Vivienne

Warm Up: Vivienne can review warm ups 7-12 this week.  Like last week, she can rotate which ones she practices each day.  I suggest playing three during one practice session.  She can even try to play all six one day (maybe Wednesday?)

Ode to Joy – Vivienne should review this piece this week to ensure she’s 100% comfortable playing it.

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…”

Like I suggested last week with Ode to Joy, she can break down the piece line by line.  To review, this means practicing each line three times before moving to the next line and so on.  After she finishes that, she can try playing the whole piece once through.

Chantal

Warm Up: This week I want Chantal to review the first six warm up exercises we learned this term.  She doesn’t have to play all six every day, but should play one to two exercises per practice session.

Songs
Come See the Parade: Chantal can review page one, which she learned last week, and work on page two.  She can practice each page individually and then play the song all the way through at least once.
Also learn “Hey Hey Look at Me” this week.

Practice Hints

  • 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.
  • Make sure both her hands stay on the keyboard as the song progresses.
  • 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.

Zoe

Russian Folk Dance: In this piece, Zoe learned a new note value: the dotted half note.  Make sure she counts all three beats before proceeding in the song.

Sounds of Beethoven: This piece uses the forte dynamic for the first time.  It should be loud, but not forceful.  As the book suggests, Zoe should press deeply into the key, but not hit the key with force.  This exercise also requires her to play both hands together at the same time.

Practice Hints

  • Always make sure Zoe is counting out loud and doesn’t rush through half notes and whole notes.
  • Make sure both her hands are ready to play on the keyboard, even if one hand only comes into the song much later.  Having both hands ready will help keep the transitions between hands smooth and without hesitation.
  • Make sure both her hands stay on the keyboard as the song progresses.
  • It never hurts to ask Zoe which hand the song begins with and what note she plays first in both hands.