Vivienne

Warm Up: Over the break, practice all twelve warm up exercises we learned this term. I suggest rotating which ones get practiced during each session. For example, on one day she could practice 1-3, the next day she could practice 4-6, and so on. I would like for Vivienne to try and play all twelve back to back during 2-3 practice sessions over the break.

Ode to Joy: Review this piece over the break to have it 100% confident and played with ease!

An Oriental Song – Vivienne should practice this piece with just the left hand first every time she practices.  After she feels confident in the notes her left hand should play, she can practice the piece hands together.  Make sure she practices while counting “one and two and…” She can also play each line individually several times before trying to string all the lines together, like how she practiced Ode to Joy a couple weeks ago.

Practice Hints

Try reserving the same time each day to practice (for example, every day at 1pm).  In the holiday season, this can be hard to do, but try to be as consistent as possible with Vivienne’s practicing routine.  Vivienne should try practicing for 15-20 minutes per session.

If Vivienne wants to change things up, I suggest learning another piece from her song book. Start by learning hands separately, always counting out loud. It’s important when learning something new to go slowly but surely.

Chantal

Warm Up: Review all the warm ups we learned this term (1-12). I suggest rotating which ones are practiced during each session. For example, she could try exercise 1-3 one day, and then 4-6 the next day and so on. I would also like Chantal to try at least once to play all twelve warm up exercises back to back.

Songs: Practice Allegro and Elephant Ride. If Chantal wants to try more pieces over the break, I suggest continuing onwards in her book and learning “Yankee Doodle” and “Football Game”

Practice Hints

  • Try to reserve the same time each day for practice. This can be challenging in the holiday season, but having a consistent practice time will make it easier to remember practicing while the holidays are happening.
  • Make sure Chantal prepares both hands on the keyboard before playing the song.  If she has both hands ready, even if one doesn’t come in for several bars, the transition between two hands will be a lot smoother and there will be less hesitation between sections.
  • Ask Chantal what note her right hand plays first, and then ask her to show you on the keyboard.  Do the same with the left
  • Chantal should keep counting out loud as she plays.  Make sure she does not rush through half notes and whole notes.  The beat should be as steady as possible.

Tanishq

Warm Up

  • Double thirds, ascending and descending, legato and staccato.
  • Review the formula patterns for A melodic minor, D melodic minor, and G melodic minor.
  • You can also add C melodic minor formula pattern.  Like last week, practice the scale by itself first every practice session before diving into the formula pattern to familiarize yourself with the notes.

March in D: Continue practicing with a metronome marking of quarter note = 132. Make sure to play a melody or other distinct voice in the section you are practicing with the metronome before playing. This may help you gauge how fast the piece will be.

Hakuna Matata: Great job on pages 1-2! They sound more confident every time I hear them. With page 3, I suggest practicing hands separately first when practicing. Then, play them hands together very slowly. After you feel really confident at a slow pace, speed it up gradually. Practice page 4 hands separately and write in as many additional fingerings as you may need.

Remember to always keep your wrist elevated as you play! Over the break, select a piece you may want to learn next. Start practicing hands separately and with a metronome.

Zoe

Warm Up: Over the break, Zoe should practice exercises 1-6 from A Dozen a Day. I suggest she practice one exercise each day and alternate which one she takes a look at. For example, on Monday she could practice exercise 1, and on Tuesday she could practice exercise 2 and so on.

Songs: Over the break Zoe can practice “Gallop Pony” and “King of the Land.” If she wants to learn more pieces over the break, I suggest continuing in her book and practicing “Tambourine Party” and “Finger Tricks One and Two.”

Practice Hints

  • Try to reserve the same time each day for practice. This can be challenging in the holiday season, but having a consistent practice time will make it easier to remember practicing while the holidays are happening.
  • Zoe should always follow the suggested fingering. It will help her play her pieces efficiently and smoothly.
  • Zoe should continue to count out loud! Make sure she holds half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes for the entire length. Also, make sure she keeps her beat mostly consistent and doesn’t significantly slow down or speed up.
  • Remind Zoe to have both of her hands ready to play at the start of her piece.  For example, if her left hand comes in several bars into the song, her hand should still be near the starting note of that line.  This helps because she won’t hesitate in between sections to place her hand in the right spot: it will already be there!
  • Continue to ask Zoe what the starting note is for both of her hands in each piece, as well as what hand the piece begins on.  Ask her to show you on the keyboard where the starting notes are.