Dear piano explorers and parents
Today was our last regular lesson of the school year. Check below for your makeup lessons and see you soon!
Veda – Saturday June 25, 6:30pm, Wednesday June 29, 4:30pm
It was fun playing the “half-step, whole-step” game with you today.
Snake Dance: Flats last for the entire bar (it’s like water with lemonade) but clears after the bar line (like getting a fresh cup of water without lemon). Keep practicing and be sure to count the number of G’s and F’s (5) and to play them steadily even though it’s easy (she tends to play these very quickly).
Morning: I can see improvement today! Good work practising. Keep it up! Sometimes when she moves up to A, she doesn’t move back to G accurately in both hands. Also, play to the end (play the chords clearly).
Zoe – Saturday June 25, 7:00pm
Alyssa – Wednesday June 29, 5:30pm (45 min.)
Cool Groove: Add pedal at the end. Bar 1,3: slur the RH notes. Bar 20,21,22: the two-note slurs are played “down-up”, which means you must lift up after the second note. Bar 17: Check your RH chord notes and play this with a staccato and accent. Add more colorful dynamics as you continue to refine and polish this piece.
Jumping Jacks: Check some incorrect notes today. Good work following the fingering! Now, gradually increase the tempo.
Eduardo – Saturday June 25, 6:00pm, Wednesday June 29, 6:15pm
Sneaky Sam: You are doing a fine job learning a long and complicated piece like this! Don’t get discouraged because it takes about a month to learn and really polish a piece in this book, so you are on the right track. Aim for no mistakes and practice the top line of the second page carefully. You will need to find the chords quickly and move your hand to them so that you are in-time (not too late, not too early!)
Jumping Jacks: Bar 7 move RH finger 3 to A and LH finger 4 to D. Practice this section so that you can move your fingers to the keys easily and without a pause. Some incorrect notes today.
Pop Goes the Weasel: NEW. Bar 7-12 is the same material being repeated at different parts of the keyboard. Check the notes with flats carefully (you should play the key to the left).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2CjoH11jss
Madeleine – Wednesday June 29, 6:45pm
Good Night Ladies: Lift your LH between the chords so that you press each chord clearly.
Camptown Races: NEW. Your RH is moved into a different position. One of the challenges of this piece is the fingering. Practice slowly in the beginning, and insisting on correct fingering so that good habits can be learned.
Boom Boom: NEW. Follow the pink arrows to see which hand plays (which hand comes first).
Have a great week !