Hi everyone,
Sorry for being so late getting out the homework posts this week. Here are your assignments for this week. Due to a new school policy, the homework posts will now have a slightly different format.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: “Paradise” by Coldplay and the new rhythm and accent exercises that we have worked on recently.
How to practice it most effectively: Just review the Coldplay song a couple of times this week. It sounds really great. You just want to keep it fresh for the recital. Be careful not to start at a speed that’s faster than the song. With the accent exercises, be sure that you know which hand will play each accent and keep your left hand accents equal with your right. For the rhythm exercises, count the rhythm out loud before you play it. Be sure to maintain a steady pulse throughout the syncopation.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Sam
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The new beat that we worked on in your lesson, and your xylophone sight-reading.
How to practice it most effectively: For the beat, practice it slowly without speeding up. The best way to learn any new rhythm or beat is at a slow speed. In the second half of the beat, be sure that you are opening the hi-hat together with the bass drum and closing it together with the snare drum. On the xylophone, you really need to practice looking up at the music and reading the notes as you play. You won’t be able to play everything by memory and it’s important to be able to read music.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Josh
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: “Say it Ain’t So” by Weezer and the new rhythm we worked on.
How to practice it most effectively: Review all of the fills in the Weezer song and count out loud while practicing them. This will help you to consistently get the timing right when you practice them with the recording. Most of the song is very good, so this should only need a bit of review. Also, practice the new rhythms by identifying which notes are quarters, eighths, and sixteenths, then count the rhythm out loud before you play it.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Harrison
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Drum beats 1 through 6 on the page we have been working on.
How to practice it most effectively: Be sure to practice each of these beats slowly without speeding up. It is an important skill for every drummer to be able to maintain a particular speed without changing. Also, identify where the bass drum notes land on the beat and where they land off the beat. This will help you to play them correctly.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.