Hello!

Your lesson notes are as followed:

Eva

What we learned/reviewed in lesson: 

  • Matching exercises (reviewed our clefs and dynamics) 
  • Worked through how to physically play louder dynamics (using weight of arm/back muscles instead of just our fingers) 

Recommended minutes to practice:

  • 10-15 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week

What to practice:

  • Finger number patterns (most recent version)
  • 10 Second Song (for review), Driving in G clef (practicing our stacked notes/playing 2 notes at the same time with one hand), Best friends (using Right and Left hand to play 2 notes at the same time 
  • Spelling/composition exercises (for review/note recognition at keyboard) 
  • Coordination exercise: playing a fifth at the keyboard (playing C and G or any other transposition) with one hand; developing motor control using one hand to play multiple notes. Try to play 4 in a row (4 quarter notes), then switch hands 

How to practice efficiently: 

  • Begin practice with finger number patterns on white or black keys (alternate per session for variety). Get used to playing the exercises with all fingers on the keys (proper hand positioning). 
    • If there’s limited time, focus on the patterns that go across the whole hand: 12345, 54321, 135, 531
  • Focus primarily on note name recognition at the keyboard and hand position/fingerings (avoiding collapsed wrists, and making sure all fingers are on the keyboard and not curled into fists
    • Note recognition: practice having Eva name notes on the keyboard and make sure to recall anchor points (C and F; D) while doing so. Avoid counting from the bottom of the keyboard to figure out every note, jump to different areas of the keyboard for variety

How can caregivers support practice: 

  • Posture/alignment: Eva sitting at the piano and hand position at the keys. Look for the Faber Primer pages from September 5th for a diagram of how to sit and play. 
  • Balloon with paint imagery to prevent collapsing wrists. Even though wrists are elevated, make sure that Eva isn’t creating tension in her arms/shoulders, keep an
  • eye for elbow “wings” and rising shoulders. We want to avoid tension while we play

 

Happy practicing! See you next week