pulse that you started with. This is the most important skill for a drummer to develop.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.

Leonie

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: “Arabella” by the Arctic Monkeys

How to practice it most effectively: Always start by listening to the song. This will help you to get the right speed and the sound of the beats and fills in your head before you begin to play. Then review the rhythms of the fills in the pre-chorus section. When you feel confident with this, then try playing it with the recording. Following this, review the other parts of the song as well.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.

Nate

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin and the new Latin beat that we have worked on: Bossa Nova.

How to practice it most effectively: Begin practicing the Bossa Nova with just your feet, then count the left hand part out loud while keeping the feet going. Once this feels comfortable then try to play the left hand part together with the feet. After that, take the left hand out and add in the right hand. Do this for a while before adding back in the left hand.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.

Alexy

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: The new rhythm exercises that we worked on at your last lesson.

How to practice it most effectively: Always be sure to have a sense of pulse and speed before you start to play. Count the beats to yourself “1, 2, 3, 4” and then start the rhythm. This will help you to better understand the relationship of beat to rhythm. Then, once you begin to play, be sure to maintain the speed and the sense of pulse that you started with. This is the most important skill for a drummer to develop.

How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.