Hi everyone,

Here is the homework for this week.

Jonathon:

  • Work your way through the fingering chart, from Bb to E. Don’t concern yourself with the alternate fingerings, except for the last three notes: F#/Gb, F, and E. Try your best to memorize these fingerings, and the associated note names.
  • Work on knowing both enharmonics for sharp and flat notes (eg. Bb = A#, Eb = D#, and so on). You can try only thinking of notes with flats when going down the chromatic scale, and thinking of them as sharps when going up the scale.
  • Take groups of four notes (eg. Bb, A, Ab, G) and run them up and down. Try to make these as clean as possible, without any “blips” when transitioning between the notes.
  • Continue reading through the first couple of pages in the Rubank book. Focus on familiarizing yourself with the names of the notes, and where they fall on the staff; don’t be too concerned about the rhythms at this point.
  • Remember to keep your fingers as close as possible to the keys, which will help with your dexterity and agility.

Aubrey:

  • Continue working on your C, F, and G major scales/arpeggios, two octaves. Focus on the areas where things tend to slow down, or you have to stop and figure out the notes/fingerings (ie. the break). Spend time taking notes in groups of twos, threes, and fours and playing them up and down (eg. A, B, C, C, B, A).
  • Try to incorporate the metronome into your practice sessions. It will help you pick out which areas of your scales/music need work!
  • Look at the top line of the duet we started working on today. Take one bar at a time, figure out the notes in it, and then add another bar when you feel ready.
  • Watch out for your embouchure – don’t take too much of the mouthpiece in your mouth, and make sure you keep your bottom lip tucked in.

Susan:

  • Here is a model of the practice session I was talking about today, you may want to consider it:
    – Warm up: long tones/register slurs
    – Scales and arpeggios, thirds, other scale based patterns
    – Exercises (Rubank book)
    – Band music
    – Any other music
  • Spend the bulk of your practice time working on Bolero this week. Remember to remove the ties throughout the piece the first few times through, just to ensure you are getting the right rhythms. Watch out for correct articulations as well.
  • Spend a bit more time working on the Mozart duet. Remember to really tighten up your embouchure in the upper register and to use lots of air for the higher notes. Be aware of your tendency to be a little flat in the upper register, and try to correct it when needed.
  • Continue working on your pieces in the purple book. Remember to hold out notes for their full value!