Hakim

Technical Exercises – Continuing work on C Major 1 octave scale 

Adding in G Major 1 octave scale this week – continuing to practice as solid blocked chords and then stepping through. Using the same fingerings for G Major as C Major (groups of 3 and 5 fingers)  Scale Fingerings – Hakim Nov 20

Bartok – Working through exercises #4-7 

  • Starting hands separately, observing the shape of the line as you step through (not worrying about note names at first, just watching for steps up and down the staff)
  • Once comfortable hands separately, put hands together – practicing stepping through while keeping an even tempo/speed.

Celebration – Cleaning up and making sure you are able to keep energy going throughout the entire piece!

  • Watching out for places like measure 4 to 5, making sure you are able to jump back into our starting position without hesitating.
  • Making sure we keep the same bouncy and short staccato articulation measures 1-3 in both hands! Don’t let your right hand hold onto notes, keeping everything nice and short.

 

Clara

Technical Exercises – Continuing to slowly practice C Major 1 octave scale hands separately, playing as solid blocked chords of fingerings (groups of 3 and 5), and stepping through.

Lesson Book – Continuing to work through pages 59-62 hands together.

Bartok – Starting new set of reading exercises, working through exercises #1 and #2a (focusing on C 5 finger positions in both)

  • Read through one hand’s line of music without playing – looking at the direction we are stepping, notice when we step away and return to the same note!
  • Find starting notes, then playing slowly hands separately on the keyboard watching for steps up/down (we only move by steps in these first few exercises)
  • Moving on to say note names out loud while playing hands separately.
  • Once fully comfortable hands separate, adding hands together and practicing while saying note names.