Helen
Warm-Up: Continue to work on the left hand and right hand warm-ups. Continue to keep placing your hands on the keyboard in the playing position several times each day.
To identify intervals in the music: count all lines and space from the bottom note to the top note.
When you make a mistake – stop and correct! Practice the section hands separately several times before trying a larger section (like the line).
Practice songs on page 30-31 and complete exercise on page 31. Remember to always play with strong fingers!
Try to play for 15 minutes every day.
Rachel
In the lesson, we worked a lot on keeping the fingers spread out over the keys while playing. This was difficult for Rachel, but I know with more practice she will feel comfortable doing it.
Rachel can practice My C Scale in the left hand and right hand this week. Mom and Dad can help by reminding her to keep her hand spread out while she plays.
She can continue to learn La La Land songs by ear if she likes. We will take a look at these in lessons when we have extra time. Rachel should play for 5 minutes every day!
Chantal
Warm-Up: Chantal can begin by reviewing the notes in the E major scale. In the lesson we learned about E major and its 4 sharps FCGD. I’d like Chantal to have a week to get used to playing the scale before we begin to work on warm-ups.
Runaway Rabbit: Chantal can work on this piece this week, playing with strong fingers and counting aloud. I reminded her in the lesson she doesn’t need to raise her hand so much when doing staccato (detached) articulations. She can achieve the same effect without moving her hand far from the key!
Theory: Chantal can review bass clef notes by doing this worksheet. We will take a look at it in the next lesson.
Chantal can play for 15 minutes every day!
Zoe
Warm-Up: A Dozen a Day Group III #7-9 in E major! Zoe should play with strong fingers and a steady pulse.
Technique Book: Floating Balloons (review)
The Clock Shop (Performance Book): This song features a slurred note to a staccato note articulation. We spent some time in the lesson working on how to play it and I’d like Zoe to focus on that when playing this song this week. She doesn’t need to bounce her hand much while she plays staccato. She can keep her fingers close to the key and achieve the same effect.
We didn’t have time to work on this in the lesson, but I’d like Zoe to begin to work on Mozart’s Five Names (Lesson Book) by herself this week.
She should play for 10-15 minutes every day.
Julie
Warm-Up: Double 3rds, legato and staccato. Start to work on the E major scale hands together slowly!
Schumann: Put your back into the loud sections so that your shoulders don’t tense up. Stay relaxed and move with the music. Focus on the first 2 measures. Even non-slurred notes should have small spaces in between them instead of really large gaping ones. Try to keep everything connected.
Beethoven: work on the 16th notes in section B with metronome at eighth = 100. You can slow this down if you need to. Always practice this first!
Practice the transition between b. 24-25. Go slowly! Work on playing 1st figure + first 2 notes of next figure, and then try to play the whole measure.
Practice section A at eighth = 88. Practice hands separately first, then practice hands together.
Look at the left hand and right hand together in section A. Think about which chords they may make.
Try to practice for 45 minutes every day!